Disclaimer: In a romantic sense, SONIC IS MINE! O.O But otherwise, no I don't own any characters in this fan fiction with the exception of Cyan. All other characters are copyrighted to SEGA and the Sonic Team.
Chapter Synopsis: Two words for this chapter: I WISH. ONLY IN MY DREAMS. WISHFUL THINKING. OK, that was more than two words, but so what. My point is that this chapter is MUSHY! Yes, here's were the story really becomes a romance, and it only took me like 5 hours every day for the past week to complete. So enjoy it or else! ;) Oh, and for those of you with a strict aversion to mushy romantic icky-poopoo stuff, I suggest you find something else to read. This is a piece of a larger fanfiction that I may put up if enough people are interested. So please R&R! =D
A stroke of lightning illuminated a small glen just outside of Knothole to reveal Sonic pacing restlessly, his movements quick and uneasy. It was now past midnight, and most of the villagers were sleeping peacefully inside their huts. But it would be utterly impossible for Sonic to sleep tonight. Too many emotions were running through his head now, tangling and snarling together in one great, confusing mess. The only thing that may have been racing faster than his feet or his mind as he paced there, however, was his heart. No matter what he tried, he just couldn't get Cyan off of his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, there she was, as real as the sun, gazing back at him with those beautiful hazel eyes of hers. Every time he tried to concentrate on his own thoughts, instead he'd hear her sweet, gentle voice so strongly and so clearly that it was almost as if she were whispering in his ear. Every time he tried to think of anything, anything else at all besides her, he just couldn't. At last those bottled up emotions inside him had reached the breaking point. They had been restrained too long, held in check within the darkest chamber of his heart. But now they were slamming at the gates, like a raging flood, demanding to be released. And that's what caused the blood to course through his veins as it did now.
With a frustrated groan Sonic jerked around sharply as he paced back and forth, shaking his pounding head. "What'll I do? There won't ever be a moment's rest if I don't do something about this... But how can I--"
Suddenly Sonic swerved around as he heard footsteps approaching, feeling a sharp jolt in his chest as his pulse raged faster. But as another distant spark of lightning lit up the night woods, he saw that it was only Rotor and Bunnie, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Goodness, Sonic, what's got you so uptight?" asked Bunnie.
"Yeah," said Rotor. "It looks like you saw a ghost."
Sonic shuffled his feet nervously. It would be hard to explain everything, but perhaps Bunnie and Rotor could help. And he needed to get this off of his chest... Otherwise it would only get worse as the night wore on.
"I can't get her outta my head, guys," he replied, a slight quaver in his voice. "I can't stop thinking about her... And it's driving me crazy! I don't know what to do about it..."
"You've been thinking so much about Cyan that you've been up all this time pacing?" Rotor asked, blinking incredulously.
"Yes," answered Sonic, nodding vigorously. "It can't even sit still I got jitters runnin' through me so bad..."
Rotor and Bunnie looked at each other in astonishment.
"Sugar, I think it's time you confronted the girl about this," said Bunnie. "Does she even realize how much you think about her?"
"No..." Sonic answered slowly. "At least I don't think so... I haven't told her anything, I mean..."
"Well there you go, Sonic," said Rotor. "Talk to her. Let her know how you feel."
"I... can't..." Sonic stammered slightly, and suddenly resumed his anxious pacing.
"Why not?" Rotor asked.
"I just can't..."
"You've got to, sugahhog," Bunnie insisted. "You can't keep emotions like that all locked up inside you forever."
The thunder seemed to clap louder as the tension inside of Sonic mounted. "It's not as easy as you think it would be... You can just walk up to a person and pour your heart ou to them."
"Sometimes that's the only thing you can do, Sonic," came Rotor's answer as he tried to walk alongside Sonic. Sonic was moving too quickly, however, even at a walk, and his friend couldn't keep up with him.
"Well then how is she ever going to know then?"
"I don't know..."
"And how are you ever going to feel better?"
