Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is © Sonic Team / Ashura the Hedgehog, Lauren Antares, Alex & the Uni are © me

MATURITY WARNING: This chapter contains sexuality.

11: General Unrest

"It's a nightmarish case of déjà vu: earlier today, the population of Station Square was badly shaken after several disturbing occurrences took place. Around noon, the plane of Miles 'Tails' Prower crashed in the harbor, where an enormous red waterspout sprung up out of nowhere a few minutes later. This waterspout then completely destroyed Emerald Isle: an island about three miles off the coast. When the Coast Guard set out to search for Miles, they picked up an unidentified hedgehog adrift in the water. He had reportedly been caught in the waterspout, and had severe injuries so he was returned to the docks to be taken to the hospital. But witnesses say he panicked while the paramedics tried to get him into the ambulance, broke the restraints holding him to the gurney, and took off into the city. He was pursued by . . ." A video from a security camera on the docks was broadcasted then. It showed Sonic the Hedgehog chasing after a big green hedgehog with a black face.

Lauren Susanna Antares heard nothing of the rest of the news report. Her eyes were riveted to the security cam recording as it replayed the short chase scene over and over. She only blinked when her eyes dried out and began to water.

He hadn't changed a bit. He was bigger, but that was it.

Still the same old Ashura. Her Ashura. He was alive.

Unbeknownst to her, the remote control slipped out of her slack hand and hit the living room floor, the impact causing its batteries to pop out. The sudden, sharp thunk snapped Lauren out of her shock. She started to sit upand then remembered the current situation when she didn't rise. She and her "boyfriend" Alexander were lying on the couch together.

As usual, Alex had been drunk when he'd come over, and Lauren was in no position to argue with him. Lauren was a tough girlshe'd fearlessly tangled with thirteen boys during her high school yearsbut this muscleheaded red hedgehog was a lot stronger than she, not to mention randomly violent. And being drunk made him even worse. The second he stepped into her apartment, Lauren had led him to the couch so that they could get it over with.

The truth was, Lauren did not love Alex at all. She'd rarely loved any of the boys she'd slept with; it was always only to satisfy herself. A quick fix. Kind of like a cigarette. Alex just happened to be the current smoke.

Lauren grimaced and began to squirm under his heavy weight. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they were finished fornicating; his head rested on her shoulder, and his rank alcohol-tainted breath was blasting her straight in the face. She was also certain that he was drooling on her.

Suddenly, Lauren felt absolutely disgusted. What the hell was she doing with this pig when Ashura was alive and well in Station Square, fifteen miles away? Let alone the fact that Alex was one of Ashura's former bullies.

"Get off me," Lauren growled, struggling to push herself out from under Alex's hulking body. She put one hand down on the floor to brace herself and gave the older boy a good shove. With a surprised yell, he rolled off of her and landed on top of his empty Miller bottle, crushing it instantly. "Shit! Lauren, what the f . . ."

"I gotta go," Lauren said, pulling her strapless bra and halter top off the back of the couch. "You can stay here if ya want; I don't care. Clean up after yourself."

"Lauren, my back . . ." Alex sat up and sluggishly brushed glass chunks from his back and quills. Ignoring him, Lauren yanked the halter top down over her head while struggling back into her thong and hot pants at the same time.

The images on TV caught Alex's attention, and it took several seconds for his drugged mind to comprehend what he was seeing. "Oh, that's . . . that's the . . . demon kid, ain't it? The Freak Boy." His bleary eyes widened with realization. "No . . . You ain't goin', Lauren. You stay right here. You're . . . You're mine."

"Yours?" Lauren laughed, striding out to the kitchen now that she was fully dressed. "I don't belong to anyone. I can see whoever I want. And you know damn well I love Ashura more than you could ever hoped to be loved."

Alex finally got to his feet. Lauren glanced over her shoulder at him. Noting how his muscles showed through the dirty white tank top he wore, she began to feel a bit nervous. Alex was not going to stand for this.

"I get it now," the boy snorted, his icy blue eyes starting to glimmer. "So I was nothin' to you. Just a cheap ride."

"My, aren't you intelligent?" Lauren purred, reaching for her little pocketbook on the kitchen table.

"Bet you'll have a lotta fun wit' that lil' pansy." Alex was speaking directly in her ear now. He reached around from behind and seized her breasts. "Stupid as he is, you'll get him to do anything you want. Tell 'im he's gettin' a taco for dinner." He chuckled at his bad joke. "Yeah. Your little pet on a chain."

