Sonic Hill 2: DX
Ending I: Shadow
------
Through the darkness of the corridor, Miles could only see one door remaining (the others had disappeared long ago, replaced by cold gray cementing). Directly ahead, the peaceful double doors that lead back outside to the back-court and the docks stood, waiting for the hotels final passenger to accept its invitation to the world beyond.
(so very close)
Feelings of ever-impending doom never ceased, but he wouldn't give in yet. The tired two-tailed canine navigated across the T-shaped corridor, traveling across the creaky rotted wooden floor until he reached the double doors at the end. Opening them only brought him into another long, dark corridor. It should have led him to the back-court, but that didn't matter. It would lead him wherever he needed to go.
It stretched out very far, like the hospital corridor he'd been ambushed in so long ago. Still, no light appeared at the end, leaving him uncertain of what lie ahead. A minute of passing by the dark walls later, a gigantic set of steel double doors came into view. They looked just as old, rusted, and withered as any other. He pressed the strangely shaped handle to his right and pushed, straining a bit before the huge door opened into a very bright, grayish-white area.
Fog.
But he was not at the docks; instead he was in a very weird, dream-like place. Gray metal grating led a bit forward, cutting through the layers of never-ending fog. Alongside the short piece of flooring were some guardrails, but nothing else. Below the catwalk, no signs of a ground or horizon existed. Just more and more fog, as if the place was floating in the middle of the sky. He turned the flashlight off and continued moving forward, quickly reaching a metal staircase that looked as if it ended only a few steps up.
A chill massaged his fur, but he didn't stop. As he climbed
(how much longer?)
up the stairs, every step sapped more and more energy; feeling like it'd be his last. Like the stairs of fire where that batgirl had disappeared, it didn't seem to end. The fog made it look almost as if every step materialized before him, just in time to support his weight.
Until he saw the top. When he reached it though, he was surprised to see it didn't lead anywhere, just kind of ended abruptly there in the sky. For a moment he thought he was stuck, but then his eyes stared down and saw that the stairs had just went back down now – like a very badly crafted overpass or something. So, he began descending the stairs now, going downwards for about a minute before he reached another change in the direction – they began to lead back upwards again. Miles never stopped, even if it went on forever he would never stop. He couldn't now. His feet ached, but he still ran up the steps for awhile.
Finally, a real end was in sight. A large platform stood up in the grayness, looking like it was the top of a building or something. The concrete holding it up just lead down as far as the eye could see, which wasn't very far thanks to the fog. Chain-link fencing surrounded the whole place. Miles couldn't help but glance back behind him, seeing that the steps had disappeared. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't turn back now.
With a soft squeak, the gated door leading into the platform opened and he was inside the confines of the structure. There wasn't any fog in here, as if the gates shielded the outside air from reaching in. It looked like a building had once been here – small forms of brick walling stood diligently, seemingly the remains of what had been torn down with a wrecking ball ages ago. Grass and vines grew along some of the broken walls, creating a peaceful, not to mention beautiful scene.
And in the middle of the room, Sonic stood, as if expecting him to arrive that very moment.
"Sonic!!" Miles's dry voice shouted happily. He instantly broke into a short sprint and reached the cobalt hedgehog seconds later.
"I've been waiting for you, Tails."
Tears of joy formed in the fox's face – his eyes weren't deceiving him, it really was Sonic. He had thought it was over, but his blue hero really was standing before him; the despairing wait had finally ended.
Miles pulled the hedgehog into a big, strong hug, feeling his heart flutter as he felt that familiar feeling of his love's fur pressing against his own. It wasn't just a dream, not at all…
Sonic did not hug back though. In fact, he didn't even show any signs of happiness for the fox's arrival. Instead, he asked a single question: "What took you so long?"
The high of the moment quickly falling, Miles let go of the disconsolate hedgehog and stated sadly. "I'm sorry…I tried to get here as fast as I could. But I got…off track."
"That's not true, is it?" Sonic stated coldly, a hint of betrayed sadness in his voice. What he said next was barely a grim whisper. "You killed me…"
"I…I couldn't watch you suffer…" Guilt overcame the fox; it felt so hard hearing it out loud…
"You're lying." His emerald green eyes disappeared behind his dark blue eyelids. Miles could see the side of his face twitch slightly, as if he was trying his best to hold in a world of rage. Looking away, Sonic continued bitterly. "I was just a burden on you…that's why you hated me. That's why you killed me too. Isn't it?"
