Hello all! As promised, here is the long awaited meeting! This will be a two parter, and this is the second to last chapter as well.

Please enjoy!

I'm Not Weak

Chapter 6- Chance at Redemption

'I was talking about Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends.'

Infinite swore his world went sideways. Rookie wasn't trying to look at him, and for very good reason. He knew- he just knew that was... was... well, he didn't know what it was.

That was always the problem, wasn't it? His emotions were constantly getting in his way, constantly confusing his already scrambled mind. But that damn hedgehog was nothing but a pain! He needed to go... he should've disappeared!

"T-That... damn hedgehog... " Infinite growled under his breath. "You think... I'm anything like that got- damn hedgehog!?"

Rookie shook his head and quickly typed something on his phone. Infinite was trying to get up- he needed to clear his head before he did something he would regret.

"Get off me!" Infinite tried to shrug Rookie's hand off his shoulder. Rookie instead gripped it tight and forced Infinite to stop overdoing damage to his body.

Stepping around so he could see his face, Rookie angrily thrusted the phone in his face. 'Wait, why is he angry at me?! He should know I hate that hedgehog- for Pete's sake he fought alongside him!'

'Could you listen for a moment?! Sonic was captured because of you and he was tortured by the Doctor! You both have a lot more in common than you think!'

Infinite was definitely done reading. When it came to Sonic and his friends, he wanted to hear no words about them. He still hated their guts, but he didn't fully understand why. His voice dangerously angry and low, he growled, "Child... remove your hand or I swear, I will kill you."

Rookie stood firm and held up his phone. 'Do it.'

They stared at each other- one pissed off, the other more annoyed than angry. Infinite's right side was still pretty sore, and he knew he was pushing it.

"I'm NOTHING like that blasted blue buffoon!" Infinite hissed through clenched teeth. "Do you hear me?! NOTHING like him!"

It was then that Rookie had a moment of clarity; maybe Infinite didn't like Sonic because of his defeat against him- not once, but twice. He was going to get to the bottom of this, that was for sure. But first thing was first.

He led Infinite back to the couch and sat him down, before heading into the kitchen and getting some ice and a clean kitchen towel to wrap them in.

Once he returned, he pressed the towel against his sore side, and placed his hand over it and squeezed a little. Infinite realized what he was telling him to do after a minute- keep the towel against his side to help with the bruising.

Infinite was still a bit uncomfortable with the closeness of Rookie. The constant... touching and close sitting... it was still too weird. He looked off, a quiet and mumbled "Thanks" all that could be heard. Rookie's shoulders slumped a little. 'It's like taking two steps forward and twenty steps back. Why is he so difficult to figure out?!'

Silently letting out a breath, Rookie tiredly looked around for his phone. He spotted it on the kitchen counter and typed as he walked back to his friend.

'Infinite, what exactly do you dislike about Sonic? The fact he beat you? The fact he's always happy? I don't understand what the problem is!'

The jackal looked at the young wolf as if he insulted his mother. "He defeated me! He's why the ruby tore a hole in my chest and left me for dead! What other reason is there?!" he exclaimed.

Rookie shook his head, then pointed at the spot where the wound had yet to fully cover and heal, using one hand to rapidly type a few words. 'The Phantom Ruby tearing from you wasn't Sonic's fault. He didn't even land the finishing blow and you know it.'

"Then what, huh? Who's fault was it?! Oh, wait, was it MINE!" Infinite threw down the towel and stood up, ignoring the ever so dull discomfort for now. "I wanted that damn jewel to rip from my chest?! Huh? Is that what you're saying!"

Rookie shook his head no and tried to type out another explanation, but Infinite had enough of everything. He angrily grabbed the device and threw it as hard as he could manage at Rookie. It nailed him on his forehead and the force of the hard phone colliding with his skull knocked him back- and gave him a small gash, which began bleeding almost instantly.

Infinite froze. Rookie froze, staring at Infinite as if he were the monster he fought almost a year ago. The mind numbing fear, the blood, an angry jackal with a hand poised to kill-

'NO! I know that's not him; he's just angry! That's all it is... he's just angry...' Rookie tried to clear his head and struggled to stand, but the phone hit him much harder than he thought and he swayed just as he got to his feet. Infinite took a shaky step back, his eyes wide with fear at what he had done.

