I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry (etc.)... You ever had an idea for another fanfic that somehow is much more exciting to think of than the one you're working on? I was like that for a few months. Then this fanfic was pushed to the 2nd page of Cosmo fanfics, but for some reason I wasn't that motivated to continue (however I got motivated enough to finish this one when I saw that TailsLovesCosmo updated After the Metarex). I sort of feel like how Lisa Simpson felt in the episode where she tried to write her own novel by herself but kept giving into excuses to procrastinate. Now, I don't need reviews, but I still really want them, and they would motivate me to continue working. Well, it is almost summer, so I should be rolling now.
Anyway, you remember how I said I would make a fandom plot done several times already seem original? Here's the thing: if almost everything has been done before, then perhaps I should do nothing new. However, I would instead put a new angle on it. Or rather, a new take on a common plot device, or different expansion. Which is why throughout the rest of this fanfic, you might see homages to other certain Tails and Cosmo fanfics. Sorry if it seems like I'm ripping off someone else, but it's not like I'm trying to copy it and claim it is all my idea.
Chapter 3: Condolences and Confessions
"Okay Cream, Tails' home is just ahead." Amy noted, carrying a wrapped box in her arms. Cream and Cheese moved beside her, both filled with hope that their idea will work. "Chris should be coming here with Knuckles right about now."
"Unfortunately, you're right." grumbled Knuckles as he reluctantly walked behind Chris. "Look, I like the plan, and I'm just as concerned about Tails as anyone, but it's still my duty to protect the Master Emerald!"
"You mean what's left of it?" Chris corrected with a small chuckle, which made Knuckles look away indignantly. "By the way, does everyone have their presents?"
"Yep!" replied the rest of the group as they held up their wrapped boxes. They continued walking on the path until they saw Tails' home.
Chris looked around and asked, "Where's Sonic?"
"Right here!" shouted Sonic as he sped right next to them. Despite his speed, Sonic was usually the last to arrive at any occasion.
"So, we're all here and ready." stated Cream, and the others nodded. The group aligned themselves toward the door and Sonic knocked on it. A few seconds of silence passed. Though Sonic was the impatient type, he still calmly waited in front of the door.
At last, the door swung upon to reveal a rather confused-looking Tails. He looked curiously at the arrangement of his friends, who tried smiling to conceal their uncertainty. Tails sighed, shrugged his shoulders and finally said, "Well, come on in, I guess." He stepped to the side and let his friends walk inside.
Amy hastily whispered to Cream, "Oh, and try to be really, really friendly." She quickly smiled back at Tails before heading to the living room. Everyone set their presents in the center and then sat in the chairs and couch. Tails sat in another chair and waited for what they had to say.
Sonic slightly fiddled with is fingers, trying to come up with the right words. "Uh, Tails... we really understand what you're going through. It's very hard to deal with the loss of a... a good friend."
Chris quickly came to Sonic's assistance by adding, "So all of us got these presents since we were thinking of you. You know, to show that we're here for you."
"And we'll make sure you feel better every step of the way!" Cream cheerfully said as Cheese nodded likewise.
Tails just smiled a tiny bit. "Okay."
"Now Tails, don't try holding back the tears," Amy consoled gently.
"No really, I'm fine." said Tails, calm as ever.
"See, he's perfectly okay! Said it himself!" Knuckles hurriedly pointed out. He started getting up and continued, "So if Tails is good, then I can get back to-"
Amy shoved Knuckles back into his seat. "No one's leaving until we see Tails' reaction to our presents! ...Go on, Tails. Open mine first!"
Tails picked up Amy's present and unwrapped it, only to find a box of silverware. "Uh, it's a bunch of knives, forks, and spoons."
"They're fancy utensils!" elaborated Amy. "So they can be used at other get-togethers. Oh, and they're made of stainless steel, too!"
Tails still had a quizzical look on his face. "Um, thanks Amy. I'm sure they'll be useful for when I eat."
Amy got displeased at Tails' lack of appreciation. "Look, I was struggling to find a great, affordable gift at the store. Given the rush, this seemed like a good enough present! So you better use it!"
"Easy, Amy. Tails can check out my gift now!" Sonic said as he handed his friend the present. Tails unwrapped it to reveal a large, hardcover book that was titled "Aerospace Technology 2nd Edition". "I knew you'd be interested in that stuff, and you might even get ideas for your future machines!"
"Thanks, Sonic. Even though I already have the 3rd Edition in my bookshelf." said Tails as he glanced over at the newer book.
