Brother of Mine

Disclaimer: Never owned Sonic the Hedgehog, probably never will.

Chapter 3: New friend

A low groan resounded in a certain section of the beach on West Side Island. The groan was originating from the one and only, Miles Prower as he tried futility to block the sun out from under his burning eyes, having been woken up just a few short minutes ago due to the unwelcoming brightness. Seeing that it was a useless effort, the young fox began standing up; grateful for the food he ate yesterday as he felt much more energetic now, so much so in fact, that he could now stand straight up on both legs, although most of his weight was still placed on his left leg. Letting out a small yawn, the little fox began surveying his surroundings. Still sleeping was the blue hedgehog he had met, Sonic if he remembered correctly. In the distance he could make out the shape of West Side City's skyscrapers towering above the horizon casting massive shadows. Behind him was the forest while in front of him, the ocean.

Looking to his side he remembered the biplane he marvelled at yesterday. Now that he could see it in the light, it looked even more beautiful than he thought it was.

After a few moments of admiring its beauty, the curious fox walked to the front of the biplane to gaze at its inner mechanism. Upon arriving however he could see that the aircraft's engine was heavily damaged. Soot and black markings decorated the steel frame, tubes were sticking out from the inside, the propeller was loose and looked like it was ready to fall over at any time and a faint beeping sound could be heard periodically from deep within.

Miles instantly knew that the plane needed repairs if it ever had a hope of reaching the sky again. Seeing as the blue hedgehog was still sleeping, Miles returned to the tools he had taken out the day prior and picked up a few that looked to be of the right size. Walking back to the engine, Miles put the tools down at his feet and began to look through the damage again. Figuring out what it was he had to do first, the young kitsune happily picked up a wrench and got to work.

"What are you doing now?" A voice suddenly spoke. Instantly the fox froze dropping the wrench in the process which ended up smashing onto his right foot. "AHH!" He yelped as he instinctively shut his eyes and raised his foot into his hands causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his back.

Sonic could only look on as his eye twitched. How can a kid be this unlucky? He thought as his mind went back to the 'accident' he partially caused yesterday. Shaking the thoughts out of his mind, Sonic quickly went to the yellow fox's side.

"You okay?" He asked genuinely.

The fox frowned at him warily. "P-p-please stop scaring m-me like that." He stuttered, hoping that the blue stranger wouldn't beat him for making a command.

The tone the fox said it in only made Sonic feel worse however. His eyes suddenly lit up as he had an idea, "Wait right here, I'll be right back!" He said before running off at a speed that shocked the poor kitsune.

A look of pure shock replaced his gloomy expression when the hedgehog had run away at speeds that he couldn't even follow.

That was…

Before he could finish the thought, Sonic suddenly returned with a small bag of ice in his hands.

…Cool.

"Here ya go lil buddy!" Sonic said and gave the young kitsune the ice which he graciously accepted. Taking his eyes off the poor fox, Sonic looked up to his biplane, the Tornado, and took note of what the fox had been doing prior to the blue hedgehog's interruption. No way...was he trying to fix my plane? He wondered but soon realized that that fact was pretty much impossible. Nah no way, the kids only around four years old!

Returning his gaze to the four year old kitsune, he noticed that the fox's eyes were looking straight at him only to quickly look away when he turned back. Remembering that the kid was probably still scared of him for some reason and asking about his wounds most likely wouldn't help their already iffy relationship, Sonic thought of what to say to ease the growing tension. "So you like planes?"

The fox only nodded his head in response. Well it's a start… He thought. "What were you doing with my wrench?"

The fox lowered his face into his knees, still avoiding eye contact with the blue hedgehog. "I-I couldn't repay y-you any other way so I-I wanted to fix your plane…" He muttered so quietly Sonic almost couldn't hear him.

"Kid, you don't have to- WAIT WHAT?!" Sonic exclaimed so loudly that Miles was forced to cover his ears. "Uh, sorry kid but I don't think I heard you right. Did you say that you were gonna fix my plane?"

When the fox nodded his head somberly, Sonic could only look at him in shock. "I was runnin around town all day yesterday tryin to find someone to fix it but nobody in the entire city knows how! How old are you?"

"F-four?…I think…" Miles replied.

"You think? What do you mean you don't know how old you are?" Sonic asked before he suddenly realized that the fox was probably an orphan like him. "Where are your parents?"