Rookie's forehead was still leaking blood, and it was dripping onto his fur. He looked a bit dizzy, and if the jackal wasn't crazy... a bit scared.

'This... this is what he meant... my father was... right? I don't have a grip on myself and this child, who went through all that trouble to save me... he's scared now. Because of me...'

Infinite didn't know what to do. Rookie clearly needed help for starters. The blood was beginning to make Infinite a bit nauseous, but he swallowed it back. His hands were shaking from the sheer overwhelming fact he just hit that child- and not because of the ruby's power.

'Infiynte?' Rookie's fingers had been shaking so bad that he was making typing errors. Even holding up the phone was such a struggle; his head was spinning. 'Are you okaiy?'

The wolf slowly sank to the ground and took a few deep breaths. Blood had dripped onto his chest fur and was drying on his forehead, nose and fur. The smell alone was nauseating, but it also brought back memories that he didn't want to have. 'Ooohhh… my head really hurts. I wonder if I should take something, clean this off. He looks scared himself... wonder what's going on with- oooooohhhhh, yeah. Yep.' He grabbed his head, careful of his injury. 'Man, that hurts! He had an arm for someone who hasn't been training in a long time!'

Infinite felt tears pooling in his eyes. He blinked them away, only for more to take their place. Why was he crying? Why was he sad? Why did he feel awlful as he saw Rookie on the ground cradling his head?

He asked himself these questions over and over again as he finally got his feet to move. Walking numbly to the kitchen, the jackal grabbed a towel from the small cabinet below the sink, then a bowl of cold water.

'I remember this so perfectly, even though I've never done this before. I've never... saved anyone. Only brought pain and sadness...' He sniffed and realized his vision was growing blurry. Tears were actually rolling down his cheeks. His chest felt tighter and tighter as he approached Rookie.

Why was this happening? 'Is this... what guilt feels like? Does it feel like you can't breathe?'

Flashbacks shot across his mind. His team, mostly, since he didn't have a lot of memories of his family and life before his father... 'Before he threw me away like garbage. Before I had to learn to fend for myself...'

Tripping over his own foot, Infinite watched as the bowl of water and towel flew from his hands and shattered on the ground, the water quickly spreading into a huge puddle near Rookie's foot. He slowly glanced at the water mess, then just as slowly lifted his head.

"I... I'm..." Rookie held out his hand before he had to cradle his head again. Infinite glanced down at the puddle.

'What is wrong with me...? Why is it so hard to just... accept what happened and move on?' Infinite angrily wiped his eyes and stood up, heading back to the kitchen to get the job done right. Being extra careful with the bowl, he walked back over to Rookie, stepping over the mess he made, and knelt next to him.

Rookie had not realized during that time, his eyes had closed and he dozed off. He was jolted awake by something wet and cold on his forehead, and flailed his arms around, scared that something was attacking him. Infinite immediately retracted his hand. 'I shouldn't be surprised. I threw his own phone at him... maybe he's just scared of me now.'

"I... I was... trying to clean the blood..." Infinite was reverting back to an old habit- struggling to say what he was feeling at the moment. His hand lowered as he began to shrink away from Rookie. The wolf was just looking at him, his face unreadable. It was starting to get... uncomfortable. Again.

"I... I'm..."

Rookie's hand slowly reached out to him and took the towel, smiling slightly in thanks. Pressing it to his forehead, Rookie carefully typed something on his phone before he turned the phone towards Infinite and tapped the screen twice.

'I'm okay. That throw just caught me off guard that's all. Don't worry I'm not mad at you for the mess. We can clean it up together, if you want.'

Infinite looked at the words... and kept reading them over and over again. 'Don't worry... don't worry? I just hurt him! Over that... damn hedgehog...'

Rookie kept the towel pressed to his forehead, and reclined against the base of the couch as he waited for the bleeding to stop- and waited for his body to stop acting so strange. Feeling like he needed to do something to keep his eyes off the situation he put himself in, Infinite spotted the other towel that he had used earlier for his bruised ribs, and got up to collect it and clean up the bowl pieces on the ground.