Sonic shrugged sheepishly. "Eh, I guess that's what happens when you buy from the bargain book store."
"I'll still keep it as a collector's item, I guess." Tails stated, placing Sonic's gift next to the other book. "I think I'll open Knuckles' present next." He peeled off the wrapping to find a picture frame with a copy of a painting of an aging dog wearing a bowtie and a monocle.
"See? I got you a famous painting and a cool frame for the price of the frame!" boasted Knuckles.
"Knuckles!" spat Amy with a glare. "That 'famous painting' is just used to demonstrate the frame. You're supposed to replace it with a picture that Tails would actually care about!"
"Hey, I was in just as big of a rush as you were!" Knuckles shouted. "I can't find a suitable picture to put inside it!"
"No no, the picture's okay." Tails said with a small sigh. "I'll put it up on a really blank wall." He set the frame to lean against the wall, then picked up Chris' gift. Tails took the wrapping off to reveal a notebook. He flipped through the pages to see several sketches of gadgets and machines, along with Chris' handwriting explaining them.
"I spent a lot of time coming up with new ideas, and I felt like you should keep them." said Chris. He turned to one page and added, "I even had concepts for upgrades to the X Tornado, including stuff when it is in the X-Cyclone form!" Chris raised an eyebrow and asked, "Uh, you did rebuild the X Tornado when we got back, right?"
Tails seemed to cringe for a split-second. "I was... getting around to it."
Amy jabbed Chris with her elbow and sneered, "What were you thinking? He's still in mourning!"
"It's okay. I like the ideas." said Tails as he put the notebook on the table. "Someday we can build some of these things together."
"Sure thing!" agreed Chris with a smile. "Well, I guess Cream's present remains." He was about to reach for the present to give to Tails, but Cream grabbed it to give to the fox herself.
"Here, I hope you like it." she said in a somewhat nervous way. Tails unwrapped the gift to find inside a portfolio. He opened it to find several sketches of the X Tornado and Hyper Tornado, but with a different colour design on each page. "Cheese and I came up with the designs ourselves." Cream began. "I thought these would be cool for your planes, and if you needed a new look, these can give you ideas."
Tails briefly examined some of the designs. Indeed, some of them actually looked very creative! Some had curved stripes, others made use of red and blue, and a couple even had logos representing Sonic and the others. This was the first time Tails noticed Cream's artistic talent. "Wow, this... is really good." Tails finally said in a tone much more sincere than the other times. He cleared his throat and continued, "Thank you. I guess I could decide on a design when I rebuild the X Tornado."
"Chao chao!" piped up Cheese with excitement.
Tails took a deep breath and said to everyone, "Well, thanks again for the presents, and I shall see you again tomorrow."
"Wait, you don't want us to stay some more?" cried Amy. "How about we play one of Chris' games?"
"No, the gifts are good enough for me today." stated Tails. "You can leave now; I'm better now." Everyone else was confused at Tails' order, but they figured it would be useless to continue staying. So calmly they got up to walk out of the house.
"Be sure to take it easy, buddy." Sonic advised prior to exiting.
Before Cream got outside, she turned to Tails and shyly said, "I hope we have been helpful to you."
"Ah, yes. Goodbye." Tails said. When Cream went outside, Tails shut the door and watched out the window. He saw the group part their seperate ways and waited as each member walked out of sight. Now he was alone. Tails pounded his fist on the table and moaned, "Oh, I am such a pathetic kid!" He stomped to his room and muttered, "My friends could show their true feelings well, but somehow I could not! For what? Just for me?" Tails glanced back at the presents that were now far away from him; it was clear that a couple of them had more thought in them than others. But even so... "What am I to them? Do they expect me to be a crybaby all the time because of Cosmo?"
Tails saw the pot of dirt that contained the seed. He remembered how his friends helped him find a pot to plant Cosmo's seed. Yet was it worth it? Tails checked the pot again to find, yes, a bit of green poke up from the dirt. At last, an answer to his desperate questions! It might not be Cosmo, but it was definitely all that was left of her.
The fox slumped to his bed and stared at the ceiling, with thoughts about his friends again intruding his mind. "Why would they bring me presents when Cosmo is the one that suffered worse? ...Well Sonic, Chris, and Cream at least gave me stuff that I would like. But Cosmo wouldn't like those things! ...Except Cream's gift. They're best friends, and I'm sure Cosmo would love to be as creative as Cream." So his friends might still care enough about Cosmo. But what about Tails? "What did I, a dull and scared boy, do? Just mope around and feel sorry for myself, not trying to make things any better? And yet when others try to help, I just pretend that nothing is wrong! Does that make me selfish?"
