Author's note: I apologize for the gaping voids between updates. This chapter has been difficult for me. It just seemed... Incomplete. It still doesn't feel right to me, so don't be alarmed if I decide to edit it in the future. I kind of just wanted to get this chapter over with after my creativity dropped during the forest scene. (Which really sucks for me, because I was looking forward to writing that particular scene. I wanted it to feel magical. Then I ruined it. Oh well, I'll fix it later. [Will I really, though? Ah well, it'll help me sleep at night. Wait... No it won't.])

Chapter 3: Emerald Eyes

A warm, light breeze carries a sweetness I'd never before experienced... Soft plants tickle my legs as I walk through this sanctuary of emerald hues... I run my fingers along the bark of trees as I walk by, wet skin shivering in the open air. My feet are sensitive to every sensation, unused to the rough earth beneath. My walk shifts to more of a skip, due to my instability on the uneven forest floor. My attention is brought to the ground, my steps becoming planned and strategic; I hop between twigs and roots, flowers and mushrooms...

'This is... Incredible...' The wind blows...

...

"Where is she?!" Demands king Aquaeir, yelling at his henchmen.

"Where is who, sire?" Dares to ask a seductive, black, middle-aged mermaid.

The king slams the arm of his chair in rage. "My daughter!" He yells in response, throwing the runaway note Oceania had left behind in the direction of the black mermaid. It hits her chest and lands on the floor in front of her. She picks it up and reads attentively, a sinister smirk growing on her face.

"Oh, my..." She replies in a smug tone. "It seems that our little princess has found out about our dear queen, and her... Tragic story." The woman chuckles darkly.

King Aquaeir is not so amused. "Why do you think I kept that from her for so many years? She's always been so naive... She would never have accepted my decision."

The king sighs as he gazes into the distance, deep in thought. "You know... Years ago, I would never have had to worry about this sort of thing. I could have eased her into the truth; she wasn't always so sensitive. No... That started when she was about two."

"Oh?" The black mermaid questions, leaning forwards in interest.

"Yes... She seemed traumatized after returning home one night. Her face was blank, she wouldn't look me in the eye, wouldn't talk to anyone. She just went straight to room. I restricted her from leaving the palace from that day forward. But... She became so distant after that... She no longer wanted to train, or participate in family feasts, or even attend our great parties, which she had loved so much as a child... She cut all of her lessons short, and would speak only when necessary. As she got older, she'd simply stay in her room, reading obsessively, as if she was trying to find an answer to something..."

The dark mermaid smirks, and puts a finger to her lip. "I wonder..." Her eyes begin to glow a deep red, as she tilts her head in thought. "Perhaps... I might know a bit about the possible trigger... Why she became so... Apathetic." Her smile broadens, and her teeth grow sharp, extending into long, translucent hooks. The king looks at her in confusion; why had she had transformed into a siren upon this statement? Her grotesque smile only deepens at this.

"Oh, Oceania... She really is naive, if I'm thinking of the right little girl..." She chuckles darkly.

The king raises a brow at this, "Lilah..." He inquires in a suspicious tone.

"One night I was out, having some... Fun." She pauses to think for a moment. "I came across the perfect victim that night. He was such a gorgeous little boy... His fur was a deep blue, his eyes the color of the forest. There was so much light in his soul, I couldn't imagine the amount of satisfaction I would have gained from watching it drain..." Lilah frowns. "But I never got to finish. He was stolen from me. A little girl of our kind... With fur like the sunlit ocean... She seemed rather distraught when she approached me... When she saw the face of the boy, she snatched him from my grasp, and took off towards the surface. I thought that to be rather peculiar..." She presses a finger to her lip in thought. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say that she desired to save him."

The king looks at her in bewilderment; though his doubts were dwindling. The dark mermaid grins maliciously. "The little girl I met that night... She was very young. She easily could have been the same age as your daughter at the time. As a matter of fact... She looked a lot like your wife."