"N-no!" Miles's eyes widened. His slightly shaking fingers wrapped around his love's forearms comfortingly. "That's not true. I loved you, and I still do. I always will."
"Bullshit!!" That world of rage slipped through the cracks of Sonic's bitter restraints. He ripped his hands away and pushed backwards roughly. "You never gave a fuck about me! Don't lie, I know it! That's why you never visited! That's why you killed me! I was useless to you!"
"No…" Not only was his body, but his voice was shaking too this time. Shaking with fear and terror at what he feared to be the truth in Sonic's words. "I could never hate you…"
Sonic's frown deepened and he shook his head. "I gave you a chance. I gave you a chance to be forgiven. And what did you do? You threw it in my face; fell in love with him!"
There was a long pause, for the fox was left speechless. His body felt numb; all the feelings seemed to coagulate into his brain, overwhelming it with lightheadedness. Sonic's words couldn't possibly be true, could they? Could they…?
This was more horrifying than any monster could ever be. Taking in a deep breath, Miles finally responded.
"Yes, it's true…" he stared shamefully down at the floor. "I fell in love with him…but I didn't mean to. I came all this way to see you…even an illusion of you…" Looking back up at the hedgehog, Miles stated with discontent. "It was a long three years, Sonic. I was…tired. But that's all over now, I still love you."
"Really." Sonic didn't sound convinced. "You've never kept your fucking promises; you lied to me, and you still are, after all this. Do you really think I can forgive you?"
The tears of joy were long gone, replaced by an overwhelming amount of sorrow. Miles stared back down to the floor, not even wanting to say or see or hear any longer. He wished he were just dead. Solitude almost seemed blissful now.
"Sonikku…"
"Don't call me that anymore!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed, eyes narrowing into hate-filled trenches. "I'll never forgive you for this! Fuck you, Tails! Fuck you!!"
"Sonic please—!"
"I HATE YOU TAILS!!!" The hedgehog screeched with an unbelievable amount of scorn. "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I—aaah!!"
Miles jumped back in surprise when the scream interjected his lover's words. It wasn't a scream of anger; it was of extreme unbearable pain. An abnormally loud heartbeat pounded from the hedgehog's light-skinned chest, only adding to the intensity of his cries. Before he could make another move, Sonic screamed again, looking up into the gray sky and repeatedly crying out.
Like he was in pain…
Like he was dying…
"S-Sonic, what's wrong?" Miles stuttered, scared out of his mind. Sonic's gloved hands crunched up and waved around his face, seemingly confused on how to react. The right hand grasped back onto his chest, finding its target and fruitlessly trying to stop the ache obviously coming from it. Another loud heartbeat emitted, followed by a series of increasingly fast ones.
"Tails…it…it hurts!" Sonic gasped for breath, backing away too, himself. The look on his eyes told the fox he was no longer angry, but now very very afraid. His voice shook with the beat of his heart, desperately trying to communicate through the wall of pain. "It…Tails…please help me! Make it—stop! Tails…I…Tails! Aaaah—AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
—CRACK!
The twin-tailed kitsune covered his face with his hands and gasped in pure horror as Sonic's neck cracked out of place, spurting blood into the mystic air. More screams of agony erupted from his deceased boyfriend's mouth when his body began convulsing violently like he was being electrified.
"Sonic!"
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
Some unknown force pulled the hedgehog a few inches into the air, holding him in a ghostlike hover above the ground. Each and every bone in his thin body cracked in and out of place, sending more jolts of agony shooting through him. Miles, horrified beyond belief, peeked through his fingers, unable to resist the urge to watch. Blood sprayed out of the cobalt hedgehog with every crack and every scream. Sonic's voice began to grow deeper and deeper, beginning to sound inhuman and deformed. His spikes cracked like the rest of his body and stuck up into the air abnormally, resembling that of the black hedgehog's spines Miles had met in the past, almost. His broken arms and legs never ceased in bending and spazming, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. And finally, his fur began to change, actually growing brighter: from a dark cobalt blue to a striking unnatural gold.
Miles shut his eyes tight again, wishing more than ever that he were blind. Blind and deaf and dead. But the sounds never stopped, leaving him to mentally see the hedgehog's pained expression instead. A few seconds later, he opened them again and took his hands away from his face, unable to hide anymore.