Tails turned to look at the pot, as if in expectation of an answer. "Maybe I am just a selfish coward. That is why I refuse help from others now." How one thing has led to another! Tails wouldn't be like this if Cosmo, the girl he truly connected with, hadn't made her grand sacrifice. Actually, Tails wouldn't be like this if he never truly connected with Cosmo in the first place.
But why did he? When did he really feel something with Cosmo? Tails looked back up, and his mind searched some of his earliest memories to find out.
He recalled the one evening that Tails set up just for Amy, Cream and Cheese; he wanted Sonic to be there too, but apparently he was probably off on his own adventure. But all that mattered was to get special footage of the 500-year meteor shower. Tails had set up the video camera when Amy and Cream brought up something about wishing three times before a shooting star disappears. Apparently it was a charm that originated in Chris' world. Tails never really believed in those sorts of things, but the variety of charms was interesting. Soon the shower started, and the sky was filled with lights heading to the lower left of the horizon.
But all of a sudden, there was one bright light, one that didn't go with the path of the shower. Instead, it was headed toward them, about to change their lives. Tails and the others knew to duck just in time, and then they heard the subsequent explosion far behind them. The group had followed the trail, forgetting about the meteor shower they came for in the first place, to find a new clearing. Amy was the one to point out that someone was there. And of course, next to an impacted ship was the small plant girl that would cause everything else.
Of course Tails wouldn't have known that then. He was already intrigued that there was such a being as a walking plant-like person, and also relieved that this person was still alive. After Amy suggested bringing the girl to Vanilla's house, Tails wondered if the girl was from outer space. It seemed likely with the meteor shower going on.
They all placed the girl in Cream's bed, and eventually she woke up. When Cream asked if she was from outer space, the girl nodded. However, Tails found it strange that the girl was very intent on finding Sonic and not speaking to anyone else, even if they were friends of Sonic. Still, Tails figured she would be more friendly once Sonic came back. But all of that changed when a new enemy lowered down to Mobius, and for the first time Tails heard the girl gasp "Metarex".
She didn't have time to explain what the Metarex were; the girl wanted it to be stopped. Naturally, Tails was the only one around with a ship capable of stopping something, so the girl decided to go with him. He took the girl to his X Tornado and took off to fight the Metarex. Tails noticed the girl's nervous expression and tried using techniques to take down the machine quickly, but they failed. He asked again what the Metarex was, and this time the girl answered that the machine was used to rob life from the planet. Tails felt a bit more concern for the girl's safety, even when she bumped her head on the glass when she saw Sonic. Then again, Tails was usually concerned about others that were frightened, yet the fact that the girl trusted him first seemed to make her different.
The girl also recognized Sonic as a hero that used the Chaos Emeralds, so Tails tried all he could to assist Sonic, but it was to be in vain. From what the girl said, Tails learned that the Metarex wanted the Planet Egg of Mobius. The girl's sadness in explaining how the loss of the Planet Egg makes the planet lose energy made Tails more determined to slow the Metarex down, but even then the X Tornado couldn't follow it into space. Tails felt guilty in failing to stop the Metarex, and he felt more guilty when he agreed to open the window for the girl, only for her to jump out. His guilt was interrupted by the glow of the Master Emerald, signalling the arrival of an old friend.
That was then. A few hours spent with the girl Tails would come to know as Cosmo, and even back then he felt an attachment to her. Then again, it wasn't a deep attachment as it was mostly related to Tails' heroic motivations, those to protect those in fear and to be at their assistance. But even so it grew...
Tails quietly stepped over to the pot, looking again at the small, green sprout. "...Even when we first met I wanted to keep you safe... Why couldn't I keep you safe in our darkest hour?"
I hope you understand the tone I'm going for. Just to let you know, it's not going to be all talk and discussion in Tails' story, as even I would be bored with that stuff. There will be interesting action. BTW, that part about Cream's gift is actually a reference to a fanfic that was not a Tailsmo fanfic, but instead a multi-pairing fanfic (with one pairing being TailsxCream) that was published before the third Sonic X season started and was finally finished five years later. Can you guess which fanfic I'm talking about?
BTW in case you haven't checked Chapter 2 again, I decided to change Red Pine's real name from Timon to Dennis (yes, it's still derived from an ancient Greek name(yes, that was the idea I had for naming the male Seedrians)). I figured people would take the character seriously if he wasn't named after a certain animated meerkat.
Anyway, you know the drill. Read and Review!