Miles eyes lowered before answering. "I-I n-never knew my p-parents."

But Sonic already knew that. What kind of parent would let their kid get so hurt that they'd be covered head to toe in bandages and couldn't walk properly forcing them to limp? Or leave them alone in the middle of the night so they were forced to steal food from strangers? Of course the kid had no parents! He probably didn't even have a home! Sonic suddenly felt a sense of pity envelope him. Though he had known his parents and even though they died when he was still young, the thought of not having them at all felt like a nightmare.

Seeing that staying on this topic would only make the fox feel worse, Sonic asked another question. "What's your name?"

Miles knew that this question was inevitable and was not surprised when the hedgehog asked. But was he ready to give his real name to this stranger? Albeit, he did feed him more than anyone else had in his entire life and didn't beat him…yet, Miles still felt doubtful about trusting the character. What if once he knew who he was, he would beat him up? The whole city knew his name, heck the mayor even made a law with his name on it forbidding anyone to be nice to him. With a firm shake of his head, the young fox mumbled, "Nm hm."

"What do you mean? Do you not have a name?" Sonic asked. Miles shook his head again. "Well then what do people call you?"

Not knowing what to say now, Miles said the first word that popped into his head, "Freak."

"What!? Who calls you that?" Sonic shouted. The similarities between him and the fox were becoming uncannily alike.

"T-the bullies…" And with that, Sonic felt his blood beginning to boil. Bullying was no laughing matter to him as he had been bullied when he was still going to school. He could still hear the insults and the name calling just like he heard them a few years prior. He hated it. Hated the feeling. But he still had his parents to comfort him when he ran home. This kid…he had no one. How badly the hedgehog wanted to comfort the poor fox, to tell him that everything was going to be fine… but he knew he couldn't. Who knows what the poor guy could have gone through? Forcing him to recount a bad memory wasn't going to help anyone. And despite his gift of food, the fox still didn't trust him enough. Doing something rash right now would only hinder what little progress he already made with the kitsune. On the other hand it seemed that whatever question he threw at the yellow fox would only make him more depressed.

Quickly thinking of something to say that wouldn't lead to an even unhappier conversation, Sonic's eyes widened with joy. "Hey!... How about I give you a nickname?"

The fox perked up at this idea and sat silently watching the hedgehog rub his chin in thought, glad Sonic changed the topic.

"How about….." Sonic pondered and seemed to have a difficult time thinking of a good name for the young fox. His eyes began wandering around the fox's body that instantly began backing away from his concentrated gaze, using his tails to cover himself. "That's it! Tails!" The hedgehog exclaimed confidently.

Miles only looked at the hedgehog as a frown formed on his face as he sank himself further behind his tails and began muttering things about how his two tails make him a freak. Realization dawned on Sonic, his eyes widening while furiously waving his hands in front of him apologizing, not having put a lot of thought that the word could be that offensive to the young kitsune. After a few more apologies were made to him, Miles lifted himself out of his cover and wiped away tears from thinking that he had been betrayed again. Giving a sigh of relief, Sonic kindly smiled at the fox. "I didn't mean for that to be offensive lil' buddy, honest."

The fox wiped the remaining tears away from his eyes and sniffed. "T-that's okay… at least it s-sounds better than the other names." Miles, better known now as Tails, replied causing Sonic to let out a sigh of relief.

"It's settled then!" He said not wishing to dwell on the other names the Tails spoke of and began to stand up whilst giving the fox a cheery grin. "I'll call you Tails!"

Tails felt much better now. His new name wasn't bad, in fact, he quite liked it. It was certainly better than his real name, Miles Prower, which he received a lot of insults for, and was a thousand times better than the epithets that Victor and his gang gave him.

Sonic offered a hand to the young fox who cautiously took it and stood up. His right foot instantly cried out in agony causing Tails to double over and almost crash back down before a pair of hands kept him from falling further. Looking up in surprise and shock, Tails looked straight into the eyes of the blue hedgehog that had a genuinely concerned look on his face.

"You okay little buddy?"

An unknown feeling suddenly flooded the fox child. It felt foreign as if it had never been felt before which was quite true. An unexplainable feeling of comfort that came from the blue hedgehog who towered over Tails' head. Nobody had ever been this close in proximity to him unless it was with a closed fist or a steel-toed boot. Now, for once he felt completely at peace. Not a single thought passed through his mind. All he wished for was for this moment to last forever. However as he slowly came back to reality, his mouth was still agape in a shocked expression as the hedgehog helped him stand back up on his own two feet.