The now golden hedgehog floated a few feet in front of him spazming and screaming still. His head was bent down, staring at the cracked floor. His screams showed almost no resemblance to how it was before. No longer was young and innocent, but now demonic and distorted. A light gold aura surrounded him, making him appear some sort of hell angel.
"N-no, t-this can't…" Miles whispered, face twitching with only more horror.
And then, the hedgehog slowly looked back up at him. Crimson red, demonic eyes stared back at the fox, replacing the beautiful emerald green ones he used to love so much.
The blood within Miles's shell of flesh stirred up a new batch of horrifying adrenaline, for he knew what was going to happen in mere seconds. He took a step back, his mind not anywhere near ready to accept what was going on. "Sonic…"
"TAILS!" Sonic's enraged demonic voice replied.
In an instant, the hedgehog's hand shot up into the air, smacking Miles upside the face and sending him flipping backwards to land on his stomach. In another flash, the surprised fox felt the other male grab his neck and lift him into the air.
"TAILSTAILSTAILSTAILSTAILS!!!"
"No!" Miles cried as Sonic literally threw him across the arena with unimaginable strength. His still-not-even-halfway-healed-back hit the chain-link gating, shaking it and causing him to scream out in pain right before he felt the hedgehog smash into him.
"TAILS!!" Sonic screamed again as he mashed his hand into the fox's face. His hands burned, burned more than even fire could.
"Aaaahhhh!!" he cried. The burning never stopped, but the shock of what was actually happening still overcame much of the agony. He knew he had no choice but to fight back.
Reaching into his side pack, Miles grabbed for Rouge's knife, which still rested silently within it. Pulling it out, he raised it and quickly made a large fresh cut on the hedgehog's gold-furred arm. Sonic grunted with pain and let go, dropping the fox back to his feet.
'—this can't be happening—'
Only more enraged, Super Sonic stared at him with a look of pure hatred and grabbed his neck, thrusting him back into the gate painfully. Miles instinctively stabbed the knife forward in reaction, connecting the halfway mark of the blade with the hedgehog's stomach. Blood spurt out and onto his face as Sonic screamed again and floated backwards. A second later, Miles had the hunting rifle aimed at the hedgehog's chest.
-BANG!!!
A hole appeared as the shell pierced the hedgehog's chest, cutting into his heart. It would have killed any normal life form surely, but like too many of the other things the fox had fought in his horror-ridden adventure, Sonic only let out an aggravated roar in reaction. He fell to his knees for a moment and began panting heavily; giving Miles enough time and space to escape. Running as fast as he could, Miles sprinted across the arena and spun around. Sonic was finally recovering from the blow – blood spilled out of his chest like a faucet, but he still lived on. Before Miles knew it, Sonic was already right in front of him. The hedgehog punched him lightly in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. He tripped over the remains of a short brick wall and landed on his back with his legs dangling in the air.
Immediately he aimed the rifle straight up. He'd calculated correctly: Super Sonic appeared above him—moving so fast it looked as if he were just warping across the place—but Miles was able to fire the shell into his body before it was too late. Miles rolled to his feet, but only stood for a moment before Sonic spun around and did a high kick into his face. He ducked under the attack just in time, hearing the brick walling behind him explode the moment the demonic hedgehog made contact with it. In a panic, Miles reached back into the side pack and swung the knife out of it, slashing it across Sonic's chest before he could make another move. Crimson sprayed over both of them as the deep cut took its effect.
At this point, he realized he was crying. Sonic was too. They both were…
Super Sonic stumbled backwards again; the pain surrounding his frail but powerful body never seemed to end. Miles, his face still covered with sprinkles of his ex-boyfriend's blood, ran to his left as fast as he could. He felt Sonic ram into his back at a speed beyond belief, and flew through the air uncontrollably. He landed on the ground and slid across the cement about ten feet away.
Crying out in pain but not too overcome with it to stop thinking straight, Miles rolled over. Sonic's fist landed on the ground his head was lying on a second earlier, sending chunks of cement flying everywhere. Sharp wounds appeared in Miles's face as he felt slices of the cement cut across him. That didn't stop him though – he continued rolling for his life, hearing and almost feeling Sonic's punches on the ground behind him as he moved across the floor, missing by inches each time. Rolling back to his feet with surprisingly good agility, the terrified furry sprinted away from his enemy until he reached the right end of the place, stopping at the fence.
Rifle back in hand, Miles turned around and squeezed the trigger. Sonic sidestepped out of the shells' path with incredible speed, and in another flash he was mere inches away.