He needed to move, to keep himself busy, anything to keep from the fact that he hurt the poor wolf kid... and all without the Phantom Ruby to tell him to do it.

Rookie slumped against the couch, tilting his head back and removing the towel from his forehead. Checking it, he saw there wasn't as much blood as there was a few minutes earlier, and figured he should give his forehead a few seconds before pressing the rag to the gash again.

'Funny thing is this barely hurts. Well, now it barely hurts.' Rookie was surprised when he saw Infinite with the small kitchen broom, awkwardly sweeping the porcelain pieces away. He sighed, letting the cold wet towel fall into his lap. The blood had slowed, now beginning to form a clot to scab over.

'Maybe it was too soon? But I still don't get why he doesn't like Sonic and the others. What is so bad about them? They really are just alike...'

Rookie felt his bottom numbing up and decided to get to his feet. Slow and steady, using the couch for support, Rookie pulled himself up. He was glad the nausea from seeing blood on his fur died down, and he didn't feel so dizzy. 'Not too bad- maybe I was stunned by the phone hitting me, but I don't feel odd otherwise. Thank goodness! Now...'

The wolf carefully walked to the kitchen and looked around for a mop. Infinite watched him from the corner of his eye, still awkwardly sweeping the small porcelain pieces into the dustpan. 'What is he doing? What is he looking for? Wait, why am I so nervous? My heart... it feels like it's beating out of my chest! What's wrong with me?!'

Rookie finally found his mop and went back to the water puddle, which had begun to slowly evaporate. He began mopping up the water, humming a little tune inside his head. Infinite stopped and watched him work, still confused as to why he didn't take revenge, or at the very least text-yell at him.

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, Rookie stopped and picked up his phone. Infinite noticed Rookie was typing much slower than normal, but assumed his head was still hurting from what happened. He could also see the small gash on his forehead- a small red dot that was darkening as the blood dried and began to scab over. He felt relieved that his angry throw didn't do a lot of damage and Rookie could move around.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." Infinite found himself gripping the fragile broom stick a bit too tight and tried to relax. Rookie showed him his phone.

'I'm sorry. Maybe it was too soon. I don't understand why you have a problem with Sonic, and I want to know. Is there more to your past I don't know about?'

Infinite quietly finished cleaning up the pieces, put the broom in the kitchen, and then returned to the living room to finally begin tackling the living room table. Rookie set the mop aside and knelt down next to him, waiting for an answer.

"... you asked me about my name earlier, did you not?" Infinite was keeping his eyes locked on the task in front of him- this was far easier than trying to look at the child. He felt that Rookie nodded yes, even though he refused to look to be sure.

"You believe that I'm a... fighter. That I have meaning behind my life. You actually think my story means something..."

Infinite sighed and sat on his bottom, crossing his legs as he held the broken table leg in his hands. "I... I can't really say why I hate that blue buffoon. He defeated me twice, yes, but... he..."

Rookie continued sorting out the table pieces- three of the legs were salvageable, but the top of the table was fractured and needed to be fixed. He glanced at the last leg Infinite held, but couldn't tell if it was salvageable or not.

"Maybe... I... I'm angry." Infinite set the broken leg down. Rookie finally took a look at his expression, and was a bit surprised at the omission. He also took in the expression on the jackal's face.

His ears were lowered, and once again, his large, white tail wrapped about his waist. His eyes, Rookie realized, were filled with all typed of emotions he hadn't noticed until now. 'What happened? Is he recalling another bad memory?'

"That hedgehog... how was he able to find himself so soon? I... I was possessed, I lost my squad, and I... I can't let it go... I can't anything go..."

Taking a deep breath, the jackal closed his eyes in thought. "I think that... I hate him. Because he was able to move on... and I don't know how."

Rookie nodded, taking in what Infinite told him. Quickly typing a few words, he looked at his message and smiled a little before he tapped Infinite's shoulder and showed him his phone.