Already missing the warmth he felt in his stomach and being too unsure of what to say at that moment, Tails turned back around and retrieved the steel wrench he had dropped earlier, careful not to fall down again. He no longer felt just the necessity of paying back Sonic for giving him food. No, added onto that now was a feeling that he had to thank the hedgehog for being extraordinarily kind to him, more so than anyone had ever been in his entire short life.

Sonic saw the determination in the little kitsune's eyes and smiled at the fact that he was no longer sad. Though he was still unsure if a four year old fox could repair such a complicated piece of machinery, his doubts were quickly erased when he observed Tails' skill with a wrench, screwdriver, and other tools that even he didn't know how to use. Combined this with the fox's knowledge of knowing exactly what he was doing and knowing precisely where the outwards tubes were supposed to plug back in, Sonic was insanely impressed and saw that his plane was in good, if not a little young, hands.

"That's amazing Tails! Nobody in the entire city could fix this plane for me and now you're fixin it like a pro!" Sonic praised ecstatically at the young fox's talent but upon seeing all of Tails' concentration focused solely on fixing the downed aircraft, Sonic realized that he probably shouldn't bother the busy kitsune. Looking up in the sky, the sun was almost nearing its highest point meaning it would be lunch time soon. Remembering that neither he nor the fox had eaten breakfast, Sonic grinned as he recalled a chili dog stand he had seen yesterday. "Hold on Tails, I'll go get us some lunch!" The hedgehog then ran away faster than Tails could process what he said.

Letting out a breath of air he didn't even realize he was holding, Tails resumed fixing the plane. While working, thoughts of the mysterious blue hedgehog began to fill his brain. Why was he so nice? What was he gaining by helping a poor, abandoned fox in a city he had never been to before? Then there was the compliment he received. He was never complimented for anything he did. Despite being a young genius (a side effect of caring for himself since forever), none of his ideas or inventions ever received praise despite some of them being even more challenging than simply fixing a biplane. It made him feel good, as if he was helpful, like he still had a use in this world. That was why he had frozen. Why didn't he know what to say when receiving a compliment? It wasn't anything special, just a few simple words pieced together. But then why did it make him, a young genius who most of the time knew what to do, freeze?

The fox was so enveloped in his thoughts however that he didn't notice how much pressure he was applying to the small screwdriver in his hand. With a loud snap, the tip flew off and landed at his feet. Picking up the piece and frowning at the minor setback, Tails knew that he would need the screwdriver in order to put the engine back together. Glancing back over the tools that were still laid out on the wing and or sand, the young fox sighed as he saw that none of them were the correct size. Putting down the tools in his hands, Tails began the slow trek back to his home where he knew he had a spare screwdriver of the right size, all the while making sure to walk slowly so as to not injure himself further.

Alright, where is that chili dog stand I saw yesterday? The blue blur wondered while racing through the City of West Side Island. Looking around the busy intersection, Sonic spotted the chili dog stand behind a large crowd. Quickly zooming around the group of Mobians, the speedy hedgehog ran up to the stand gaining the attention of an old wrinkled man with a tiny yellow hat on his head.

"What can I do for ya son?" The old man smiled happily.

"Ten chili dogs please!" Sonic replied as he fished into his wallet to pay for the meal.

The old man's eyes widened at the unusually large number. "Ten?! Think you can eat that much boy?"

Sonic chuckled slightly at the old man's reaction. "Don't worry; it's for my friend too." Though he had no doubt in saying that he could eat all ten chili dogs.

"Well, if ya say so." The man seemed to visibly relax. Taking the money that Sonic held out for him, the old man began looking for change before a quick shake of the head from the blue hedgehog caused him to laugh while putting the money away. "Never seen ya here before other than yesterday, new in town?" He asked while preparing the chili dogs.

"Yep, just flew in and thought I should take a vacation." Sonic replied.

"Haha, well I hope you enjoy your stay, West Side Island has lots to offer!" The old man gleamed as if he were still young.

Looking around at all the busy people, Sonic suddenly thought of a question to ask the man. "Hey mister," He began. "You ever seen a two tailed fox around here?"