"TAILSTAILSTAILS!"
Miles ducked underneath the hedgehog's arm, saving himself from getting pummeled to death. He somersaulted across the floor behind Sonic and ran away again at top speed. He timed things perfectly and jumped to the left, dodging the spiky one's incoming charge. Sonic flew passed him and towards another piece of brick walling. But rather than running headfirst into it, he spun his body around so his feet landed on the wall, instantly pushing and sending him flying back in the fox's direction. Knife in hand, Miles spun around, hearing the blade slice through part of Sonic's arm. It stuck all the way in and left with the hedgehog as he passed him by. The sound along with the feeling sent cold shivers down his spine.
Terrified and devastated, but unable to have time to think about what was going on, Miles broke into another run, moving about five feet away before spinning and firing at Sonic's back, which was still turned towards him. The golden hedgehog fell to his knees and let out another agonizing yelp into the air.
Another ping of guilt surged through his body as Miles realized what he was doing to his old lover; what they were doing. But it was too late; there was no way to change it now. Sonic was trying to kill him, and he had to defend himself, no matter how coldhearted and cowardly it was.
Sonic's hand slapped across his face, almost breaking his jaw. Miles fell to the floor, unable to react quickly enough to evade when the powerful being grabbed onto the back of his neck and tried to lift him back into the air. The pain the knife caused in Sonic's arm was too much by this point though; he dropped the fox back to the floor and clutched his aching limb. Miles spun his legs around and kicked him in the ribs, sending Sonic into a blinding stumble. He grabbed for the rifle and fired into his body. Another scream of agony later, Sonic turned to him and glared with those freaky devilish eyes.
"TAILSTAILSTAILS!!!"
Miles stuck another shell into the rifle and aimed up, but Sonic's hand grasped onto the tip of the weapon and pushed it to the left a split second before he pulled the trigger. The gun roared. Its shell ricochet off of the floor and bounced to someplace else that wasn't the least bit important to them at the moment. Miles sprung to his feet and pushed the rifle into the hedgehog's chest, trying to hold him back with it. With another yank, Sonic broke the rifle in two like it was a twig, then thrust the pieces into his combatant's face. Miles almost fell back down, but managed to keep his balance and pulled his only weapon left—the weak but trusty handgun—out of his side-pack. Quickly he fired a shot of lead into Sonic's face. He threw his head back to groan in pain for the millionth time when it cut into his cheek.
While much weaker, the handgun was much much faster. He fired again, and a fresh hole appeared in Sonic's right shin. More blood. The orange kitsune turned to his right to evade him again, but Sonic was suddenly in front of him now. He dived to the left and fired two more shots in midair before his shoulder smashed into the ground. Both bullets hit his lover—now enemy—in the stomach.
Far too many gunshot wounds covered his body for his life to make logical sense, but the agonized furry still moved. Golden light surrounded his bullet-riddled body, and he floated higher into the air, defying not only the laws of physics but also of gravity completely now. Miles stared up in horror as the airborne hedgehog stared back down to him, his eyes holding no compassion or positive emotions in it any longer. Only burning, deep hatred
A plethora of yellowish light formed in Super Sonic's palm. Miles knew what it was, and he couldn't believe it was real. Thrusting his hand out, Sonic shot a large ball of pure electrified energy towards him. The fox jumped out of the way and the ball collided with the ground, creating a huge explosion that sent him flying even farther forward.
"TAILSTAILSTAILS!!!" Sonic screamed from above, only growing even angrier at Miles's persistence.
Right when he landed back on the floor, Miles squeezed the trigger of the small handgun again. Sonic flashed from one location to another, dodging the bullet. The fox's eyes darted back and forth, quickly spotting the hedgehog not too far to the left. Before he could even more the weapon, Sonic zapped twenty feet to the right. The fox realized he was still only moving really fast and aimed behind him. He timed everything perfectly, moved the gun more to the right, where Sonic zoomed to, and fired. The bullet shattered his right eye, stopping him in his tracks. He covered the now decimated eye socket with his bloody hand and screamed in agony, allowing Miles to fire two more bullets. The first one missed, but the second engraved itself into his abdomen.
Another energy ball began to form in his hand, and it was already shooting at the fox before he could make another move. Miles rolled as fast as he could, just barely missing the explosion, but the impact sent him careening into another forming of plant-laced brick.