'You may be right. But isn't that the reason why you should talk to him? I know you have more to your past, and you can't talk about it now because its something that is hurting you inside. Whatever else you couldn't tell me... I know that it's eating you.

I guess... Sonic and the others would understand that. Sonic, especially. I just want you to realize what forgiveness feels like so you can be happy, Infinite.

But... the others may not like you. They may hate you.'

Infinite read the words over and over, his tail loosening from his waist. Of course they would hate him- it was his fault that Sonic was captured and tortured. He wouldn't be surprised if they tried to kill him. "I thought they would..." he muttered to himself.

Rookie set his phone down and placed a hand on his shoulder. Infinite glanced up to a half- apologetic smile, and tried to return one himself but couldn't. He just felt lost.

'Maybe talking to that hedgehog... could help. But I might have to deal with his friends, and I know they will hate me! He might even hate me! So what's the use?!'

"Child..." Rookie blinked and leaned a little closer so Infinite knew he heard him.

"If you think that Sonic can relate to me... then take me to him." Infinite sounded shaky and uncertain of his actions, but something told him he needed to do this. "You say he and his friends... lost a lot to the doctor as well. But... they will still see me as a monster."

Infinite looked at his hand, reliving the memories of warm blood coating his hands as one after another, people died beneath him. "I still think I'm a monster. But... maybe... I can... apologize. To them."

Rookie picked up his phone and typed before showing the phone to Infinite. 'Its okay if you think you need more time. I've... spoken to a few members since the war ended. I... I guess... even with the threat of you gone, what you did changed a lot of lives. Eggman was the controller, but it was you we all saw. So I know there's going to be some... tension.

Except... Sonic actually thinks there's hope for you. He agrees with me- you deserve a second chance. That's why I want you to talk with him. Maybe he can help you... in a way that I can't.'

Infinite realized that the last part of his sentence bothered Rookie- he seemed like he was trying to hold in his tears, but still offering encouragement and support. "You... you don't... have to keep doing this." he tried to say, but it felt... well, weird. 'I need him to do this... because I'm too weak to do it myself. What's wrong with me?!'

Rookie looked shocked as he shook his head no before he gave Infinite a determined thumbs-up. Something about that gave Infinite much more strength than he had ever felt before, and he slowly allowed a small, actual smile to form.

"Thank you... Rookie." Infinite whispered. Yeah, still weird, but that time, he felt genuine. He meant that- if Rookie hadn't saved him, yeah, he would have died, but the child was being so patient with him, so kind and caring and...

'I guess... this is what it feels like... when I finally have someone I can call... a friend.'

'So, how about it? Ready to see Sonic and made amends?'

"I... I don't know if that's what I can do, but... I need to try." Infinite finally got to his feet and held out the broken table leg to Rookie. "After we finish fixing the table... alright?"

Rookie nodded happily as he took the leg and sat it with the others. He was glad that he was at least giving this a chance, and that was all he could hope for. 'I think this might be what he needs. It might help him get out of his head a little, too.'

He then pointed to Infinite's bruised ribs, wondering if his side still hurt. Infinite chuckled lightly and rested a hand on his side- the pain was very dull, almost nonexistent, and he had been breathing fairly normal all this time, so he assumed all was well.

"I am fine, child. Let's fix this table."

As Infinite began cleaning up the splintered wood, Rookie couldn't help but be proud. It hadn't been easy for Infinite to make it as far as he did, but he had been getting there, even with all the setbacks. He would learn to forgive himself, and after that? Well, only he could decide that.

'I'm just happy he will find his true way. I knew you were not evil, Infinite. Just... lost. Confused. Afraid. But now, you are not alone.' Rookie got to his feet, stretched, gently ran his fingertips over his gash- it was painless now and scabbing over well- then went to find something to put his table back together.

'Let's get you some closure, Infinite. And maybe, the others... will have that, too. Just like I have.'

Infinite had never walked through the section of wooded trees and other plants before. It was a quiet route, and according to Rookie, the fastest way to reach the outskirts of the city. He crossed his arms, feeling oddly naked as he walked past.