"Fuck off, Alex."

"No. See, this isn't how I do it. You mess around with me, you stay with me, until I'm done with you."

"Get off me; I'm leaving."

"Guess they were right, huh? You're just a nasty little slut."

Lauren ducked down, slipping out of Alex's grasp, and stepped away from him. She snagged the strap of her pocketbook, slung it over her shoulder, and gave Alex a sarcastic look of sympathy. "Slut? Not until you pay me. See you." She walked haughtily past him and back into the living room, towards the front door.

As Lauren was stepping into her knee-length high-heeled boots, Alex came up quietly behind her, then grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall. "Stupid whores never know what they're gettin' into," he growled, and flung her to the floor. Before she could get up, he'd jumped on top of her. He pressed one knee into her belly and pinned her wrists against the floor. When she was secured, he leaned forward and shoved his tongue into her mouth.

Lauren let out a muffled scream and smashed her knee several times into his groin, until he rolled away groaning. Without hesitation, Lauren snatched up her pocketbook and scrambled for the door.

Alex recovered sooner than expected and pounced on her while her fingers were just centimeters from the doorknob. He wrapped an arm tight around her neck and began to rub his body up and down on hers, while sloppily kissing the side of her face with an open mouth.

"Motherfucker!" Lauren snapped her head up violently, slamming it into Alex's face. The hedgehog once again screamed hoarsely and tumbled away from her. Lauren sprang up and bolted out the door. She'd barely reached the stairwell at the end of the hall when she heard Alex's footsteps pounding after her. She flew down the four flights of stairs, skipping steps and hurting her ankle, until she reached the ground floor and the parking lot outside. She remote-started her miniature white Beetle as she approached it, so she was able to dive right in and kick the little car into gear before Alex even made it outside. She peeled out of the parking lot and sped down the road until her apartment building was out of sight.

When she figured she was a safe distance from Alex, she pulled into a HEXAeco gas station parking lot and leaned her head against the steering wheel, trying to get her breath back and her bearings together.

Her fear ebbed quickly. She was used to hotheaded males flipping out when she decided to break it off. Besides, she had more important things to think about right now.

Ashura . . .

Lauren sat up finally and backed out of the parking lot. She headed for the on-ramp to the highway that would take her to her destiny.


The hedgehogs' designated room was twice the size of an ordinary bedroom, both in height and width, and there were two queen-sized beds across the room from one another. Next to each bed was an oil lamp on a night table, and a small bureau. Everything was in shades of white, sand and gold. The walls were covered with paintings of waterscapes, and the floor was made of sand-colored marble tiles. The beds sat on circular pieces of silver "shag carpet", made from various trimmed sea grasses.

"You like?" the servant Suka asked uneasily, wringing her thin gray hands. The poor woman was nervous by nature, and being in the presence of such honored guests made her worse than usual, especially since her grasp of English was weak. "I-I help make it good. Has not been used in a time long." She chuckled anxiously.

"It's the Trump Hotel!" Sonic yelled, making a flying leap for the bed on the right side of the room. He bounced off the extra-soft mattress and landed hard on his stomach. Luckily, the rug cushioned his fall. Suka placed her hand over her mouth and chuckled. "Are you all right, Sonic?" Ashura asked, leaning forward apprehensively. "Yeah, yeah, never better," Sonic muttered, getting to his feet. He looked back at Suka. "Hey, that ain't funny! I coulda broke my neck!"

"But you didn't," Suka giggled. Sonic folded his arms across his chest and looked away.

"Lavatory is back that door," Suka explained, pointing to a door at the back of the room. "Feel all right to call anyone if you need things," Suka said. "Enjoy, my friends." And with that, she left the room quickly.

Sonic strode over to the bed on the left side of the room, hopped onto itmore carefully this timeand settled on his back, with his arms folded beneath his head. "Aww, this is great," he murmured. "As good as any of those ritzy hotels I've been to. Kinda makes me wanna forget I'm underwater, eh, Ash?"

Ashura was still standing near the doors, gazing about the room. He didn't answer his brother. Sonic propped himself up on one elbow and said, "Earth to Rain Man?"

Ashura blinked and finally acknowledged Sonic. "Sorry."

"Quit actin' like a stranger. Siddown or somethin'. You look so out of place just standin' there."