Again the thunder boomed overhead and Sonic was practically jogging now, his head aching terribly from all the tumultuous chaos of his thoughts and feelings.
"She is driving you crazy, Sonic, look at yourself... You're a wreck! I've never seen you like this before. You almost act like you're scared..."
Sighing heavily, Sonic finally stopped near the tiny creek that ran along the outside of the glen and took a good look at his reflection there in the water. He almost didn't recognize himself, for even now as he stood still there was a noticeable fidgit in his arms and legs. His handsome, usually confident eyes were frought with uneasiness and anxiety and exhaustion. And he could swear that every time his heart beat he could see a movement on his chest. Drawing in a deep breath, Sonic closed his eyes and tried to relax his breathing.
Rotor walked up alongside the gallant leader of the Freedom Fighters. It was then he could see just how much Sonic seemed to be suffering from all this emotional turmoil. He placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder, and when he turned to look up at him, Rotor could see the very pain and longing in his eyes...
"You really do love her, don't you Sonic?" Rote asked quietly.
Sonic closed his eyes again, but nodded slowly. "Yes... I've never felt like this about anyone... And I can't take hiding it anymore... I care about her so much that it almost hurts sometimes... "
Rotor could almost feel Sonic trembling now, and he was utterly amazed at the magnitude of his friend's love for Cyan. He had never seen anything like it, and his heart went out to him.
"Hey... Go talk to Cyan, Sonic. It may be hard. And it may be painful... if she doesn't feel the same way... But you've at least got to try, buddy."
"Yeah," said Bunnie, walking up on Sonic's left side. "Anythin's better than pacing here all night long, sugar."
Again Sonic inhaled deeply, rubbing his head to pacify the raging sea of thoughts within. He could only imagine what pain would follow if Cyan rejected his affection toward her. But Rotor and Bunnie were right. Pacing and wondering about it day in and day out only provided more agony. And what if... by some incredible twist of fate... Cyan did love him in return? Just thinking of that made his heart flutter, and his senses reel. Yes... he wanted to know. He had to know, whether it would provide anguish or ecstasy in the end, if Cyan loved him as much as he loved her. At last, he lifted that proud, magnificent head of his, a wave of courage, and hope, running through him.
"You're right... I've just gotta know... And I just gotta let her know... that I really, truly, love her..."
There was indeed something beautiful in Sonic's emerald-green eyes as he spoke those words. There was no hiding what he felt deep in the pit of that righteous heart of his now. It was all there, glistening, glowing in those deep orbs of jade, almost as if it had a life of its own. And as his friends looked at him, they knew that he wouldn't have to say much to Cyan. All she had to do to know that what he told her was true was to fall into those wondrous eyes that conveyed so much emotion so beautifully...
Sonic turned suddenly, knowing exactly where to look first for the cyan hedgehog. "If I come back soon... well... You'll know what will have happened..."
Rotor and Bunnie nodded slowly and understandingly.
"Good luck, Sonic," said Bunnie. "And don't worry, sugahhog. I couldn't know any girl on this planet or the next that couldn't fall like a ton of bricks for you." She smiled and winked at him.
Sonic smiled back at his companions. "Thanks guys. I think I know just where I can find her."
With that, he turned and jogged off toward the valley, where he and Cyan had talked only on the second day they had known each other.
Beneath the canopy of the oak, pine and willow trees that bordered the valley, Cyan was experiencing the very same dilemma. Frantically she paced and spoke aloud to herself, trying desperately to argue with the emotions in her heart.
"Just admit it," she said almost scornfully to herself. "You love him, and you know it. It's been there the whole time... ever since you first met him. It was just one of the many guises love can come in..." Even as she spoke, a tear slid down her cheek, and suddenly she leaned against a nearby tree, dropping her head back with a groan. "Why can't you just surrender to it?" she asked. "Why are you so afraid of your own feelings? I know you swore you'd never be able to befriend anyone, more or less love them... But Sonic is so much different. How different he is! He has something the others don't Cyan... he has a heart. He has kindness and virtue, care and courage. He's what Mobian men once were long ago, except he has every quality packed into one. He's perfect. He's... just.... incredible..."