Infinite hadn't told Rookie, but they were actually close to his old village. There was still so much in regards to his past he never disclosed to Rookie, and until they set out to meet with Sonic and the others, he hadn't planned on it.

But there was also something else he didn't tell Rookie- there were still jackals left in the village. Thankfully, his father wasn't one of them, but his squad's parents and siblings, last he heard, had relocated to this village shortly after he lost his team and submitted himself to Eggman. He wished he had reached out to them, offered some kind of condolences for the people they lost, but... what was he to say?

It was his fault they died. He was never strong enough to protect them, and he knew it.

Infinite's arms tensed, feeling worse and worse about himself as Rookie walked a little ahead of him, smiling like nothing was wrong. He knew this time, Rookie wasn't to blame- if he had just told him earlier, maybe he would have reconsidered this whole thing.

'I don't think he would. He really thinks that blue buffoon can really understand what I'm dealing with? He at least still has his friends! I... I don't have anyone-'

He paused as he caught himself looking at Rookie, and was shocked when he felt a smile forming. 'No... this child... I guess... is my friend. He's been the only one willing to go as far as he did, and he never thought that I was weak- he wants me to be... happy. I don't really know what that means, but... if he thinks there's some hope for me... then maybe I should start doing that, too.'

Rookie suddenly stopped walking all of the sudden, almost causing a still lamenting Infinite to bump into him. "What the hell...? What is going on?"

The wolf pointed to a clearing. Infinite followed the direction and felt his chest doing that strange tightening thing again. They were now at the entrance to his village, and slightly off to the left was the threshold into the city where Sonic and his friends were.

Rookie glanced briefly at Infinite, then typed a question on his phone. 'Once we cross this threshold, we'll be very close to downtown. I told Sonic that I was bringing someone for them to meet, so they're waiting for us.

Are you sure you can handle this? I mean, I'll be right there with you, but... I don't know how you feel about all of this happening so soon.'

"I..." Infinite wasn't sure what he was feeling. Nervous was an understatement, but the fact that he was so close to a place he hadn't been to since he was a teenager wasn't making matters any easier, either. He really, really wanted to go inside his village, to at least see how everyone was doing. But he couldn't face them- they would have heard from the city about his rampage, his murders, his chaos... and the loss of their own.

Infinite failed as a jackal. There was no way he was strong enough to face his past. But going into the city wasn't any better of a choice- people would know who he was almost instantly. He was the only creature with a fluffy, large white tail, pointed shoes with an infinite symbol and eyes that could pierce into one's soul.

Mask or no mask, everyone knew who Infinite the Jackal was... a stone cold killer. He couldn't possibly face the townspeople and handle the stares, the anger... he couldn't!

Infinite's feet moved faster than his brain- he was already backing away, from Rookie, from that entrance, from his past. Rookie sighed- he knew that it was too soon, but he was proud Infinite walked this far. He knew that he was scared- he could hear the tension from behind him as they had walked, and Infinite wasn't aware that his soft mumblings could be heard by the wolf due to his sharpened hearing.

To be honest, Rookie thought as he stood by Infinite's side, he was actually expecting him to call the whole thing off an hour ago. Infinite was nervous and possible still a bit afraid, and he understood that. He didn't want him to think he was forcing him to do something he wasn't comfortable doing.

'It's just like the closeness thing. He doesn't like people getting too close, me included. But can I really blame him?' Rookie placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Infinite to lift his head, but not look at him directly. His shoulder tensed with the contact, but Rookie chose not to let it bother him.

'Whether it's facing his past or me doing something like this... Infinite is still learning how to live with what he's done. I guess I'm not the best person to cheer him up because he still beats himself up for what he did to me. I just... I wish I had a better way to show him I'm not angry anymore. I really do forgive you, Infinite. The others... well, they need more time, Tails especially. I know that. But... we all need to let this anger and guilt go so we can all move on and live.'

"I can't..." Infinite finally spoke, his voice cracking. He shook his head. "I can't go back there... I... I..."

Rookie tilted his head, trying to read Infinite's broken words. The jackal's shoulders were trembling a little. "I can't do this... they won't forgive me... they'll..." Infinite forced himself not to show any more weakness and swiped across his eyes.

