Author's note: This chapter was edited with the help of CloudyCrayon - find her on Tumblr or on AO3
Under the surface
His head jerked back when it had leaned too far forward. Eyes blinked and a knuckle accompanied them to push out the gunk which sat there. He sighed and shook his head, blinked rapidly, and moved his leg.
Despite the attempt he could still feel the heaviness behind his eyes, like blocks of lead had attached themselves to his eyelids. The slight blurriness in his vision returned every minute or so before darkness tried to encapsulate him. He refused to give in and therefore picked up the book from the ground and started to read again.
The chapter had been read before, a section which failed to explain the energy output of a Chaos Emerald. In short, it never explained how that energy output was created and the amount of it was far less than what the pick pocket had seen by experience.
When the blurriness came again, he sighed annoyed and closed the book, figuring this wasn't going to make him stay awake. He put it down and looked up.
His large ears preemptively twisted and turned, as he listened for any sound or movements, footsteps, or whispers. None were around, yet he'd been on the street for far too long to accept anything at face value. He had no idea if people were coming after them out here.
Tails stood on guard regardless, his fur slightly puffed as he sat out in the open with a fragile comrade by his side. A part of him didn't want to admit he didn't want to be alone. The burned city remained as houses and rooms, a lot of space where people could hide and ambush at any given moment.
His side was aching in pain, his head was pounding at the right temple. He didn't know if he could hold out in a fight, much less a fight possibly including the criminals by Shadow's side. Silently, he urged Sonic to hurry up on his run.
The hedgehog had taken off after whining about being bored and their surroundings being quiet. The other hedgehog hadn't been seen yet. Tails wasn't sure what had happened entirely but a part of him believed Silver would be back. Going off on his own wasn't feasible for him. If he did it would be a foolish decision. Or would it be?
The street urchin frowned at the thought as he leaned his head back against the wall. Until now, Silver hadn't experienced anything else but uncertainty, pain, and paranoia. The hedgehog had come from the comfortable and warm walls of Croford Castle into the wild and unpredictable world.
He'd explained he had a purpose and had needed to leave yet the pickpocket failed to see the logic in his equation. Survival out here was minimal. From cold weather to street thieves, there was little security in seemingly every corner of the world. Tails let the thought fester in his mind as he realized the comparison he was making.
He scoffed at himself.
"What's the difference between him and me?" He thought.
His life had never consisted of security and wealth, but he always had had somewhere to fall back on when times were tough. The Chaotix in the nimble beginnings of his life, his trades of food and metal, as well as his hideout. There had been something to hold on to; his street experience and fighting capabilities. He'd chosen to leave that life too. Because he hadn't had any other choice, but he'd felt that same longing Silver seemed to describe perfectly. A longing to be outside the walls of Croford. The world he'd always wanted to explore.
Now that he knew a good chunk of it, he wasn't sure if it had been the best decision. Yet despite what he'd experienced in the past weeks his future was still as uncertain as it had been inside of the walls. He frowned and glanced at Chao who still slept on his tail, like he had decided to go into hibernation. Tails had ended up in this situation, and now he was unsure on how he wanted it to end.
The more he thought about it the more his heart tugged toward Sonic, how much the hedgehog had offered him. He'd been given food, shelter, comfort and had been indirectly offered to come and visit his uncle.
Yet his mind was dragging toward going back to Kroxburg. Maybe he could make a deal with Amy and ask if she could house him for a few days while he tried to find some work. She and Cream had seemed safe despite their unlucky encounters. He'd never thought he would be able to save someone from Mobian trade and yet he'd been thrown into the task by the hands of Sonic. Again.
The hedgehog's nature was to be unpredictable, uncertain, and impulsive. The pickpocket planned ahead, was a thinker, and treaded lightly. Two opposites who couldn't attract. But alas, Tails had to admit he'd been gravitating more and more toward the unknown and downright daredevil decisions. He couldn't decide if it was out of boredom or a need to change his daily routine.
The more he thought about it the angrier his right temple began to pound. He rubbed it and sighed out the remainder of his trail of thought. He was still confused and didn't know what decision was the right one. Since either choice was the difference between life or death. The latter he'd been trying to avoid ever since he was born. If he would ever reach a place of security only Chaos would know.