Suddenly the girl flinched as thunder droned far in the distance. Looking out over the great valley, she could see silver clouds skimming the mountaintops, a strangely enormous crescent moon rising above them like a hook, trying to penetrate the darkness and confusion of the storm. In a way that was what Cyan felt like inside too. When once she bad been fighting to avoid feelings such as trust, friendship and affection, she was now fighting to let them take her, to free her from her own fort that she built around herself. She was fighting to take those soldiers down, to stop them from attacking every trace of love inside her. But it wasn't an easy task. Those soldiers fought back, and some of their methods had strong affects on her.
"You're not beautiful... and you know that too," she sighed, lying her head against the tree. "And it's hard to imagine anyone loving you for who you are... B-But Sonic did say that you were beautiful. You heard it with your own two ears. And those ears have never let you down before... Listen to your heart, girl... You've just got to let him know. It's too painful wondering constantly what he's think of you, what he's seeing when he looks at you -- a beautiful, sweet girl that he could love... or a cruel, careless jerk that no one could ever care for..."
Again a teardrop slid down her cheeks, and she buried her head in her hands. "But I am scared... So scared... That's why I can't tell him... Why I can't confront him... I think I'd rather sit here and wait and wonder than find out that he doesn't love me back..." There was a twinge of pain inside that made her wince even as the thought of this. "Oh, Sonic... My dear Sonic... You've changed me so much... How could I ever live without you, sweetheart...? How could I go a day without hearing that voice of yours? Without seeing those amazing eyes? How could I love on without your encouragement and kindness to me? How could I--?
Suddenly Cyan jumped as she heard a distant rustling. In a panic she crouched down low near the undergrowth, afraid that whoever was out there had heard all she had just said. What if it had been one of the young children? They may blurt out whatever they heard to the whole village, since they didn't know any better. Perhaps it had merely been a gust of wind from the storm... Or maybe...
The sound came again, suddenly, only louder and closer, and Cyan trembled furiously. Someone was out there... Gasping she hid behind the tree, clamping her eyes shut, praying that they didn't find her. This secret within her heart could never be revealed unless it were by her and only her... And even then she doubted she had the courage to look Sonic in the eyes and confess her feelings to him. She had never felt such devotion to anyone before... How could she ever express it? No, it would be too hard... How could Sonic ever believe her anyway, after the way she had treated him and the other Freedom Fighters when she had first met them? Fearfully the girl sat there in the shadows, shaking, far too afraid to show herself as the clouds of the storm slowly moved away from the moon, allowing it to shine down beautifully on the Great Forest with a mystifying silver light.
"Cyan?"
Instantly the she-hedgehog opened her eyes and swung around to peer out into the clearing directly behind her. There, of all people, was Sonic, striding through the trees with that confident, flawless gait of his, his eyes searching over the valley. Seeing him, Cyan's eyes softened a little, for he did look ever so elegant as the moonbeams bathed him in a fine silvery-blue that glittered more brilliantly than any diamond, any star. Sighing, she laid her head against the tree again, shaking her head in wonder. Once she had thought it impossible for someone to be total perfection, to move perfectly, to look perfect, to do every single little thing perfectly. But there was the epitome of perfection before her eyes again, and as always she was swept away. Though she couldn't help but wonder why Sonic has up at this late hour, and why he was looking for her... She hesitated for a second, but finally decided that Sonic hadn't been close enough to hear that conversation she had had with herself, and slowly rose to her feet, stepping forward shakily.
"Over here, Sonic."
At her voice Sonic's heart pounded rapidly. Turning, he tried as hard as he could to hide his nervousness as he saw her. "H-Hey, Cyan..."
"Hey," she smiled gently, walking toward him.
Sonic swallowed hard, trying to think of how he would do this. "Looks like we may be in for another storm..." he said casually, gazing at the storm.