"I'm sorry... but I don't think I can go back..." Infinite softly apologized. He looked at Rookie, who was looking at him with a curious, yet understanding expression. "I don't... I can't..."

Rookie typed something on his phone, then gave it to Infinite to read. 'I know you're scared. I don't know exactly what is going through your head right this moment, or what you must be feeling, but... I do know that I get you're afraid of going back to the city.

You know, it's okay to be scared. It's a pretty big step for you to take, going inside after all was said and done. Yeah, people still talk about what happened, but... you deserve to have your own story told, from your own lips.

I'm defending you... because while you did scar me and take away my voice, I had time to think. After the war, I realized that in order for me to live my own life, I had to let go of my hatred and anger for you. And I did. That's why I was able to save you and still smile.

You're my friend, Infinite. And you have your own story to tell the others, like you told me. You deserve a second chance, and I want you to have that more than anything.'

"But... what if I'm not worthy of that...?" Infinite asked him, doubt clouding His shoulders were less tense, but still trembled as he spoke. "What if they don't see that...I am sorry for what I did? I hurt so many people, I... I hurt you..."

Rookie gently squeezed his shoulder before typing an answer. 'I know you hurt me, but saying it isn't going to take the fact away that I'm still going to be a mute. You apologized the night after the bathroom incident, and even went out your way to bring me a blanket. I know you've been struggling with that, but you're TRYING. That's all I want you to do.

Find your comfort zone, Infinite. You're doing a really good job figuring it out, and I know- by Mobius, I know- you're still uncomfortable and you're going to blame yourself for a LONG time.

Just let yourself heal, okay? Give yourself time to get a grasp on everything. You have me if things get too hard, and it DOES NOT MAKE YOU WEAK. You got that?'

Infinite was thrown completely for a loop when Rookie suddenly hugged him, resting his head on his shoulder. Infinite stood there, arms still at his sides, unsure of what the hug meant or what to do about it.

"Why... why are you doing this..." he whispered. Rookie hugged him tighter and nodded. "Why do you always... do this..." It wasn't long before, very slowly, Infinite's arms lifted to try and return the hug.

He felt very, very strange. Not uncomfortable like all the other times Rookie got too close, just... strange. He couldn't really recall the last time anyone did something like this with him, and he assumed that was where the strange feeling was coming from. 'He always does this... weird thing to me. He keeps making me realize that this is okay, but I don't understand how or why or... anything.'

"I... I'm sorry..." Infinite apologized. Rookie shook his head, still patiently waiting for him to finish the hug. It took Infinite a few minutes of uncomfortable debating, but, finally, he wrapped his arms about Rookie and completed his hug. "I'm sorry... I..."

Rookie began rubbing his back. He felt a small jerk against him and knew what was about to happen before Infinite realized it himself. 'For once, Infinite... allow yourself a chance to do this. Please.'

The jackal finally felt the corners of his eyes stinging, but he didn't want to break the hug. The more he tried to blink, the blurrier his vision became. It reminded him of what he almost did earlier while they were fixing up the living room table- but he had forced himself not to break down. This time was different... because there was someone standing here, holding him together.

Infinite let out a small sob before he pressed his face in Rookie's shoulder. Something about that kept him ground, which he felt he needed right now. His arms tightened around Rookie, desperately needing to hold onto him. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." he sobbed. Rookie smiled to himself and kept rubbing his back, a few tears rolling down his own cheeks.

'Infinite... you finally understand. I'm so glad you let me help you. I'm glad I was able to forgive you. Now you can begin to forgive yourself... and things can be easier for you.'

Rookie didn't care how long Infinite wanted to let that anguish out. From the way he sounded, Infinite hadn't let himself cry in a very long time. He felt honored that Infinite finally trusted him enough to let this side of him show. He continued to rub his back as he felt the shuddering sobs tear through the jackal. His shoulder was soon damp with tears, but Rookie didn't care.

'I'm really proud of you, Infinite. You're stronger than you realize, and I hope you know that.'

