So, it looks like this fanfic is officially one year old! The updates, however, have been as slow as molasses. Haha... I haven't shown much attention to this fanfic, and for that, I apologize. Lately I've been lacking in physical and emotional health, so things are moving very slowly. I promise, I've still been working very hard on these, and as much as I can.

But if I slip up, feel free to call me out on it, if you must. No one is perfect, and I'm far from it.

Yoshi took his hand within his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Silver's smile grew, his eyes rested upon his within an affectionate stare. The dinosaur began to swing their hands back and forth as he lightly rocked on his heels, while the hedgehog felt a blush returning to his muzzle and turned the other way in a feeble attempt to hide it.

'He's just too cute…'

Quickly shaking away the thought, he cleared his throat before he spoke, once again regarding the Olympic venues. "So, only one of the venues are used to have the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics. The other one is another hockey arena."

The dinosaur's head cocked sideways, clearly seeming puzzled. "But why are there two arenas for the same sport?"

"I'm… not sure. But, do you know which one you want to go to yet?"

Yoshi began looking around the area, before making his final decision. "Curling please." he beamed.

"R-really?" Yoshi nodded. After an uncomforting moment of Silver staring at Yoshi, he finally spoke, chuckling slightly. "Heh… Guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You loved this sport…"

"So, how do you play?"

"It's pretty simple. Or… it looks simple."

Upon appearing in front of the Curling Center, they were greeted by a familiar high-pitched voice. "Yoshi! Hey!" The reptile was unacquainted with the voice, of course, but he seemed to be very bothered by it.

He moved closer to Silver and cowered. "Who's yelling at me? What did I do?" he whimpered.

"Yoshi…? Y-Yoshi!"

"Ah! Stop yelling at me! …Wait…" As soon as he recognized Mario's voice, he pulled himself upright, perkiness returning to his voice. "Hi Mario! I didn't even notice you." Looking over at Mario, Silver couldn't help but notice his startled expression. He wasn't expecting to see them, especially not Yoshi – he knew. It never even occurred to him that the plumber would likely scold him if he caught Yoshi participating in one of the sports with his current condition…

Now, however, he wasn't sure whether or not the mascot was about to do exactly that.

A young mushroom looking character in a blue vest, and five red dots on his "cap" – who he believed was called Toad – came running to greet the both of them… or the dinosaur he was calling out earlier. Yoshi, who saw the little guy rushing up to him whilst waving his hands frantically, cowered behind the silvery hedgehog once more with a worried whimper. Toad must have took notice, seeing as his sprint slowed until it came to a complete halt.

His beam instantly became a frown as his gaze dropped to the ground. "Oh… yeah, I forgot about that." a saddened sigh was released. "Sorry…"

A metallic Chao floated towards the Toad, resting one of its stubby arms atop of Toad's head for reassurance. "Welcome back, Yoshi. And hello, Silver."

"Hey Omochao." the hedgehog greeted somberly.

Espio joined the group, a warm smile crossing his muzzle. "I'm happy to see you're feeling better, Yoshi."

"And might I add how surprised I am to see you here." Mario spoke, also joining them. His tone was sharp, something Silver was afraid of. "Why are you even here?"

Before Silver had the chance to explain himself, Yoshi had beat him to it. "We were about to go play some Olympic games." He knew the dinosaur didn't apprehend the gravity that lingered the air, and his beam didn't serve to be any more helpful than his sentence.

"You can't. You're not supposed to."

"But Silver said it was alright…" he paused. "Wait… I'm not supposed to?"

"No," he said, glaring at Silver. "At least, not when we were still figuring out things."

"I-I'm sorry…" Silver flushed. "I didn't know… I was only thinking about getting him out of the hotel for a bit."

Toad finally spoke up, a heavy sigh escaping him. "It… doesn't really matter now, everything's been finalized…"

The dinosaur was now puzzled. "So… I can play sports?"

"No, you can't…" Toad exhaled warily. "Because you're currently suffering an injury, Yoshi, you're not allowed to play anymore sports that could cause serious head injuries… or any sort of damage to the body."

"Because of your amnesia, of course, you no longer have the ability to play these events, because you don't remember how to perform them." Espio explained. "Therefore, making it dangerous for you to participate in now that you lack knowledge and experience."

"So…" Omochao spoke, heavy grief apparent between his words. "we all came to an agreement that you would be banned from taking part in the Olympic Games until you recover from your amnesia."