Cyan nodded, following his gaze. "That'll be all we need... more rain. But something about it does seem... strangely peaceful." She shivered slightly as she stood beside him, feeling such warmth and security with his presence.
"Gives a nice breeze..." Sonic answered, shuffling his foot in the grass.
Cyan turned to him. "What brings you out here so late, by the way?"
Sonic bit his lip and lowered his ears, again trembling as his heartbeat thudded in his temples. Again his thoughts raced... Oh, how to answer her? How to explain his true purpose for seeking her out in the middle of this mysterious, yet oddly tranquil night? There was a long silence -- which seemed more like an eternity to Sonic -- before he finally found his voice to speak. "I... um... C-Can I talk to you about something?"
Cyan tilted her head in curiosity. What could have been so important that Sonic had to find her this late to talk about? There was a slight hint of concern in her voice when she answered. "Is there anything wrong?"
"No," Sonic shook his head quickly. "I just wanted to... t-to tell you something..." He dropped his eyes and cleared his throat with his mounting apprehension.
"OK..." said the girl quietly, a little confused at his unusual behavior. "What is it?"
Sonic was almost beginning to feel lightheaded from his racing heart. This was it. "Well... I...don't really know where to begin. I guess I could start by saying that you surprised me from the very first day I met you -- after that battle in Robotropolis of course. You were bold and spirited, and definitely not what I had expected of a girl who had been so badly beaten-up at the time..."
Cyan snickered slightly, remembering when she had trudged through the forest all day long just to get away from him. But that all seemed like a silly memory now, nothing more. She had grown so fond on his company now that she couldn't even imagine trying to drive him away anymore.
As Sonic began to walk quietly away from the clearing into the forest, where a small boardwalk led out onto a cliff overlooking the valley lay, she followed him, listening silently and intently.
"At first it was irritating to have someone be so rude, but after a while I had to admit that you weren't like any other girl I had ever met. Sure there's nice ones out there who are polite and all, but I've never seen them as openly defiant as you could be. You may be sensitive, Cy, but you aren't afraid to stand up for yourself and show anyone who bothers you who's boss. It took some getting used to, and everyone including me took great care to steer clear of you to avoid a confrontation, but you... you got spunk, Cyan. You've got a strong spirit inside of you, even though you deny it."
The girl pondered on what he was saying. Her? Have spirit? Aggression, maybe, but that had all been for her survival. Never had she thought of herself as spirited. She turned back to him to listen further.
"I never thought I'd say it," Sonic continued almost silently, his eyes fixed on the ground as he walked. "But... I like that strong personality of yours... You're unique, Cyan. Everyone is, but you more so for whatever reason. One of the first things that made me think this was the marking on your belly -- it's almost shaped like a perfect heart. You don't find such special markings like that often, y'know. But that's not the point I'm trying to get across... My point is... that you have an awesome personality.... and I... I find that attractive about you..."
He took a moment to glance at her, and noticed a hint of surprise in her tranquil eyes. For some reason Cyan's heart was thumping too, as if subconsciously she knew something was about to happen... something good... She furrowed her brow in puzzlement...
"Anyway," said Sonic, turning away as he stepped onto the boardwalk. "Cyan... what I'm really trying to say is that you're not like anyone I've ever met before... You're brave at heart, and stand up for what you believe in. But at the same time, you're also very sweet and gentle, despite how tough you make yourself appear. You acted as if you didn't care about anyone or anything, but you really did. The fire was enough to prove that. You went right into those flames to save that mother and her son. That was something not many have the courage to do. But it's probably your kind, generous side of you that I really admire, that really made me strive to know the true you, the girl behind the mask. And it was when I found out how caring you were that I wondered why you had hidden so many things about yourself.... Like your real nature, and the fact that you really are a beautiful girl. When I told you that I thought you were beautiful, you acted as if no one had ever told you that in your life."