Groaning, he got back to his feet. He could worry about the pain later. Spinning around, he opened fire; the bullet zipped through the sky and pierced Sonic's forehead, cutting straight into his brain. Blood flew out of both sides of his heard, and Sonic let out the loudest, most agonizing cry Miles heard in his entire life. His body fell from the sky and landed not too far away from where the fox stood in a heap.
"No!" Sonic cried as his voice began to change again, turning back to normal. His golden fur darkened back to blue, and his pointy spikes began to droop back down while Miles ran up to him and pointed the gun down at his face. A low groan, and Sonic began to speak weakly. "Tails…no…I'm sorry…Tails…Tails…Tails…"
Miles still gripped the gun tightly, looking down upon him angrily.
(no no youre not sonic youre a monster go away demon go away go away go away go away)
Grimly, the fox spoke in the coldest tone of voice he'd ever imprinted into someone's ears. "No…you're not."
With that, he squeezed the trigger one last time. The final bullet crossed the short distance between the two and joined the other one in the Sonic's brain with a deafening crack. The back of Sonic's head smacked into the hard cement, and a sea of blood spurt all over both of them. His half-lidded eyes looked back at Miles wearily.
"Why, Tails…?" his pleading, dying voice whispered.
A final shudder, and Sonic's body fell limp. All the sound in the world disappeared, leaving Miles alone in the deathly cold silence.
It was over.
"S…Sonic…" Miles muttered, knowing very well he wouldn't hear him, and he never would again.
Eyes wide, he dropped the handgun to the floor and fell to his knees.
"Sonikku…" he whispered. His gloved hands placed themselves onto the cold cement, and he begin softly crying…
----------
----------
----------
And Sonic's hill of green burned for all eternity…
----------
----------
----------
The cold water of Lake Toluca waved back and forth amongst the steady wind. Rosewater Park had not suffered any changes since it had last been visited; its once beautiful historic monuments and sights were now faded and withered away, but still there. No matter how long the town existed, Miles felt pretty sure they'd always stay the same, unlike many places—and characters—he'd come to know in his lifetime.
His murky figure stood, shrouded in fog, as he looked down at soft waters of the lake. He held in his hands the now crumpled photograph of the Sonic the Hedgehog of four years ago. He had no idea what to do and where to go anymore, nor how he'd managed to get all the way back here. It didn't really seem to matter either way now; nothing really mattered anymore.
He sighed as memories of Sonic and himself when they were happy together came flooding back. It was so hard to believe things had really ended up this way. But he knew it was true, and there was no changing it. They had always stared at the water, in this very spot, smiling and admiring what the town—and each other—had to offer as they leaned on the railing like he did now. If the fog weren't covering up the place, the nostalgia's intensity would be three times more extreme. Memories from the lost days…he really missed them, and his chagrin heart longed for that slice of peace he'd once had again. Perhaps this was as much peace as he'd ever get, but he didn't know. He didn't feel happy at all; he just felt alone.
Soft footsteps manifested in the distance, growing louder and louder by the second. Miles didn't care who it was, really. Like everything else, it just didn't matter anymore. Maybe it was another unfortunate sinner looking for his or her way to wherever they needed to go. Maybe it was a monster. Or maybe it was just his imagination. He was proven wrong on all counts when he heard a very familiar deep voice emit from not too far behind him.
"Did you kill Sonic again yet?"
Turning around, the weary fox wasn't very surprised to stare into those deep, crimson eyes. Like a ghost passing through the fog, Shadow stood a few feet behind him. He had neither a scratch nor a fur out of place on his beautiful slender form. With another sigh, Miles turned, facing the lake again, and stared back at Sonic's picture.
"Yeah…" he said dryly. Taking one last look at the picture, he let go. Sonic's photo slowly descended into the cold water and disappeared from view as it was carried away into the tide. A saddened, collective thought later, he spoke again: "Shadow…"
"Yeah?" the black hedgehog asked. Miles faced him and wrapped his fingers gently around Shadow's black-furred forearms.
"I want you." His slightly high voice spoke at little more than a whisper. He pulled the hedgehog into a warm embrace, and then stared back into his dark eyes. "I don't want to be alone anymore. I'll be better to you than I ever was to Sonic."
"Miles…" Shadow gave him some sort of hybrid between a frown and a smile. His half-lidded eyes gave the fox a warm, hopeful feeling. He looked concerned and unsure, but Miles could tell the feeling was mutual between them, whether it was intentional or not. He'd known that for a long time. A pause passed by and Shadow asked: "Are you sure?"
