Today

Chapter Five: Day of the Reaping

FINALLY

Sonic and his friends were in the woods. He had a camera in his hand. It was pointed at Knuckles. "Action!" he yelled.

"Rrragh!" Knuckles yelled. He smashed a boulder with one punch. "Did you get that Sonic?"

"I didn't press record," Sonic said teasingly.

"WHAT?!" Knuckles yelled.

Angel was up in a tree with Tails and Rouge, who also had a camera. "Are you getting all this?" she said to Rouge.

Rouge held up her camera. "Yeah,"

On the ground, Knuckles was continuously trying to hit Sonic, and continuously missing.

Tails was laughing uncontrollably at Knuckles and lost his balance, falling out of the tree.

Rouge cringed and Angel cracked up. Before she knew it, Angel was sprawled out on the ground too.

"Jeez," Rouge said too herself. "Hey Knucklehead!"

"What?!" Knuckles yelled back.

"He's kidding, genius. I got it all right here."

"You little-"

Tails sighed and turned to Angel. "Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"It's the day of the reaping… so I got you something," he revealed the missing half of the chaos emerald.

Angel looked at it in amazement. "You…how..?"

"To protect you," he placed the emerald in her hands.

"Thank you," Angel said. She hugged Tails. "I gotta go."

"Where are you going?" Tails questioned.

"I gotta get my disguise," she said. "I can't let them see me."

"Why not?" Tails asked.

"I-I'll tell you later," she said. I'm sorry I can't tell you. It's better you don't know about agent #452. She flew off.

At that moment Amy appeared. "Let's go," she said sourly. "We're gonna be late," she walked away.

"How can you hold a grudge for three months?" Knuckles said.

"I dunno," Sonic said. "Better than her being so obsessive."

Tails fell to his knees. "I can't do this. I'm gonna be sick."

"Your name's only in there once, buddy. It's not gonna be you."

"Okay," Tails said as he stood back up. "Let's go."

At the reaping

"Welcome to the 13th annual Hunger Games!" Rouge said into the microphone.

"Rouge and Knuckles are the mentors?" Tails whispered to Sonic.

Sonic only nodded.

Angel flew in. "What did I miss?" she asked.

"It just started," Sonic said.

Knuckles walked up to the microphone. "As usual, ladies first," he pulls a name out of the bowl. "Amy Rose."

"Oh boy," Sonic said.

Amy walked on stage. Her face was expressionless.

Rouge went back over to the microphone. "Now for the boys," she pulled a name out of the jar. "Miles "Tails Prower."

"Oh my God," Angel whispered. "Tails…"

"I volunteer as tribute!" Sonic yelled.

A peacekeeper that highly resembled the storm troopers from Star Wars put a gun to her back.

Rouge swallowed. "Sorry, we don't do that anymore," she said.

Tails stood still for a minute, then went up on stage.

"This year's tributes, everyone," Knuckles said into the mic. The four of them walked backstage.

"Oh my God," Angel said again.

"Let's go," Sonic says. He and Angel ran to the visiting room. "Tails?!"

"Sonic!" he and Sonic hugged. Tails was tearing up. "I can't do this. I won't make it."

"You can do this Tails," Sonic said. "You're going to come back. I've done a lot of stupid things and I've done a lot of crazy things. But I know that you can do this.

"I'm gonna miss you," Tails said through sobs.

"I'll miss you too, bud," Sonic said.

A Peacekeeper came in to the room. "Let's go," he said as he grabbed Sonic.

"Don't let them scare you, Tails!" Sonic yelled. "You have to come back!" The door shuts.

Angel ran into the room. "Tails!" she yelled! The two of them hug.

"I can't do it."

"Yes you can," Angel said. "You're stronger than they are, you are. I brought you something," she revealed half of the chaos emerald. "To protect you," she said.

"No-"

"Yes," Angel said, freezing the emerald to Tail's arm. "There. Now even if we are thousands of miles apart, they can't separate us. All they want is a good show, nothing else. You have to come home, Tails. We can't live without you… I can't live without you."

"Okay," Tails said. "I'll try. Promise me that you won't let Sonic try to come after me?"

Angel smiled. "I promise," she kisses Tails. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

Angel turns to head to the door.

"Angel, wait!"

She turns around. "Yeah?"

"If I come back… will you go out with me?"

Angel smiles again. "Of course I will."

The Peacekeeper comes in. "Time's up."

"I'll see you in two weeks, okay?" Angel says.

Tails swallows. "Okay." The door shuts.