A few minutes passed before Infinite felt composed enough to break the close contact. He wiped his eyes and looked at Rookie, another rare genuine smile on his face. Rookie returned it, seeing how much relieved Infinite looked to finally get some of that off his chest.

'How do you feel?' Rookie asked him. Infinite thought about it for a moment, then answered, "I... I think I feel a bit.. better. Never actually did... well, that before. Umm, I... umm... " Infinite was still trying to get accustomed to the thanking portion of conversations. It make Rookie chuckle to himself a little.

'Don't thank me, Infinite. I didn't do anything. You've been slowly figuring a lot of things out, and I think... you can do this.' Rookie pointed to the clearing once again. 'You're stronger than you realize, you know that?'

Infinite read the last line over and over again. "I'm... stronger? But I don't understand... I just stood here and cried like a lost pup..."

Rookie wanted to laugh at the confusion on Infinite's face- it was painfully innocent to boot. 'Yes, you did... but you needed to let that out. It takes a strong person to do something like that, especially with someone you once thought hated you.'

Infinite still didn't understand. Rookie just smiled. 'You'll understand as time goes on. Don't worry. But... the real question- are you ready to see Sonic and the others?'

Infinite looked at the clearing- at the threshold to the city, then at the entrance to the village. He looked at Rookie, who was warmly smiling at him, waiting for his answer.

"I... I guess I can talk with him..." he decided. "And when we finish... there's something I need to show you. I... I owe you this much."

Rookie nodded; he was very curious to see what it was Infinite needed to show him, but he was glad he decided to give Sonic and the others a chance. He typed one more sentence and showed it to him:

'You know... you should smile more often. I like when you do that. It looks... good on you.'

Infinite's cheeks tinted red as Rookie covered his mouth to hide his laughing expression. Unsure of what to say, Infinite just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Don't make me hurt you, Rookie." he threatened, a bit more light-hearted than his usual tone of speech.

Rookie realized he actually called him by his name yet again, but was still too busy laughing at his friend's pouting, blushing face to really care. Taking the lead once he calmed down, Rookie motioned for Infinite to follow him. Infinite steeled himself for what he would have to deal with once he entered the threshold.

'This is it. I need to face that blue hedgehog and try and atone for what I've done. It's not going to be easy, but... somehow... with Rookie here... I feel like I can actually... do this. I have to... not for him... but for myself.'

The duo crossed over into the city. As soon as they did, a familiar voice called out to them from a bridge just above them. "YO! Rookie! Long time no see!"

Sonic the Hedgehog jumped down and ran over to them. Rookie waved at him, but Infinite stood a bit behind him, still unsure if he would need to fight or run. Sonic greeted Rookie, then caught a glimpse of a poofy white tail and grinned. Rookie stepped aside so they could get a good look at each other.

"Infinite the Jackal, right?" Sonic looked... battle-worn. He was scarred from head to toe, but still had the same bright green eyes and cheesy grin that used to annoy Infinite to no end. Sonic extended his hand to his once rival, grinning like usual.

"Long time no see. Glad to hear Eggman didn't kill you." Infinite's hand slowly reached out to complete the handshake, unsure of what else to do. He had been expecting more... anger, rage, something along those lines. But looking at Sonic, except for the new scars he sported, he didn't seem too different than what he could remember while fighting him in the war.

"Sonic the Hedgehog... it's good to see you're still just as annoying as before." Infinite was grinning himself as the pair shook hands. Sonic had a feeling that what Rookie told him was right- Infinite was different, and just as scarred as he was from this crazy war. He was interested to hear what he had to say, and had just as much that he wanted to say to him as well.

"Well, whaddya say we take this lovely meeting elsewhere so we have some privacy?" Sonic turned to walk towards a secluded, still crumbling section of the city. "Besides, I kinda don't want anyone to see you just yet. Not until we've talked."

Rookie and Infinite shared a brief glance before following Sonic. 'I wonder... what his story will be like?'

And complete! Only one more chapter to go!

Please let me know what you all think- this was one of my favorite chapters to write, but also one of the trickiest for me because I didn't want to make Infinite sound so... cry baby-ish, you know?

Until next chapter!