The king runs a hand over his face, as there was no doubt left in his mind...

"Oceania..." The king mutters in a somber tone. There is a long silence before anyone speaks again.

"Well..." Lilah begins to suggest, breaking the silence. "What do you plan to do about it?"

The king sighs. "There's nothing we can do... She's escaped to the overlands. None of us can follow..."

Lilah smirks maliciously at this, "Then we wait."

...

Prancing through the forest, I feel like a child. I'm breathing heavily, yet the emotional high has me in a spell; as the hours go by, I'm mindlessly moving faster and faster.

'I've never felt so alive...'

My eyes close... I'm almost running now; I close my eyes and laugh as I continue through the forest, taking in every sensation. Of course, I'm still not entirely used to my legs yet... You'd think that eventually falling would be inevitable...

Thump

Of course.

"Umph!"

I'm laying on my belly, face on the ground. I slowly open my eyes; as I push myself up, I realize that my surroundings are... Different. The ground is now level, there are no more obstacles; only soft grass highlighted with paths of smooth grey stone; the trees have been replaced by buildings and other strange structures. Looking around, I notice just how different it is here from home... So full of life! I can hear overlanders chatting and even laughing in the distance. I can't make out individual conversations, but their voices are uplifting; everyone seems so happy. Those thoughts are soon interrupted, however. There's a gust of wind, and my vision is obstructed by a pair of feet, covered with some kind of red and white casing, adorned with a gold buckle. Hand to my injured cheek, I look up towards the source of a voice.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Inquired the young, masculine voice.

Standing above me is an overlander, with a look of genuine concern on his face.

I sit up as I study the blue-furred hedgehog. He has a lean, somewhat lanky build, though despite his lack of bulk, I can tell he's strong. From a distance, it might not be noticeable, but from such close proximity, the muscles beneath his skin are prominent; even masked beneath his blue fur, I can see his muscles shift and change form with each small movement. Watching this is almost mesmerizing in a way. Although, despite his clearly evident strength, somehow his legs overpower the rest of his body in definition. I would have been intimidated by the thought of the sheer amount of force he could put forth if he decided to kick me, if it wasn't for the kindness in his voice.

Yet... Despite all of his distinguishing features, there's one thing that I can't remove my attention from...

His eyes...

His eyes are a deep green, glistening in the sunlight.

I find myself staring. They're beautiful, but that's not why they have me so distracted.

'Those eyes... So familiar, somehow... Why can't I shake this feeling that I know him?', I wonder to myself.

The blue hedgehog crouches down to meet me in my position.

"Ma'am?" He asks worriedly, after my lack of a response.

'He asked you a question, idiot.' I blink a couple of times, bringing myself back to Mobius, "Y-yeah. I... I'm fine." I stutter, still a bit dazed.

He smiles warmly and nods. "You had me worried there for a sec. I was just running around town, and then I see you stumbling out of the forest. I found that kinda odd, so I stopped; thought you might've been being chased or somethin'. Then you trip, and..." He lets out a small laugh, "I'm just glad you're alright." He admits with a sweet smile. With that, he begins to get up. I pull my bag back over my shoulder and make a move to do the same, but my legs still aren't used to working as... Legs. The weight of the bag destabilizes me as I make the attempt, and I slip right back down on my bottom.

The blue hedgehog chuckles, "Ya having trouble there?", He asks, and extends an arm out to help me. I smile sheepishly, and take his hand; he pulls me up. I stumble forward as he does this, "Whoa..." he says, and catches me with his free hand before I fall.

"Umm... S-sorry, sir." I stammer, focusing on the ground.

He smiles.

"Hey, no worries." He says, as he removes his hand from my waist. "By the way, you can call me Sonic." He winks with a bright smile, giving me a thumbs up. However, his smile shifts to a concerned frown, and his free hand moves to his hip. "You... Sure you're alright?" He asks, eyeing my hand, still in his; I was still leaning into it for support. He must've felt that. I blush upon this realization. "Yeah, I think so." I say, as I let go of his hand and steady myself.