"Oh . . . Okay." Ashura walked to the unclaimed bed rather stiffly, as if he were being extremely careful not to trip or do something else clumsy. He sat timidly on the edge of the bed, hunched his shoulders, and stared at his feet.

Sonic frowned and trotted over to him. "Have you ever heard the word relax, Ashura?"

"Yes."

"So do it! It's not gonna kill ya to!" Oh, bad choice of words. He mentally kicked himself as Ashura cringed. "Um, listen . . . You've got a nice, warm bed now, and good food, and people who like you. Hell, they're treating you like a god!"

"I know they are!" Ashura burst out suddenly, making Sonic jump. "I don't like it! I'm not a god, or anyone special! I'm just Ashura! No one is supposed to like me!"

A few seconds later, Sonic murmured, "Who says they can't?" Ashura looked as if he wanted to answer, but closed his eyes tightly instead.

It's Dad, Sonic realized. Ashura still thinks he's here. Around every corner, behind every door, outside every window . . . Like Big Brother. He put an arm around Ashura's shoulders and said, "Now you listen to me, bro; listen close: You are free. Dad's not here anymore. Neither is Mom, or any of your bullies. Hell, even I haven't seen our parents in years." He knew it wouldn't be easy to break Ashura out of his mental prison; it might even take a psychologist to do so. But comforting words were a start.

"I know that, Sonic," Ashura murmured. "But I . . . I just can't . . ." His breathing sped up. "No, no, don't get excited," Sonic said quickly. "It's okay. Relax, big man. Lay down or somethin'. I won't let anything hurt'cha, okay?"

Without warning, Ashura latched onto Sonic as he had in the alley. Sonic was unsure whether this embrace was out of love or need of comfort. I'll never get used to this. He patted Ashura on the head while blushing slightly. "Yeah. I'm here for ya."

"I love you, Sonic."

Sonic's cheeks darkened. "I . . ." He couldn't bring himself to say it. The words were too awkward, especially directed towards another male. "Uh . . . Okay . . . You can let go now . . ."

Ashura complied immediately. "You don't protect me, Sonic. I have to protect you."

"Whatever you say," Sonic replied, rolling his eyes. To be honest, he didn't have much faith in Ashura. Leave the world in the hands of a retard. I'll personally eat my shoes if he puts me out of a job.


The guests of honor were given an hour and a half simply for relaxation. For the last fifteen minutes of this period, little Princess Keera waited anxiously outside the doors of their room. She was a friendly and curious young girl, and desperately wanted to get to know the Land-Dwellers while they were around. She might never get this opportunity again. While the Uni had always studied Land-Dwellers and their ways, they did not fully trust the strangers. Especially humans, whom they were at odds withbut that was a different story.

The Uni normally used the movement of the sun and moon to tell time, but since they had been forced to move into a cavern, time could only be guessed. Which frustrated Keera. If she did anything too early or too late, she was reprimanded, and if she asked continually was time it was, the same thing happened. No one knew anyway, so it was pretty useless asking.

Finally, convinced she had actually waited longer than the allotted time, Keera knocked on the door and announced, "It's Princess Keera. May I speak with you?" Having been educated in a few of the major world languages as well as her own, Keera's English was next to perfect.

She had to wait for several seconds, and feared that the hedgehogs wouldn't answer her. She hoped she wasn't bothering them. Her inquisitiveness and verbosity often passed her off as a nag.

But then the door opened, and Keera found herself facing the smaller blue hedgehog. "Hey there, princess. Whatcha need?" he asked. Keera noted that his speech was very informal, yet he was friendly. "Oh, nothing. I'd just like to talk to both of you. It looks like you and the Chosen One might be here for a while, and I thought we should get to know each other. Maybe I could help you get to know everyone: I was thinking of giving you a tour of our city. That is, if you'd like. Mother said I could."

The hedgehog shrugged. "Beats hangin' around in here all day. I know Ash would love a tour. He wants to get to know you guys too." He opened the door wider. "Wanna ask 'im?"

"All right," said Keera, stepping into the room. The Chosen One was seated on a bed, looking very reticent. "Hello there," Keera said to him, somehow thinking that she should speak gently. "I'm Princess Keera Uni. I haven't learned your name yet. Everyone just keeps calling you 'the Chosen One'. Do you have a real name?"