"This was something the doctor also recommended." Mario sighed. His frown deepened as his gloved hand ran through his short brown hair. "Both companies finalized it as well, and would rather see it done."

A frown formed on Silver's tan muzzle. "But… that means you'll be down a team member."

"Still, the show must go on." the metallic chao spoke. "The Olympic Games are about two weeks away, so it's quite likely that he'll regain his memory by then. But if he doesn't…" A collective sigh from Mario and Toad was nothing short of a clear punctuation.

Yoshi still seemed lost, with his blank stare and his jaw agape. They were all looking at him, saddened gazes changed into ones full of concern – assuming Omochao has been making those very same expressions, anyhow. Everyone except for Silver, that is, who had his gaze switched his gaze to the ground, allowing some time for his own thoughts to consume him.

The dinosaur appeared to have been processing the conversation for a while, something of which could not have been broken down to anything simpler… The others, who already felt bothered having this discussion, were ready to simply leave it at that and go about their separate ways…

"Then what am I supposed to do for all that time? Twiddle my thumbs?" he sounded slightly depressed again, and perhaps a little angry. His disappointment was well understood by everyone else, and it made Silver feel even guiltier.

"Just temporarily," Omochao responded.

"Which is still a better option than you getting hurt again." the plumber bluntly stated. "I'm sure you don't want to end up receiving anything worse than amnesia. You could end up with severe brain damage if you're not careful."

"What if I could prove to you I can?" protested the determined reptile. "Just because I have amnesia doesn't mean you have to treat me like some friable object."

"Yes, it does!" Mario barked, which caught everyone by surprise – given how calm he has been since the entire fiasco started. Of course, it doesn't mean he wasn't stressing, as shown by the patience he was starting to lose. Once he took notice for himself – seeing the startled expression on Yoshi – he softened, taking a deep exhale through his round nose. "In a way, you kind of are." he breathed, his tone becoming mellow once more. "Knowing your current 'predicament'… you can't do some of the things you used to do, like sports. Most of these sports can be very dangerous, especially when you don't know what you're doing. And even if you did, it's still a very big risk to take." He had hope the dinosaur would comply and leave it be.

Of course, that'll be asking for too much… "Then have someone reteach me."

"Exactly what I meant; it doesn't matter. There's always a chance you could get hurt, especially when you're first learning – where it's always the hardest."

"In truth, you're just better off waiting until your memory returns." Toad concluded. "Trying to relearn them at this point will do you no good, and it won't qualify you to compete again, either."

The magenta reptile beside him gently placed his hand on the Yoshi's shoulder, a soft gesture for some sort of comfort. "Our deepest apologies, Yoshi, but we hope you understand it is for your own safety."

Although Silver already suspected as much, still, he felt that he carried most of the blame.

Yoshi welcomed the comfort given to him, certainly, but he also knew he didn't deserve it either. Whatever he did to land him in his current predicament – as far as he knew – it was his fault. Logically, it would mostly be his fault. Yet, everyone was treating him so nicely… and practically bending backwards for him… Was taking him out of the Olympic Games his only punishment for his recklessness?

Perhaps, the final ruling was justified after all. He would not participate in the Olympics, because of his sheer stupidity.

It's certainly all his fault.

"It's all my fault…" All eyes fell on Silver, as he spoke up suddenly. "I'm sorry…" As the hedgehog's head somehow managed to drop further, Yoshi's frown deepened even more. Didn't they just have this discussion?

However, Mario spoke up before he had the chance to call him out on the statement. His tone remained the same as before: firm, yet very compassionate. "None of that matters, Silver. As I'm sure you're already well aware of; it could have been a lot worse."

"Like as previously mentioned: permanent brain damage." the metallic… creature added. "The list can go on… but the fact remains: he's okay." Lifeless yellow eyes were fixated on the dinosaur – for only a brief moment. "…For the most part, anyway." A sheepish chuckle trailed the statement, but his words also earned a direct glare from the plumber. Noting the chameleon's blank stare and the… mushroom guy's hard stare that were especially for him also, his weak chuckle faded quickly, before turning his gaze in the opposite direction.

The dinosaur's expression hardened as well, unsure whether or not the robot was trying to be funny. It was very likely that he didn't mean for it to sound like that, nonetheless, it wasn't the brightest statement either.

Finally, Silver picked his head back up. His tone, however, hinted sorrow and ire as he spoke. "In case you haven't noticed, he's not okay at all… He doesn't remember who any of us are, and there could be a chance that he won't."