"No one ever had..." whispered Cyan, wiping her eyes as she thought of that evening when he had surprised her so.
Sonic faced her incredulously. "I don't believe that. You are beautiful, Cyan! All I have to do is look into your eyes and I just see... just something I've never seen... A soul, as pure and flawless as one ever could be... I see a heart and a brilliant mind... I see someone that only comes in dreams, someone who only has to touch people one time to change their life forever," Sonic's voice had suddenly gone from nearly inaudible to high and passionate. His eyes even seemed to be glazing over as he spoke to her, as tremulous as ever.
Cyan looked up at him suddenly, trying to restrain a sudden surge of hope that had come to her as she listened to his words... Could he possibly--?
"I see someone who heals the goodness out of a tortured heart, someone who can be so busy that they're up to their neck in work, yet shove it all away and give all the time in the world to someone in need. That's the amazing thing about you, Cyan. That's what makes you so unique... You're an angel. You give and only give. You never take. And that's what makes you more beautiful than anyone I've ever seen, Cyan. That incredible heart of yours."
He gazed at her for a second, his breath suddenly coming faster. He knew he had said much more than he had ever intended to, but perhaps that was best.
Cyan just stood there silently beside him, unable to say anything. All she knew was that her pulse was surging through her veins, and it only intensified its speed when Sonic spoke again.
"Cyan," he said slowly as he came to the end of the boardwalk, a balcony that overlooked the vast valley beneath them that seemed to come alive with fire when the sun set. It was there he finally stopped, and turned to face her, shaking furiously. "The reason I couldn't sleep tonight... the reason I had to come out here, even in the dead of night, to find you... the reason that I'm telling you all this now... is because I..." Cyan's eyes were now wide as she stared at him breathlessly, but his voice trailed off and he turned his eyes away slightly.
"Yes, Sonic?" she whispered, that wave of hope, of longing rushing through her again.
"I..." Sonic tried again, but again something stopped him, that ever-increasing dread of hearing her response when he spoke those fateful words. Right at this moment he was fighting a desperate battle with himself, a battle to overcome those worries and let the pent-up emotions inside him burst free! He tossed his magnificent head and clenched his teeth in exasperation, throwing himself at those imaginary floodgates to destroy the lock, to let the raging waters behind him flow freely. His whole body trembled now, and it only made Cyan's pulse stream ever faster through her, nearly burning through her veins. This was no ordinary, casual conversation just to pass the time... Sonic wasn't fighting himself for no reason... Something in Cyan knew this, and it waited, listened, pined to know the answer... so much that her breath was coming in gasps.
Sonic pawed the ground suddenly, almost as if he were fighting a physical opponent. This struggle continued on only for about a minute more, when at last he lowered his head and closed his blazing eyes, surrendering himself to the fury of the flood as those gates were finally unlocked, releasing all the locked-up treasures of his heart.
"I love you, Cyan," he breathed, turning to her, his eyes locked on hers. "I truly love you with all my heart..."
Suddenly everything that had been surging through Cyan, everything that had been racing madly within her mind and heart, came to an abrupt stop. It all froze. Even her thudding heart, which suddenly felt as if it had leaped right out of her chest. She could hardly believe her ears... No, she couldn't believe her ears... Her mouth agape, she turned to Sonic, looking directly into his eyes.
"Sonic... Is that true?" she gasped, tears already misting her eyes.
Sonic nodded, never once looking away from her. It had been just as Rotor and Bunnie had expected. All the truth, all the sincerity and honesty in the world lay right there in his emerald-green eyes, as powerful as the sun, as beautiful as starshine. There was no doubting what he had said, what he felt. It was all right there, communicating from his eyes to hers. "I do, Cyan," he whispered. "I truly do."