The old man's features seemed to age a hundred years, a dark scowl encompassing his former cheery smile. "I'd stay away from that fox if I were you. Ever since the government made it a law to not interact with him the lives in this city have turned for the better." He spoke with a hint of venom in his voice.

Intrigued by this peculiar law, Sonic decided to investigate further knowing full well that Tails most likely wouldn't talk to him about any of this. "How come a law like that even exists? The fox is only four years old."

Noticing that this stranger knew the age of the fox, the old man's head perked up but continued regardless. "Ever heard of the West Island Split four years ago?" Sonic nodded his head unsurely. He had just been seven years old at the time and the exact details of the event were a little fuzzy due to him not paying that much attention to news.

Seeing the hedgehog's wavering response, the old man decided to elaborate. "They say that four years ago at the exact date and time of the fox's birth, Dr. Ivo Robotnik himself had come to our city in a warship and met up with the mayor. Nobody except the mayor and Robotnik himself knows exactly what it is they discussed but it definitely wasn't good. Robotnik was absolutely furious and used his warship's cannons to blast the edges of the city killing many people and completely severing our connection with the mainland and pushing the island out farther into the ocean." He spoke with a serious tone. "Nobody knows why he did it or why he didn't just kill us all. But one thing is for certain, a baby fox that had not been here previously was suddenly here. Several tried to adopt the kid but only disaster followed. All who adopted the fox were killed in freak accidents. Unexplainable deaths right in the middle of the night. People falling off of buildings into busy traffic for seemingly no reason. Pretty soon all those who were just nice to the kid were being punished. Not soon after that the mayor created the law banning all from interacting with him in any way shape or form stating that it would only attract bad luck."

The old man finished his lengthy explanation. "However, I've seen older kids beating the fox boy, with the worst one happening a few days ago. Beating him does not seem to generate the bad luck, in fact, it might even bring about good luck. Every time I've seen him be beat, nothing but good fortune seems to befall this city." He finished and handed Sonic a bag of chili dogs.

Sonic however was lost deep in thought. Shocked at the history of his young friend and agitated that these people would leave the child just because of some stupid superstitions. When he heard that they beat him because it seemed to give them good luck however was the final straw. Taking the bag from the older man, Sonic turned away before asking one last question. "And you? What are your thoughts on him?"

The old man's face seemed to become darker despite it being a sunny day. He scoffed at the question as if the answer was plain and obvious. "My son and wife were taken from me on that day, that freak can go die for all I car-". But before he could even finish his sentence, Sonic bolted away leaving nothing but a steaming blue trail in his wake.

"It must be around here somewhere!" Tails muttered to himself in frustration. He had been searching for his tools for a couple of minutes now inside his home. Sighing in defeat, the yellow kitsune leaned back against a rock as he tried to remember where he last left the screwdriver. A peculiar sound in the distance broke him out of his concentration as his emotions finally overtook him. Where is it?! He mentally screamed. Without it, I can't repay Sonic!

Checking behind a large rock for what felt like the millionth time, Tails sighed in both sadness and anger. Sadness from his inability to be useful when it mattered most and angry at not being able to find such a simple object.

He was again broken out of his thoughts when the sound echoed over the forest once again. This time however with his enhanced hearing, he could faintly make out what was a voice.

Must be Sonic trying to find me… Tails sighed and berated himself for his uselessness. He climbed out of his house so he could meet the blue hedgehog all the while trying desperately to remember where he had misplaced the screw driver.

The sudden voice broke out over the treetops once again, a little closer this time. Cupping his hands together over his mouth, Tails yelled back to the voice, "I'm here Sonic!" The voice suddenly rang out once again, only this time, Tails could make out what it was saying and one thing was for sure.

That was not Sonic.

Panic began to set in. He couldn't run away, his legs made that obviously apparent but staying was no longer an option since they knew he was here. Could he fight them all just by himself or should he just take his chances and flee? The snow would leave his footprints which they could then follow and catch him. Could he fly with the injuries his tails had endured?

Time was running out. Tails knew he had to do something and fast. Deciding that the chances of surviving were much greater if he fled, the young fox began quickly half limping away from the oncoming voices.

Fear shocked his entire body into action. They were closing in on him no matter how many steps he took. Another yell resounded through the otherwise empty forest. This time it wasn't calling his name, it was a signal to his friends telling them what he had found. A footprint. His footprint.