His ears flicked; he looked up. In the distance, he saw a cloud of dust rapidly approaching.
His heart was already in his throat before he could tell himself it was Sonic running. He breathed deeply to dispel the rush of anxiety which had fastened itself to his chest. As he exhaled the dust cloud became smaller as it approached him. The azure body of the hedgehog came into view before he skidded to a stop close to the fox.
"I'm back!" He announced with a grin.
Tails could immediately see the relief and relaxation in his posture. A spring in his step, his quills relaxed along his back, no wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. Only a smile to see.
"I got hungry out there. And I figured if I thought it was lunch time, then you would probably agree with me," Sonic smiled and winked at the fox. His stomach growled angrily from the mere mention of lunch. The hedgehog's laugh confirmed he'd heard it.
"Guess I was right," he smiled, as one of his hands reached for his quills, "Silver didn't come back yet?"
Tails watched as the hedgehog produced some bread and two bananas in his hands before the pickpocket shook his head.
"Not yet," he confirmed as he was given one banana and a dry piece of bread.
He remembered to thank Sonic before he peeled the banana and took a generous bite. The fruit was sweet and mushy in texture but made his mouth water for more.
"I don't know if he knows the way back," Sonic wondered as he turned to the heath.
His hand rested on his hip while he ate the banana with delight. Tails looked at him for another moment, frowning thoughtfully. He chewed on the fruit to think it over one more time, before he swallowed.
"Sonic?" The hedgehog's head turned in his direction. When the fox didn't immediately speak, the ex-prisoner smiled in encouragement.
"Could you tell me more about your village?" Tails suddenly felt timid, as if he'd asked a personal question.
The feeling melted off him in the same second when the hedgehog's smile widened.
"Sure!" he said enthusiastically, as he turned to Tails and finished his banana, "I don't know what to say though, I think I've told ya everything."
The hedgehog frowned to think as he bit down on the dry bread. With his teeth still biting into the dough his head jerked back a little as he got a bite from it.
"The village isn't that big, I think maybe 50 people live there, it's quite small. Then we have Tikal of course which makes it a little popular but other than that it's quiet. When I was a kid, I was often bored out of my mind and ran into the forest and out into the hills and valleys instead. It wasn't until I got a bit older that I started to appreciate how cozy it was. I think that's why my uncle let me take off and explore the world – when I started to appreciate the small things in life. He thought I was waaaay too impulsive and judged a lot of people when I was younger. The old man might've been right," the hedgehog smiled.
Tails could read the nostalgia in his gaze, the way his eyes fastened on somewhere but looked through wherever he was looking. The small smile on his lip and the glimmer in his eyes.
"You know, I was a rascal. A little hedgehog who always wanted attention and for the world to see me. I sometimes painted stuff on people's walls and left animals in their houses. And then my uncle made me clean up the paint and recapture whatever frogs or mice I had let loose. And then he told me that if I continued misbehaving like that then surely the world would start to ignore me. So, I stopped. And made friends from the kids in the village instead. As I got older, I think they started to admire me and my speed. That little place was quick to see what I could give to the world."
Tails listened with interest as he'd been trying to eat his piece of bread as well. He swallowed as Sonic sighed to himself before his eyes returned to him.
"I think what I'm trying to say is that they accept people no matter who they are. Especially my uncle. And he was the one who had to raise me. Poor man," he chuckled as the hedgehog finished the bread.
The fox was still struggling with his, yet it was due to listening to Sonic's story instead. He frowned as a part of him wondered how true it was. He might be able to read the hedgehog's palpable happiness in his voice, but it was merely an opinion. It sounded like the best place on the planet. And he wasn't sure if such a place existed.
"How about you? You've mentioned the Chaotix a couple of times but how involved were they?" Tails, who hadn't expected to have his own question thrown back at him, blinked, and looked back at the hedgehog.
The smile of encouragement was still permanently fastened on his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. The fox bit his lip in hesitancy yet took a deep breath.