The big hedgehog smiled, though it looked forced, and his eyes didn't meet hers. "Ashura," he said quietly. The royal child nodded. Whatever language his name was derived from, she hadn't learnt it. "I'm very pleased to meet you both. Well, anyway, I came to ask if you would like to have a tour of the city."

"I'm goin', Ash," Sonic prompted his brother. "There's really nothin' better to do. Dont'cha wanna look around?"

Ashura stood as if on cue. "Of course," he said. Keera looked him over closely. He was so much bigger than Sonic, and noticeably muscular. Yet there was an uncertain awkwardness about him, as if he weren't used to his big, strong body.

Though she hardly knew him yet, Keera loved him immediately.

As the trio ventured out into the city, they were granted clearance by the guards, but one insisted on accompanying them. It was his duty, he reminded the princess, to uphold her safety. So the hedgehogs were forced to walk (a bit nervously) in the presence of the towering palace guard with his 8-foot spear.

It turned out the guests were lucky to have their speed, as Keera was quick and excited; doing her best to show them how wonderful her home was. She went from the preferred species of edible fish to the number of Uni in a clustered hut "community" almost in one breath. Even Sonic found himself saying, "Slow down, kid!"

Of course, the tour soon gained many onlookers. There were easily twenty children and several older Uni following after the princess and her guests. The quiet onlookers with their huge eyes and foreign whispers made both hedgehogs edgy, like they were zoo exhibits. Ashura feared that they found him ugly, while Sonic was merely irritated by them.

"Sonic," Ashura murmured finally, "do you think they don't like us?"

"No way," Sonic reassured him. "They're just curious. They've probably never seen anything like us before." The azure hedgehog smirked suddenly. "I'll give 'em somethin' to gawk at." He'd hardly finished his sentence when he took off. The speed of his departure threw up a cloud of dust and sand, and nearly blew Keera's kimono up past her waist. She gasped and forced the billowing hem back down, and shot an astonished gaze at Ashura. "What just happened!"

"Sonic is running," Ashura said calmly, watching the blue streak with close interest.

And so he was. Sonic had reached the city's edge in little more than four seconds, and he didn't stop there. He kept running right along the pool's surface; one of his favorite tricks. He made a wide turn at the far end of the pool so he wouldn't have to slow down to avoid hitting the cavern wall, and headed back into the city. A small crowd had gathered along the pool's edge by then to watch Sonic's display, and they all had to leap back as he came soaring onto solid ground, dousing them with the massive plumes of water he'd kicked up.

". . . Oh my," was all Keera could say. In her undersea world, the fastest creatures she knew were sharks and killer whales. Well, none of those animals could keep up with Sonic for even a second! Even as the princess was thinking that, Sonic came racing past her, throwing out a cocky "Hey!" as he went by.

Once again trying to tame her flapping kimono, Keera asked Ashura, "Do all hedgehogs run like that?"

"No," he said concisely. Keera tilted her head slightly. "Can you?"

Ashura studied his shifting feet. ". . . No," he murmured, too shy to admit that he was rather speedy himself. It was true, but there was no way he could keep up with Sonic. And if he tried, he would tire in less than a minute. So really, there was nothing so special about himself to say.

Meanwhile, Keera's kimono wasn't the only thing Sonic's speed stirred up. The Uni's huts rattled violently in his wake, and even the tree corals trembled and creaked. As he made his second round towards the outskirts of the city, one of the corals seemed to shudder and jump up from the ground. It was old and weak from little light, and in fact a minor gust on land might have knocked it over. So Sonic's over-500 miles-per-hour passing treated the giant plant like a playing card in a storm gale, and over it went.

Sonic didn't even notice what he'd done, until he realized that the Uni's surprised cries were becoming more alarmed. He skidded to a stop, leaving almost red-hot streaks on the stone ground, and looked back over his shoulder. "Shit!" he yelled when he finally saw the tree coral collapsing. There were people in that damn thing's way! He got on the move again, gritting his teeth. If he got to the coral in time, it would be extremely close. And how was he supposed to stop it? If he used a Spin-Dash to bust it up, Uni would still be hurt by the falling pieces.

Kids were beneath the falling coral. Some wouldn't be able to get out of the way fast enough, and most were frozen with terror. Keera was trying to move them, but she couldn't get to them all in time. She would be hurt, too.

This is my fault! My fault! This is

And suddenly, Sonic stopped running. "Oh my God," he breathed.