He could hear them behind him. They spotted him. He couldn't run anymore. They surrounded him. A steel-toed boot sent him sprawling to the ground. A fist caught him in his forehead knocking him back down. A swift kick sent him flying into the unforgiving bark of a tree. They were speaking but he couldn't make out their words. His vision blurred as he saw it, blood leaking back into his line of sight. His movements were slow and heavy as if thick mud surrounded his entire body. The figures approached him as he felt his consciousness being forcefully taken away from him.

"You won't be able to run from us next time….Miles…"

Sonic found himself in a park, away from the center of the city, chili dogs in hand as he reorganized his thoughts after learning of his new friend's past. Conflicting emotions battled each other in his head, unsure of what he should be feeling. That old man wanted Tails to die. If what had happened to the city was true then should he be mad at him after he lost both his wife and child? After the city lost so much and were unable to take revenge on the fat doctor, maybe the mayor felt justified to strip the fox of his rights and freedom in return for an entire city to begin prospering again. After all it was the happiness of one person in exchange for the happiness of a large city, albeit it was also the happiness of a child.

Throughout his life he had never come across such a peculiar and difficult situation as the one placed so suddenly in front of him. It wasn't right to villainize the baby fox that much was for sure. But whose side should he really be on right now? The city which had lost so much in an attack from an evil overlord and were forced to specifically place a ban on the fox else risk the deaths of more innocent people? Or the fox himself who grew up without a family, house, or friends and was beaten and starving for probably all his life? There was definitely something not right here. And apparently the kid was bad luck to anyone who cared for him, but that was impossible. Sonic didn't believe in bad omens and other stupid superstitions.

Walking around a kid's playground and into the forest on the other side, a group of kids a little younger than him walked out of the foliage in front of him. The group chuckled amongst themselves as they passed by the blue hedgehog. One of them, a grey fox even looked directly into his eyes.

For a split second before the fox covered it, his hand was very slightly tinted red.

Suspicion arose inside the blue blur as he walked farther into the forest, the group's laughter dying out with every step he took. Worry suddenly gripped onto him as he started moving faster until he was sprinting deeper into the strangely silent forest. The silence was unbearable and only helped to fuel his worries. Not being able to keep calm, Sonic franticly began looking around and shouting the yellow kitsune's name.

"Tails!" No response. He tried again but the result was still the same. Not a good sign.

The hedgehog took off in a blur kicking up a snow trail behind him. His eyes desperately scanned the forest for signs of the little fox. And then he spotted it. Up ahead, a yellow object laying low on the ground. Breaking through the bushes, Sonic finally saw the fox he had been caring for. The bandages which once wrapped around his slender body were now in tatters, thrown about as if a bar room brawl had occurred. The brown blanket was tossed nearby, stained with a dark red patch. The fox's back was turned towards the blue hedgehog but even then, new bruises and cuts could be seen all around on it. Even the back of his head was a mixture of black and yellow bumps.

Dashing over to the unconscious fox's side, Sonic gently turned him over until he was lying on his back, an action the hedgehog regretted immensely as he turned away at a speed that could break the sound barrier as he fought to hold in his lunch.

Blood oozed out of the kitsune's head in multiple areas and pooled onto his face before staining the snow below him in its awful color. His white chest was so bruised and battered that it was barely recognizable. His arms weren't in any better condition; the skin looked like they had been shredded with a cheese grater revealing the red flesh underneath them. His right leg however seemed to take it the worse. Sonic couldn't believe it at first. Sticking out of his knee was a screwdriver handle. Taking a closer look at the base of the object, his face seemed to pale a hundred times over. It was undeniably real and was shoved so far into the kitsune's knee that the black metal portion couldn't even be seen. A fountain of blood was surrounding the tool threatening to spill onto the ground as more blood rushed to the surface.

Sonic was frozen, shock and fear for the fox taking complete control over his mind. What should I do?! What should I do?! What should I do?! His thoughts repeated as if it were singing a never ending chorus. He had never seen this much blood before.

Suddenly Tails let out a painful groan, his body not moving despite using all his remaining willpower. His eyes were shut tightly and every breath seemed to drain his strength. His eyes opened slightly to see the heavenly blue sky above him. His wounds pulsated in so much agonizing pain that he couldn't even move a hand to cover them. Realizing that he was could possibly die, his mouth opened as he spoke a few words, pleading to whatever entity was out there to allow his voice to be heard by the one and only person alive who ever truly helped him.

"S-s-sonic…h-h-help-p…."