"I've already told you what happened to me when I was younger. But it started to get better when Espio took me in. He found me one night when a group of thieves had caught me taking some bread in their territory. He took me back, spoke to Vector for hours, before I was allowed to stay. I didn't tell them much of anything, they just started to teach me the ways of being a pickpocket. I don't think it was because they didn't think I couldn't be something else, but being a criminal is all the survival and skill sets they knew. And they were impressed by my skills. They took me in and taught me everything they knew for two years."
"They gave me shelter, blankets, and food. When I started to gain confidence in my skills, I became overconfident and got into some dangerous trouble they had to rescue me from. That's when I learned I needed to be careful no matter how good I was. When I was six, they didn't have any more to teach me and I decided to leave."
He finished and took the last bite of his bread, absentmindedly petting the chao to keep his hands busy. When he looked at Sonic to see his reaction, the smile was still there. His eyes were shining, his posture was relaxed.
"I'm glad someone was there to take care of you," he smiled. Tails could read the sympathy in his eyes like he'd expected. In the past he'd been angry about that fact yet now the pickpocket merely nodded.
"Me too," he agreed.
He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily to make the memories go away. Love was a strong word, and he didn't know if he should apply it to the Chaotix. But he missed them.
He took a deep breath and looked at Sonic to change the subject. When a drop of water hit his leg. He looked down slightly confused before he looked up.
The clouds had returned and covered the sky in a light gray blanket. When another droplet hit his nose, he groaned out of frustration as he'd wanted to enjoy some more sunlight.
"Guess we gotta get back inside," Sonic chuckled, as if the weather change didn't affect his mood, "I hope Silver will get back without getting completely soaked."
Tails hid the books and his device in his tails as he listened to the hedgehog's wonderings. He looked up briefly, yet the silver-colored hedgehog wasn't visible on the horizon. Instead, he could feel as the slow but steady stream of rain began.
He watched as Sonic bent down and picked up Chao in his arms. Creases formed around the hedgehog's mouth as a surge of worry filled his complexion, instinctively reaching out his other hand to help the fox to a stand. Tails accepted it and stood slowly. A hiss escaped between his teeth before he could fight it.
"You alright?" Sonic asked immediately as the fox covered the injury with his hand. It pounded painfully against his side. Tails quickly figured out the minimal amount of paste he'd put on wasn't going to be enough to last for the entire day. It would have to do.
"Just the wound," he mumbled as he resisted the urge to hiss again. He saw the hedgehog's worried glance in his peripheral vision but decided to walk instead. They couldn't do anything about it now.
Sonic followed in his footsteps in silent agreement as the rain began to pick up. The fox shook his head, getting rid of the rain in his fur, as he made it inside their temporary hide out. His ears flicked against the calming sound of the rain hitting the floorboards in the uncovered part of the old inn. A smell of wet wood filled the space as Tails heavily sat down in one corner. The hedgehog followed on his other side and sat down a few paces next to him. Chao was gently placed in his lap as a worried frown appeared on his brow.
"You got a water bottle?" He asked without looking at the pickpocket.
Tails silently handed him the bottle from one of his tails, was rewarded with a thank you and watched as the hedgehog filled the cap with a tiny amount of water.
With a concentrated expression Sonic tapped Chao's mouth with a drop of water. Their flying companion didn't react, not even when the hedgehog tried again. Defeated, the hedgehog put the cap back on the bottle.
"I have no idea what's wrong," he mumbled more or less to himself. Tails had followed his careful movements as he thought the question over in his mind. He swallowed something in his throat when a theory came to mind.
"Shadow took his chaos, like he took mine," he said, as Sonic looked at him, "but I regenerated whatever he took. Chao hasn't."
Tails avoided his gaze by staring at the elephant in the room. A part of him was convinced the creature was unable to regenerate chaos. As the morbid thought entered his mind, he looked at Sonic. The hedgehog seemed to have caught up as his eyes widened. One hand sought for the chao's chest yet the pickpocket could see he was still breathing.
"I don't know for how-"
"He'll wake up," Sonic concluded, as determination had replaced the panic in his expression, one so vivid the fox couldn't see anything else, "He just needs time." Gently, the hedgehog placed the chao in his own lap.
The pickpocket bit his lip. The thought had been spoken but not accepted. A part of him didn't want to believe it either.