"I think we're all aware of that…" the mushroom man sighed, his patience seemingly waning slowly. "But that doesn't mean it's entirely hopeless."

"H-hold on…" Yoshi spoke again. He slightly tremored as anxiety took over all of his other emotions. "You mean to say that I may never get my memory back?"

"It's possible that could be the case…" the robot answered uneasily. "But we don't know that for sure. In most cases, amnesia only lasts temporarily."

"Or he could end up a broken wreck…" the albino mammal muttered.

Yoshi began to blink rapidly, feeling as if he couldn't get enough air. "B-b-broken?"

"That's enough!" the plumber snapped, the last of his patience slipped away with the artic breeze. "We don't know what's going to happen, and it's best that we don't start jumping to conclusions – especially for Yoshi's sake. Things are not that grim, so stop acting like it is."

"Well, it's not looking so bright either." Silver retorted.

"You of all people should know better, Silver." Mario strictly stated. "You dare give up on a good friend, just like that?" Yoshi stared at the ground where his feet were, no longer sure what to think for himself.

Silver had no answer to Mario's question, as it seems. Their gazes were locked, but there was complete silence. The mushroom man was fixated on the hedgehog as well, as if he also expected an answer from him. The chameleon had his gaze on the ground, and the robot appeared to be staring into space – both as if they were occupied with their own thoughts.

Just by studying the plumber's gaze, Yoshi knew Mario already figured out Silver's answer, those golden orbs have made it apparent.

And he could have sworn that they lit up with some kind of newfound spark.

…

"So, what did you mean back there? Did you really mean what you said? Am I really gonna become… broken?"

The trip back to the hotel room was a silent one. But by the time they entered their suite, Yoshi began bombarding the hedgehog with a million questions. He was confused, and maybe hysteric. Silver seemed to have noticed, as a deep frown formed upon his muzzle.

"No, no… Of course I didn't mean that, at all. I just…" he sighed. "I wasn't thinking, and my emotions got the better of me."

"So you really do think that, and that's why you were gonna give up on helping me?" Now he was hysteric, and perhaps, a little angry. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend!"

"I am!" he shouted. "I would never do that to you, regardless of what I think."

"And how would I know that? Don't forget, I don't know who any of you are. How would I know to trust what you say?"

"Yet, that didn't stop you with Wario and Waluigi."

That was a blow to the gut, and the final straw. With a sharp exhale through the nose, Yoshi steely replied, "That was a mistake, just like you."

The hedgehog acted as if he was frozen in place, apparently taken aback. It was a rather ironic response, considering how he went there first. When he did finally speak, however, his voice was barely audible. "Y-Yoshi…"

"And if that's true, then maybe it is your fault I have amnesia – which makes it my fault for trusting you." Whether or not Silver had anything to say to that – which, he didn't – Yoshi continued. "You could have been lying to me this entire time. So, apparently, I never learn, right?"

"I didn't mean…"

The dinosaur cut him off, his tone becoming cynical. "I mean, a real friend would never do something like that, right?" Here, it was sharp. "Real friends tell the truth… right?"

Seemed to have had enough, Silver fired back. "Don't you dare call me a bad friend."

"Oh, I wasn't." Yoshi said evenly. "I'm just saying that it's quite plausible you may not be a friend at all." The hedgehog's jaw dropped, however, the dinosaur didn't stop there. "Hell, maybe you aren't even my roommate." An uncomfortable silence took place, Silver staring at Yoshi in puzzlement – who sheepishly came to realize something. "…That practically makes no sense, since you have the room key…"

Silver's expression never changed. "Practically?"

Perhaps, that was more or less a rhetorical question, not that it mattered to the dinosaur. Simply, he took the keycard out of Silver's possession and flung it across the room like a Frisbee. Before the hedgehog could protest, Yoshi opened the door to the hallway and shoved the albino out of the suite.

The door slammed in his face.

Frantically, he turned the door handle in hopes of being able to open the door. But it was fruitless, as he well knew.

He uttered a swear, what the hell just happened?

"There! Now it makes sense!" he heard the dinosaur call from the other side.

"You mean, you kicked me out just to make a point?"

"Would it make sense to kick you out for no reason?" Silver sighed, staring up at the door. Once again, the dinosaur spoke, his tone once again sharp. "Seriously, what do you think I would kick you out for?"