The hedgehog's senses suddenly snapped back to him when he heard the weak plead for help. His focus darted back to Tails' head just as the fox's eyes lulled shut. "No no no no no, Tails!" Sonic cried out. He needed bandages. Taking off faster than he had ever run before, Sonic burst into a pharmacy and bought several rolls of gauze, flinging a couple dollar bills at the cashier before sprinting back to Tails, all in under fifteen seconds. Tearing off the packaging in record speed, Sonic began wrapping the white sheets as quickly and carefully as he could around the unconscious fox's wounds making sure it was tightly wrapped to halt the bleeding. His eyes widened worriedly as he now stared at the largest wound. Blood was pooling around Tails' knee and didn't seem intent on stopping anytime soon.

Sonic really didn't want to do it, in fact he would prefer not to, but the situation desperately called for it. His right hand grasped the handle with an iron grip while his left hand kept the fox's knee down. Taking a glance at Tails' pained expression, Sonic ushered a silent prayer before shutting his eyes and ripping the screwdriver out of the kitsune's knee in one swift move.

As soon as he did however the young fox's expression morphed into one of shock, pain and agony all at once as he let out an ear piercing scream that rendered the blue hedgehog deafened. Ignoring the loud ringing in his ears, Sonic wrapped a larger roll of gauze around the horrifically large hole and tightened it.

Looking back at the agonized fox Sonic was surprised to see his eyes shut with tears flowing out rapidly and trembling hands held up shielded Tails' head from the blue hedgehog in a protective manner.

"Woah woah buddy you're fine now! Everything's okaaay!" Sonic spoke softly trying to calm down the no doubt terrified fox. Tails' eyes opened slowly, recognizing the voice to be that of Sonic. His hands, after wiping away the tears also started lowering, in favor of holding his aching head and knee. Sonic breathed in relief as the kitsune calmed down. "You really had me worried there for a sec lil' buddy." He said trying to lighten the mood and prevent himself from running after the group of misfits and beating them up himself for what they did.

Tails only stared at the hedgehog in amazement, the thoughts of Victor and his gang moved aside for now. "Y-y-you were worried about m-me?" Truthfully nobody ever cared about him, not as much as the blue hedgehog in front of him did anyway. Hearing Sonic say that he was worried made the kitsune feel better, a lot better.

"Of course! If I knew that that was going to happen I wouldn't have left in the first place." Sonic said while leaning back to relax and slow his heartrate after the event that sent his emotions and thoughts spiralling.

Tails looked down silently in thought. He's helped me so much but I haven't even done anything for him yet… He noticed that one of the screwdrivers that Victor had stolen was on the ground covered in blood. Taking another look at his knee, Tails knew that trying to stand up was absolutely pointless since he could still feel so much pain whilst laying down. So he leaned as far as he could in the direction of the tool and stretched out his hand, hoping to reach it. Unfortunately his muscles protested in pure agony forcing him to pull his arm back before the pain was too great. Sonic noticed the kitsune's movement and quickly caught onto what he was doing. Picking up the bloody screwdriver, the blue blur found a nearby stream and washed away the blood before returning it to the fox. Great…now he's helped me even more…how will I ever be able to repay him? He reprimanded his uselessness.

"Come on Tails, I'll help you up so you can clean yourself from all that blood." Sonic interjected. Looking down at himself, Tails suddenly noticed how much blood was covering his once yellow – white fur. In fact if he didn't know any better, he could've just walked off the set of a horror movie. A shadow covered him causing the twin tailed fox to look up in surprise to see Sonic's outstretched hand waiting for him to take it. Standing up with the help of the hedgehog, Tails limped to the stream with Sonic's much needed assistance. Sitting down on the ground again, the fox cupped his hands into the water, ignoring how cold it was, and poured it onto his bloody fur. Soon enough his fur was back to its original yellow-white color with small patches of light red from dried blood.

A cold wind abruptly swept through the field reminding Tails of how cold it was now that his fur was wet. Quickly looking around, his sky blue eyes landed on a brown heap nearby. Sonic followed the young kitsune's eyes and noticed the brown blanket the kid always had with him on the ground. Picking up the ancient bloodied blanked, Sonic washed away what blood could be removed and dried it by running around in circles rapidly with it before returning it to the grateful kitsune.

"T-Thank y-you…" Tails said looking down at the ground.