His ears flicked. He whipped his head toward the doorframe. Footsteps splashed clumsily and quickly next to the house. The pickpocket calmed down again as he knew it couldn't be an ambush. Instead, he looked up when Silver appeared.
"Hey Silver!" Sonic greeted too enthusiastically, as if he wanted to forget the conversation they'd just had. Tails didn't blame him as the silver-colored hedgehog gave the blue hedgehog a weak wave before he shook water out of his shoes. When he realized it was a fight he was doomed to fail, he ultimately gave up and walked toward the nearest wall.
Tails automatically read the tiredness in his eyes, the wrinkles around his brow and next to his lips. His fingers fidgeted as he slumped down, staring at the floor temporarily. Confusion was evident in his expression and lingering unanswered questions were on full display considering his mumblings.
"Feeling alright?" Sonic's question made Silver's head pop up. He blinked at the azure hedgehog as if he didn't remember what he'd been asked.
"I'm good," he lied, and then reconsidered, "I think." He bit his lip in hesitation as the pickpocket could read he wanted to talk but didn't know what to say. Silver's sigh became the ultimate answer as he looked out the doorless frame. The rain continued in staccato, like a musical instrument playing by itself and encapsulated their small hideout in tranquility.
"What you did earlier man," Sonic broke the silence and made Silver look at him, "that was seriously cool."
The immediate frown on the silver-colored hedgehog's brow was one who begged to differ, yet Tails didn't miss the glint in his eyes either. He was surprised to say the least, yet only wanted to disagree because he didn't understand how he'd done what he'd done. Controlling actual flames had seemed less than believable, yet the pickpocket had seen it with his own eyes.
"You don't know how you did it, do you?" Tails asked after a minute. Silver's gaze switched to him in the same moment, as a wave of surprise ran from his chin to his forehead.
"No idea," he agreed, as he looked at his hands, "I just – I could feel it and I took it like Sonic explained, but - I don't know, it just felt so... natural." The breathlessness in his voice gave way to his own surprise. It shone in his face like a lit lantern.
"You looked like a professional," Sonic commented with a smile, with a hint of admiration in his tone. Tails turned his head in the azure one's direction, while his pupils widened. An idea had come to mind.
"Hey, let him try the light blue emerald," the hedgehog encouraged. The pickpocket blinked confused and turned to Silver who looked equally as puzzled before he returned to Sonic.
"Here? Now?"
"Yeah, why not? He's not going to flood the whole place, right?" Enthusiastically, the ex-prisoner looked at the silver-colored hedgehog again. The latter's eyes had widened, his mouth a little open in surprise.
"I – I don't know."
"C'mon, I don't want you to do anything with it. Just hold it and see if you can feel it, alright?" Sonic encouraged.
Tails studied Sonic's expression as the sudden enthusiasm of trying out Chaos Emeralds like they were shopping for clothes came suddenly. His eyes were wide, a smile on his lips, no wrinkles around his lips and brow. He sat straighter, his quills risen a little in the back of his head, his feet were uncharacteristically still. Hope was shining through his eyes, enthusiasm beyond any little kid who wanted candy. He wanted to learn more, perhaps if Silver was even able to teach him something, otherwise he wouldn't be enthusiastic about watching. And there was something else too. Someone who was bored out of his mind. A heavy sigh from Silver made Sonic aware he'd won.
"Alright," he said, before he looked at Tails, "if you'd let me borrow it."
The fox read his face at once. Silver was hesitant, wrinkles visible almost everywhere, slouched against the damp wood of the old inn and the hand which reached toward him was limb. He didn't expect anything but wanted to give it a try.
"Only borrow," Tails emphasized, as he dug into his tail to fetch the gem. He saw Silver nod in agreement in his peripheral vision, as Tails' fingers grasped around the edges of the emerald. A singe of energy shot through his veins as he produced it from his fur. In the slightly dark room, it illuminated light blue; the edges of his own fur turned green in the light.
The Chaos Wielder's eyes widened in the light as the pickpocket reached the emerald toward him in hesitation. Silver looked at him, as if he wanted approval, ears slightly twisted in uncertainty as he reached forward, picking up the emerald. Tails felt the energy disappear from his hand, eyes never leaving the now illuminated once silver hedgehog. Amber eyes widened as they stared intently into the emerald. The energy swirled in uneven patterns, bound by the crystal exterior, as he clutched the gem tighter.