"Hmm..." He seems less than convinced.

I probably looked like a mess; I couldn't really blame him for his skepticism. I mean... I had just made my great escape from the ocean, spent nearly all morning wandering through the woods... And I haven't slept since... Well, the night before all this. The sun is already beginning to set. That's of course, when I yawn.

He crosses his arms and looks at me quizzically. "You..." He starts, casting his gaze out towards the city. He looks back at me, "Live far from here?" He raises a brow in question.

I look up from the spot on the ground I hadn't realized I'd been staring at, to meet his gaze. "I, umm..."

I advert my attention to his chest as to avoid eye contact, realizing that I hadn't planned this far... Where was I going to live? I can feel my face heat up. "I... Don't know..." What was I supposed to say? That I just escaped from an underwater kingdom of merpeople, and I have no idea what I'm doing or how I'm even going to find shelter for tonight alone? 'Why hadn't I planned this out?' I think to myself.

"You... Don't know?" He asks, crossing his arms in puzzlement.

"It's... A long story..." I sigh.

"Can ya shorten it?" He asks and drops his arms, apparently interested.

I meet his gaze. "I'm... A runaway." I confess. "I haven't exactly... Planned this far..." My eyes begin to water. 'What am I going to do?'

Tears start rolling down my face; I had thought I had this all figured out, how could I have missed such a vital part of all this? Maybe this was a mistake... But it was too late to go back now. What have I done?

Sonic looks at me in surprise. I feel a hand stroke my cheek, and I look up at him. "Hey... Don't cry." He says sympathetically, as he wipes a few tears from my face. "And don't worry. You can chill at my place until you've got it all figured out, alright?"

I stare at him, shocked. 'Did he... Really just offer to take me in? He doesn't even know me. Unless...' I look into his eyes. 'No, surely he would have recognized me if we had met before. Still... Those eyes... Even his aura... So familiar...'

I push my thoughts aside and hug him, "Thank you..." I say in a voice so faint that it's almost a whisper; I cry silently into his chest.

Sonic returns the hug and pats my back. "No problem. But hey..." He says, as he let's go. He lifts my chin to look me in the eyes. "Smile."

I can't help but do so, and I let out a small laugh. I shakily wipe the fresh tears from my face. "I don't know how to repay you..."

He smiles. "You can worry about that later." He glances at the sky; his eyes reflect the orange sunlight, giving them a sort of fire. "It's getting late, whatddya say we start heading to my place? You look like you could use some rest." He suggests with a warm tone in his voice.

I let out another yawn, covering my mouth with my hand, and nod.

"Alrighty. Hold onto your bag." He says.

"What?" I barely even get to finish that word; I gasp as he swiftly lifts me off the ground. He smirks. I haven't the chance to protest; my eyes widen as the world begins to vanish. "Holy shit..!" I exclaim, but my words are lost in the wind. My heart rate accelerates, and as does our speed. 'I've never even swum this fast!' I think to myself, after the initial shock fades. 'This is amazing...'

I watch in wonder as streaks of color glide across my vision. I can't make out a thing, everything is going by so fast... The force of the wind is exhilarating. I couldn't even begin to properly describe the feeling. However, it ended as quickly as it began.

Sonic stops rather abruptly, and I almost feel like I'm going to fly forward. Of course, I don't; his grip is strong. 'I wonder if he's done this before... He must have, to know to tighten his grip.' I think to myself.

"Well, here we are!" He states, as he sets me down. I stumble a bit, but I'm able to stand. Astonished, I wrap my arms around my waist and smile, jaw agape. Sonic laughs, "Weren't expecting that, were ya?" I just look at him, dumbstruck; I'm at a loss for words. He only laughs again. I start laughing too, as he turns to open the door. I follow him inside.