"Don't worry about it lil buddy!" Sonic replied cheerfully hoping to lighten the fox's mood. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Tails' eyes widened again at that statement. It had been an extremely long time since somebody told him that. In fact, if he wanted to he could probably count how many times he ever received those words using just the fingers on one of his hands. Sonic noticed the fox's gloomy expression return. "Hey, how bout we go back to my plane now?" Truth be told he didn't want to spend another minute at the horrid scene and was certain that the fox felt the same. Returning to the plane might also raise the kitsune's spirits, if even just a little bit.

Nodding his head in affirmation Tails began to slowly move in the direction that the biplane was in. To Sonic, it was painful not just to watch but the speed itself was painfully slow. Racing back to Tails' side, Sonic raised his left arm and put it around the kitsune's back and under his arm. Seeing the confused look on the fox's face Sonic put Tails' right arm around his shoulder and started walking. This prompted the yellow fox to walk in stride with Sonic, now finding it much easier and faster to walk.

Nobody has ever helped me walk before… Tails recalled though this only added onto the debt that he believed he owed to the hedgehog. The walk back to the plane was short as the duo made it out of the forest and spotted the plane not far away.

Sonic heaved a sigh as he leaned Tails against the plane's lower body and sat down beside the fox.

"T-thank you…" Tails muttered briefly. Sonic, who had his eyes closed as he leaned back in relaxation only chuckled at how grateful the fox was for just walking him back to the plane.

"Heh, you're welcome Tails…" Tails noticed that Sonic was now sleeping comfortable with his hands behind his head. A heavy yawn escaped his mouth reminding him just how physically and emotionally exhausted he was. But now was not the time to sleep. Bracing himself for pain, Tails stood back up on his own and dragged himself over to the front of the plane despite his protesting muscles. He needed to do this now before he could become even more indebted to Sonic.

With the now cleaned screwdriver in his hand, Tails resumed fixing the aircraft, quiet as to not disturb the slumbering hedgehog.

Sonic yawned exaggeratedly while rubbing his eyes with his hands. The sky was a mixture of red orange and yellow as the sun set across the vast ocean before him.

Wow I must have been really tired! It's almost night time already! Sonic thought while looking around. It was then that he that noticed a certain yellow fox was missing. His thoughts instantly turned to the worst and thought of what could have happened to the poor kid while he was asleep. Just as he was about to run off and try to find Tails again he heard a soft snore coming from the front of the Tornado. Glancing around the engine of the vehicle, Sonic noticed a pair of red shoes and yellow tails with white bandages. Relieved that the fox hadn't been taken again, Sonic calmly walked around the plane. His eyes landed on a little yellow fox with his tails wrapped around himself silently sleeping on the sand, a pair of screwdrivers in his hands.

Sonic smiled at the warm scene. It was nice to see the kid sleeping so peacefully for once. Noticing that the engine of the Tornado looked different, Sonic moved closer to the engine before gasping in shock. Not only had the four year old fox fixed the plane but he also cleaned it as the propellers and steel grid looked and shined as if they were brand new. A newfound respect for the fox found its way in his heart as he looked back at the sleeping form.

Sitting back down, Sonic noted how peaceful it was here. Nothing but the sound of the ocean rising and falling back into the sea. There were no birds, no animals calling each other. No cars honking or city noise in the background. Maybe I should take a vacation more often? He chuckled at the thought. He certainly got a whole lot more than he was expecting on this vacation if the napping fox in front of him was any indication. And yet, with all the chasing and panicking that came with it, Sonic was happy. Happy that he could make a difference in Tails' life. Happy that he was sticking to the promise he made to his parents many years ago. And finally, happy that he had found peace, if only temporarily.

His peace however was suddenly interrupted by a beep coming from the fox. Thinking that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, as the kitsune would never be able to make that sound, Sonic ignored it. But then it beeped again, and again. Taking a look over at the still slumbering form of the fox, Sonic noticed a red flash followed by another beep. Curiously he walked over to the fox and took the small black object out of his little hands.

It was round and no bigger than a small stone. Other than that it was completely black. That is, before the red light flashed again. It was only for a split second but that was all that the blue blur needed to recognize the logo. It was a picture of a man's face. A very round and familiar face with a spiky moustache and grinning mouth under a set of round eyes and goggles. Sonic's eyes widened as he felt a sudden sense of dread overcome him.

Robotnik!