The hedgehog pressed his back against the door, and took a deep breath. After recomposing himself, he calmly spoke. "Yoshi, please, you need to let me back into my suite."

"Why? You're definitely not my friend, you aren't even my roommate anymore."

"Yoshi, don't be ridiculous…"

"You mean, like, how you and the others were a while ago? More specifically, you? I don't think so…"

"Yoshi…"

"Mario seems like the only person around here who has his head on straight. He's the only one I can trust so far."

Finally, Silver couldn't take it anymore. He huffed, stepping away from the door. "Okay, fine. Since Mario's the only one worthy of your trust, I'll just get him."

"Good. Thank you!" the Yoshi had called, as Silver marched down the hallway.

Thankfully, the elevator was found empty when it came. The silvery hedgehog pressed his head against the back wall as it closed. Once he thought it was safe, he turned around and released a hellish, frustrated scream.

…

He was glad that the elevator remained empty on the trip to the lobby. As tensed as he was, he stormed through the lobby to get to the front entrance. He figured that Mario was still out and about somewhere. He wasn't sure where he could be at this time, but he knew he wanted to leave the hotel for a little while, at least.

However, before he could reach the front door, he was called to a halt. Not by a fan, thankfully, as he just wasn't in the mood to greet one right now. But, he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone period, except for the very man he's looking for.

It was a familiar voice that called on him, someone who was from his own team. He knew he couldn't go on as if he didn't hear them, as he already came to a stop. Instead, he still kept his back turned.

"Hey, Silver, do you have a minute?" the voice called again. It belonged to Amy, he knew, as he heard her footsteps running to catch up to him. He eased his body, taking a deep breath to hold back his foul mood for a moment, before turning around to meet face to face with the pink hedgehog.

He smiled, which was a rather weak one. "Hey Amy, what's up?"

She beamed, notably happy to have catch him. Although, she appeared to be excited about something else… "I came up with a brilliant way to cheer Yoshi up!" his smile almost instantly faltered. However, he still let her continued. "The girls and I have everything in motion, and we just need someone to keep him distracted."

"For what?" he asked curiously.

Before giving him a direct answer, she looked around room, as if checking to see if anyone was listening. Once she felt it was safe, she leaned in and whispered, "We're throwing a surprise party for him." she uttered it quickly, but Silver understood clearly. "But just like everyone else, you have to keep it a secret from him." she said sternly.

It was very sweet that the girls wanted to throw a party for Yoshi. Even though he was currently angry with the dinosaur, he was rather glad that Amy wanted him to be in on it as well.

It would also show him that Mario isn't the only one he could trust…

A small smile appeared on his muzzle. "Gotchya. So, what do you need me to do?"

"Just keep him away from the hotel for a while." she stated. "I already know about him not being allowed to play sports. But I talked to Mario, and Toad, and Omochao… and even Sonic; they all agreed that it'll be fine for just this one time."

"Do our companies agree as well?"

She made an uneasy expression, before sheepishly admitting, "Ah… Let's just call it our dirty little secret." After a moment or so, the pair each shared a smirk, before giggling like a pair of mischievous children.

Amiably, the silver hedgehog was feeling better already.

Yoshi waited patiently for the hedgehog's return.

As he waited, he fumed. He was already aware of how bad the hedgehog felt about his current condition, and how much he blamed himself. In fact, his pessimism was too convincing, so convincing that he even threw up a mistake of his own – that caused all hell for everyone, including himself – directly in his face. And it was all from a statement he originally made that the dinosaur called him out on. Such audacity was what had him sent out the door…

However, everything he said to the hedgehog himself he didn't mean. He placed no blame him for his amnesia whatsoever – that was only said to get a point across. Everything he said to him was for that purpose. However, he truly was beginning to have his doubts about him. He keeps blaming himself for his amnesia, and without good reason – if there's any to begin with.

It just doesn't sit right with him.

Finally, he heard a knock on the door. Yoshi rose from the couch he sat on and began approaching the door, thinking that it might be said hedgehog with the nice man he asked for.

He heard his voice form the other side of the door. "Yoshi? Are you still there?"

Where else would I be? It's not like I can go or do anything by myself… he bitterly retorted, which he only kept to himself. Instead, he inhaled deeply, before replying in a sharp tone, "Where's Mario?"

"Not here, it's just me."

Figures… "I thought I asked you to bring him here." he sniped.