"Come on." Miles replied as he took the other male's gloved hand and looked towards the east, beginning to walk as he spoke. "Let's get out of here."
"What about Sonic?"
Looking back at the mysterious hedgehog, Miles pulled out the letter Sonic had given him, the letter that brought him here in the first place. Not too shockingly, the words were gone, completely. It was now just a blank piece of paper.
"It all makes sense…"
"What?"
"You've been so kind to me," the blue-eyed kitsune began. "Helped me so much…even when I gave up hope, you encouraged me to go on. You saved me so many times, and I've never been able to return the favor…"
Shadow didn't know how to reply. His frown overpowered his smile. "Oh Miles…"
"I don't care about Sonic anymore." The fox said quick but calmly, pulling the hedgehog into another embrace. "I love you now, Shadow. You're better than him. Please, let's go home. I have a nice little apartment; we can live happily ever after together and never have to hear the name Sonic or Sonic Hill ever again. I promise you, and I will keep that promise."
After another pause, Shadow finally replied: "…okay. Miles—"
"Tails." The fox interrupted as grabbed the hedgehog's hand and placed it on his furry colorless chest, reversing what Shadow had done when they first met. "Call me Tails."
Shadow gave him a warm, benign smile, similar to the smile Sonic had given him countless times in the past. "I love you too, Tails."
Tails smiled back, and for the third time since they had met, pulled the hedgehog into a deep, passionate kiss that seemed to last for an eternity. Their tongues danced together as the fox wrapped his two tails around Shadow's back, pulling them even closer to one another. A few moments later, they broke the kiss and stared upon each other.
"Come on," Tails breathed, a sense of hope and happiness in his heart. He knew that he was a liar, a whore, a coward. But that didn't matter, because he had Shadow now, and that was all he needed. His fingers laced themselves around Shadow's, and for the first time in a long time he felt that there really was a light at the end of that long tunnel. "Let's leave this place, forever."
"Right." Shadow nodded.
Holding each other's hands peacefully, Tails and Shadow left Sonic Hill.
------
How time will heal, make me forget
You promised me
Time will heal, make me forget
You promised me
Love will save us all
And time will heal, you promised me
You promised me…
How love will save, make me forget
You promised me
Love will save, make me forget
You promised me
Time will heal us all, yeah
And love will save, you promised me
I trusted you, I wanted your word
Believed in you, I needed you words
Time will heal, make me forget
Yeah and love, love will save us all…
You promised me another wish, another way
You promised me another dream, another day
You promised me another time
You promised me another life
You promised me
You promised me
You promised me…
So I swallowed the shame, and I waited
I buried the blame, and I waited
Choked back years of memories…
Yeah, I pushed down the pain, and I waited
Trying to forget…
-inst.-
You promised me another wish, another way
You promised me another dream, another day
You promised me, another time
You promised me, another lie
Oh you promised me…
You promised me…
You promised me…
And I waited
And I waited
And I waited
And I'm still waiting…
"The Promise" – The Cure
------
-Clop…
-Clop…
-Clop…
-Clop…
The parking lot was just the same as he remembered, and Tails felt a strange sense of disorientation in seeing his car still parked on the corner next to the restroom where his long journey had begun a million years ago. That feeling faded fast, and he smiled to himself. His keys were still in his almost empty pockets now – one of the few remaining items he possessed since he discarded his weapons and bags earlier. It was the only thing he needed now, other than the beautiful hedgehog at his side. Producing them from his pocket, he glanced again at Shadow's sexy form standing beside him and slid the metal into the slot, turning and opening the passenger door. He gestured for the other furry to step in. Shadow took a step forward, but before he could enter the car he lurched forward and let out an unsettlingly harsh cough. It was a dry, throaty cough.
Tails jumped a bit in response to the abrupt sound, feeling a huge wave of distraught overcome him for a split second. But he regained his senses and comfortingly placed his hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." the black hedgehog said, looking up at him without signs of distress in his eyes any longer. "Just a cold I guess; this place is freezing."
Laughing lightly, the kitsune felt more than little silly. It really wasn't a big deal. The place was freezing, not to mention unsanitary. It wasn't unlikely that one of them had caught a cold or something along the way. Yeah, that was all – everything was a-okay. Either way though, he was sure to go to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning after they get home, and maybe a psychiatrist while he's at it. Patting Shadow on the back, Tails Prower smiled nervously.
"We'd better take care of that cough…"