Slowly, ever so slowly, Cyan's eyes grew wider, her jaw dropped farther, and she lifted her hands to her face in total disbelief. The constant bu-bum, bu-bum, bu-bum of her heartbeat drumming against the walls of her chest had now turned into one slow, loud bo-bum.... bo-bum... Her head suddenly went light, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her. Again and again she repeated Sonic's words in her head, letting them echo into the depths of her mind, trying to take in what they meant. This... she couldn't believe this... It was too incredible to be true. It was too wonderful, too potent an award anyone could ever hope to receive. It was true... There was no more questioning or wondering. She couldn't believe it, it had to be a dream. She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, expecting to wake up in her hut, but there he was, right in front of her, still gazing into her eyes, waiting in painful silence for her reaction. Sonic loved her.
Suddenly the girl burst into tears, hardly able to comprehend this at all. She turned and leaned on the wooden railing of the boardwalk, shaking and sobbing in incredulity.
"Cyan?" Sonic asked, walking toward her slowly, his head tilted. "Cyan, what's wrong?"
As he came up beside her, he could see the tears streaming down her cheeks, and a sympathetic ache gripped his heart. No words could ever describe how much he hated to see tears in the eyes of the innocent, in the eyes of anyone for that matter. It pulled at him, and aroused his truest kindness, the kind that Cyan had fell in love with him for.
Quietly he edged closer to her and with a gentleness hardly believable for someone as magnificently strong as he was, brushed his hand against her cheek, wiping her tears away. At his touch, Cyan shuddered, hardly able to draw breath. The soldiers in her imaginary fort resisted only for a second longer as the love she had been repressing suddenly overpowered them. They had fought strong, they had fought hard. But this "enemy" was something they could never vanquish in an eternity of wars. It was invincible, stronger than the steel of hate or fear, and sweeter than the flowers of care and friendship, only it burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. At last those soldiers lowered their heads and stood down in surrender.
Shakily Cyan reached up a placed her hand over his, clutching it tightly and compassionately, as if she had yearned to do so all her life. Then finally she couldn't help herself any longer. With a cry she turned suddenly and threw her arms around him, holding him tenderly, sobbing and gasping as she pressed her head firmly against his. For a moment Sonic could only close his eyes as a powerful wave of relief swept over him, for suddenly having Cyan this close surpassed his wildest expectations. Then he too was overwhelmed with joy, affection and amazement. Without another second's hesitation, he took her in his arms and pulled her to him, returning the gentle, loving embrace, forgetting to breathe altogether. And it was wonderful, feeling those two hearts that had been forbidden from each other so painfully long melt into one another at last. There was nothing more to hide, nothing more to fight. Her senses reeling as she marveled at the sheer power of this feeling, at the impossible reality it was to actually be in Sonic's arms at last, Cyan pressed closer to him, running her hand down his quills tenderly.
"Oh, Sonic..." she said at last. "I never thought-- I never even dreamed that--... Oh, god, I love you too, sweetheart... Oh, I do! I do!"
Sonic sighed deeply as he rubbed her back gently. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Cy."
"You can't possibly be as happy as I am," she sniffled, trembling against him. "I never dreamed that this would ever happen to me in a million years! Never... Oh, come here, Sonic. Come here!"
She bundled him closer to her, burying her head in that beautiful, sweeping mane of cerulean quills, her hands stroking down from his forehead to behind his ears. Sonic groaned comfortably as she did so, and laid his head against her neck, letting out another deep breath. Nothing could be as perfect or blissful as this. Though he couldn't help but notice the sobs that shook from Cyan's body, the breaths were drawn in sharply and the moans she uttered lowly, as if she were in pain.
"Why are you crying so much, Cyan?" he asked suddenly.
The girl turned her head to look into his eyes. "Because this is just... too good to be true, Sonic. All of my life I've seen myself as a miserable outcast, someone who could only find comfort and pity only with their own heart and shunned the rest of the world away... Sonic, back in my old homeland, I never even knew who my father was... My mother told me that the Alken race had captured us, and that he had been murdered by their leader, Kertak. I learned only when I was a little girl just what cruelty and stupidity some men had... Kertak and his bodyguards were allowed to openly beat and abuse any woman or girl on the streets without reason, to treat them as slaves and inferiors!" Cyan's eyes blazed as she remembered those dark days. "I was only a child... but they beat me anyway, starved me anyway, constantly filled the life of me and my friends with fear and pain!"