"I know, and, I'm really sorry, for everything. I wasn't a good friend at all, I acted like a complete jerk. And, honestly, I really don't blame you if you're still mad at me." Yoshi knew well that he couldn't be too upset with him over that comment about the mischievous pair. He was right about that after all, whether or not he knew better.

However, Yoshi simply said to him with an even tone, "You're forgiven."

After a minute of silence had passed, Silver then asked, "So, do you want to go out for a little bit?"

"Um, I don't think so. I can't play sports, and there doesn't seem to be anything else to do around here."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that…"

The dinosaur paused. "But… didn't you hear what Mario said?"

"Actually, he says it's okay… Just for this one time, though."

"So, I can play sports?"

"Just this once." however, the hedgehog quickly added "But I really do need my keycard back if we're gonna be heading out."

"Not so fast…" the dinosaur said slowly. "We need to talk first."

"I'm listening," Silver replied.

"No, I think we should do it in here, face to face." Without even waiting for a response from the hedgehog, he opened the door.

Once he opened the door, the hedgehog fell flat on his face, hanging halfway in the room. Yoshi assumed he was leaning against the door, while sitting on the floor – as he was already at the floor.

Silver hastened to stand back up. Once he was back on his feet, he casually spoke. "So, what's up?"

Yoshi kept his gaze locked with the hedgehog's, his tone equally grave as his mien. "Do you really blame yourself for my injury?" His question, however, only received a blank stare. It made the dinosaur wonder if he even heard him. Surely, he said it loud enough that he should have been able to hear him – it is only the two of them in the room.

He was going to repeat himself very slowly to make himself sound clear, that is, before the hedgehog finally responded, a deep frown seizing his tan muzzle. "How can I not, when that's all I think about?"

The dinosaur took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. Steadily, he continued. "Why do you blame yourself, then?" he kept his eyes solely on his, in hopes to find some answer within. The only thing they showed was his sorrow and guilt, both that were already very apparent. When nothing came up, of course, he tried again. "What happened that's making you think you're the one responsible for this?"

After a moment or two of silence, Silver began to explain everything that happened on that very day. As Yoshi listened intently to his story – from everything that was said and done from atop the hill – he started to wonder; was that the kind of person he previously was? Was he always so reckless?

Once he got to the part where the both of them went down the slope, it became pretty self-explanatory as to what happened after. Still, he continued, and Yoshi simply sat there and listened.

"It was so difficult to see, and I actually became scared when I couldn't find you." Silver finally said. "And when I did…" he paused, taking a deep breath to recompose himself. "When I finally did, I didn't even know what to think. You weren't moving, at all, and I'd hated to think that something happened to you. I almost lost it, until I saw you breathing again."

A mortified expression seized the dinosaur. Nonetheless, Silver continued. "I called for help, and – thankfully – they came as quickly as they did." his voice had begun cracking again. "If only I had stopped you from going down the mountain…"

"Let me stop you right there…" interrupted the dinosaur. "It's my fault I have amnesia. I was the idiot, not you. You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen. I was lucky that nothing else happened to me, but it's not like I don't deserve having some kind of injury – serious or not."

"Don't say that." he snapped, his tone quivering even more. "That's not true, and you know it."

"No, Silver, I think we both know it. And putting you, Mario, and everyone else through that kind of pain; I'm a very horrible person, and nothing like a friend at all."

"Y-Yoshi…"

"I deserve the repercussions for acting like a moron, and a jerky one at that. Mine is the amnesia – and it's a very fitting consequence for my actions." he felt a deep sorrow that struck within him. He must of made it very apparent, as Silver's golden eyes became glazed with some kind of liquid, just like before. The liquid began streaming down his muzzle, a sight Yoshi was sorry to see.

Finally, he uttered softly, "I'm really sorry, Silver."

The hedgehog finally broke down. He buried his face in his hands and began releasing soft sobs. Already stricken with grief himself, Yoshi felt his eyes getting warm and hazy. His face felt tight, and his eyes stung… it was a similar feeling he had the night before. But then, it felt different, as it was provoked with hysteria. This time, it was pure sadness.

His feelings were true: he didn't deserve to have such amazing people for his friends. But if he help caused this kind of pain, he should atone for his actions and show his friends that he really has changed, for the better.

Getting up from his seat, he walked over to where Silver sat and pulled him into a tight and caring embrace. He closed his eyes, and allowed the warm liquid to run freely down his cheeks.