Sonic winced as her voice grew laden with agony, hardly believing what she was telling him of this Alken race.
Cyan hung her head, weeping miserably as pain once again gripped her heart. "...And so finally they even killed my mother... Right in front of my eyes, Sonic... Right in front of my eyes. They had been after me again, when I was only less than ten years old, and at last she couldn't take their evilness anymore, and had stood up to protect me. She had stood in defiance and spat in the face at Kertak himself, something no one else had the courage to do! And Kertak... that coward! He set his whole army of idiots on her, and I tried to help her. Oh, I tried to run to her! But they held me back, Sonic... There were too many of them, and I just couldn't fight them... I couldn't save my mother..."
In her anguish she gripped Sonic's shoulders tightly, pressing her head against his chest. Sonic's heart was filled with pain and sympathy for her, for he knew what it was like to lose a family. His own parents had perished before he was even old enough to know then, and all he had were vague images of them from his early youth, nothing but bits and pieces of scenes of his heroic father and his gentle mother. Quietly he held Cyan close to him to reassure her, listening wordlessly to this sad tale.
"That's why, Sonic," she went on tearfully. "That's why I hated men so much... I had it in my head that they were all like Kertak and his miserable followers. That's why I ran far away from that terrible place, in the hopes of finding a home where I could live happily and safely. But it seemed that no one wanted me... Again and again I met creatures who turned their backs on me, who betrayed me and tormented me for my weak-willed, often sensitive nature. They never even took the chance to learn that I was scarred for life with my memories. And so I became just as hard and cold as an Alken, snapping and snarling at anyone who came near me, refusing to ever permit myself to trust anyone again. I had thought that I'd never be able to love someone, that all honorable people on this planet had been destroyed after Robotnik's take-over..." Suddenly she lifted her eyes to look at him. "But then I met you... You, Sonic... You're not like them. You have a conscience in that mind of yours, you have a soul and you have a heart! When others threatened to harm me, you offered your hand to help. When others spoke to me with hate and scorn, you spoke to me with kindness and understanding. When others just gave up on me, believing that I could never be changed, you never did. You stayed with me, and brought the lightness out of me with your gentleness. You saved me, Sonic! If it hadn't been for you, I would have been dead that night in Robotropolis, when I had given everything up... You saved me from myself. I never thought anyone would ever have the patience or the reason to help me out of the darkness. But you did. And the amazing thing to me was that you did it for no reason at all..."
"Well, that's not exactly true," Sonic answered quietly, gazing down at her softly. "I did it because I cared about you. Not to mention you were the first and only girl to challenge me to a fight. That's never happened before." He smiled preciously.
"Sonic..." Cyan murmured, kissing him on the cheek. "What would I ever do without you, my Sonic? I love you... Oh, I love you..."
"Shhh," Sonic whispered. "It's OK. Forget about how they treated you... I'm here, now. Hey, no more tears. Such beautiful eyes aren't fit for tears. Easy."
Hearing him whisper so tenderly in her ear, and feeling his heartbeat at last eased the pain that had for so long eaten at Cyan's soul, like a bandage over a livid wound. Slowly the tears subsided as a brand new feeling came to her -- the feeling of belonging. She belonged here in Sonic's arms, belonged in his heart. And he belonged with her. Fate had worked its magic once more on the girl, but this time, it had led her to a miracle that changed her life forever. She truly had been saved, thanks to the heart of this incredible hero. She had been saved from the darkness of the past, and the pain of her memories. It had seemed like there would never be any treatment to cure this pain... But Sonic had reversed everything she had ever thought. Pain had become comfort. Loneliness had become belonging. Despair had become happiness. And hate had become love. Sonic had truly worked a miracle on her, and she loved him more than life because of it.
And Sonic? Dear, brave, tenderhearted Sonic was so full of peace and ecstasy that it felt as if his heart would burst. Little than half an hour ago he had been pacing nervously, literally tortured by his feelings. Now that had all been quelled at the mere touch of this phenomenal girl. It had always been fascinating to him how so much confusion and pain could be healed by her presence. But that was just the kind of person Cyan was. A healer. A saint. An angel. It was hard to believe that she had ever snarled or glared at him. Especially now that she was stroking him with a touch so gentle that it couldn't damage the delicate petal of a rose. Sonic was truly amazed. Never had he met anyone quite like Cyan. Never had he laid eyes on anyone fairer than she. Never had he seen anyone who held a world of talent and creativity in her secret heart, not even in those wild, endless skies of Mobius... not even in the enigmatic mystery of his dreams. Truly he had unearthed a diamond, hidden for centuries beneath a shield of dirt and stone. And to think that no one had ever believed either he, the untamed, warrior who craved adventure and thrill too much for any girl to ever bother with, and Cyan, the cold-hearted loner who had sworn never to allow herself to love, could be together.
Suddenly he smiled warmly. "You know, I thought you once said that you and I could never be together."
Cyan smiled too, and pulled her head back to again gaze into the infinite wonder of those emerald eyes, her hand on his cheek. "I said a lot of things, didn't I? But look at where we are, my Sonic. The last place both of us -- and probably everyone else in Knothole -- had least expected to ever be. I was scared, Sonic... I was scared when I told you that we weren't for each other, but only because I was scared to admit to you that I really did love you."
Sonic gazed back at her lovingly, a mysterious glimmer in his eyes.
Slowly Cyan began to move closer to him. "But I'm not scared anymore. There's nothing to hide, nothing to hold back. You're mine, and I'm yours. I see now that we were meant for each other, like the stars are meant for the night, like the clouds are meant for the wind..." She clasped his cheek tighter, eyes locked on his. "Like the adventure is meant for the hero..."
Spellbound Sonic watched her eyes as she continued to draw closer. There was a flutter in his heart as his pulse raced again, and a tremble in his spine.
"...And if anyone thinks otherwise," Cyan breathed, her voice lowering to a whisper, her eyes half closed. "Let this show them that they were wrong... That love can be drawn even out of the darkest and most tortured hearts..." The world around them suddenly seemed to fade away...the forest, the valley that stretched on below them, the night and the sky all disappeared. All Cyan saw was Sonic, and all he saw was her. "...Let this take back all I have said... and set the love that has been trapped, chained down in our hearts for so long free!"
Suddenly she pressed her lips firmly against his in a passionate kiss. And this time neither of them was afraid to express the depth of their affections for one another. Sonic held her tight against him, and let the passion take hold of him, engulfing him like fire, bubbling down through his blood until it possessed him. And Cyan didn't pull away as he gave her the most lustful, overwhelmingly powerful kiss she had ever known. There was no trace of fear in her now... only the love for this remarkable creature before her. And there was no nervousness in Sonic neither, for he suddenly felt so free to douse her in his love, to let it all escape and take her as its prisoner. Yes, unlike the first, this was a true, deep kiss that was laden with emotion and tenderness, that let both of them know their endearment in each other. Neither of them really knew how long it had lasted, that outburst of passion... It could have been all night long, for all they cared. All they knew was that they could have stayed that way forever, until the stars stopped burning and the eternal night arose. When at last they did open their eyes, they were still absorbed in one another, never noticing that the storm that had been threatening to rage before had now passed them by, and that the night had suddenly become indescribably beautiful. No, Sonic would not return to Knothole tonight... He'd stay here as long as Fate allowed, right in the arms of his beloved Cyan. And never again would Cyan be afraid to let her love flow freely to him... never again. At last she was home.
"I love you, Sonic," she whispered dreamily.
Sonic closed his eyes and stroked his hand through her sky-blue quills. "Love you too, Cyan."