Sonic moved to the pickpocket's left, most likely to say something when the gem's light grew stronger.
Tails' heart skipped a beat, a familiar sensation overwhelmed his body in the same second. His chest heaved; his hand covered the wound on his side when it began to pound painfully. Veins throbbed as he closed his eyes against the light. His body pulled. Something felt like it was expanding.
Sonic said something next to him. It was incoherent.
His heart popped out of his chest. He wanted to scream.
The light dimmed.
He breathed deeply; his hands were shaking.
He forced his eyes open. Black spots filled his vision as he looked where his hand was covering the bandaged wound. The red splotch was possibly a little bigger, he wasn't sure, but it hadn't reopened. Then he looked at Silver.
The hedgehog's head had lolled forward, one hand holding his temple. His hand holding the emerald was shaking.
"Silver?" Tails' ears flicked against the urgent call of the hedgehog's name. Suddenly Chao was deposited into his lap as Sonic sprang forward, leaving one hand on his shoulder.
"Silver, you hear me?" He lightly slapped him on the cheek, which emitted a groaning sound. Sonic looked over his shoulder, catching the eyes of the fox.
"You good?" Worry was visible in his eyes. Yet the déjà vu was palpable.
Tails didn't have a chance to answer as Chao suddenly stirred. He looked down. Their blue friend was wiggling, as if something was holding him in place, his face puckered. When the pickpocket went to pick him up the chao stopped moving and sighed deeply. His heart beat faster as Tails rested a hand on his chest. It was steadily rising and falling.
Relief flooded his system in the same second. He breathed out his anxiety before he looked up. Judging by Sonic's face, he'd seen the same thing. Surprise and concern were evident in his eyes, his quills straightened a little more in the back of his head.
Silver stirred. Sonic looked back as the gray hedgehog lifted his head, his eyes blinked at nothing on the ground.
"Silver?" The call of his name made him look up. His eyes were blank, his face a little paler. He blinked, as if he was returning from another reality, "you alright dude?" Silver's eyes sought out the emerald, leaving the hedgehog unanswered. He was shaking.
"I-" he paused, as if the words were difficult to say, "I remember something." The blue hedgehog sat back on the balls of his heels as he looked back at Tails. The pickpocket met his gaze, saw the surprise there, yet the concern hadn't disappeared from his eyes. He opened his mouth to seemingly say something when Silver moved.
"I – I was young," he said, as he kept looking at the ground, "really young." The azure hedgehog kept looking at the Chaos Wielder before he took back his hand.
"Like a kid?" He asked curiously. Silver looked at him, blinked as if he wanted the memories to return, before he nodded.
"Yes. I was in Shita. I think I was with someone. They looked like adults; they were tall, and I was with them. I remember something which looked like a market. I don't know, I couldn't see their faces and there was a lot of noise everywhere," he paused scanning the ground as if he'd lost his words and were searching for them.
The fox's tails lightly bounced in curiosity; his eyes focused on the widened amber eyes.
"I think – I think I had a home. There was a room, with a bed and books. I remember there were lots of books. In the other room too, there were tables and places where we sat. They smiled at me. I felt-" Silver shook his head, "I don't know but it felt like my stomach was swelling, I was happy. They cared for me, I knew them, they knew me."
Tails watched as Silver looked at the emerald again. Questions lingered there yet the fox had already completed the puzzle.
"I think it was your family," Sonic beat him to it. The azure hedgehog smiled as the other hedgehog looked at him. An innocent shrug tried to dispel the stare Silver had on him. The pick pocket had guessed the same thing.
"Yeah. That – that makes sense," Silver said, as he looked at the emerald. Tails' eyes focused as his expression changed. As a small crevice appeared in his brow, as his fingers started to fidget with the still faintly glowing gem in his palm. Silver's sigh gave way to his observation when he harshly deposited the emerald into Sonic's hand. He barely caught it with a confused expression.
"But that's it. There's no connection, there's nothing telling me what I was doing there. Why you were so important," the gray hedgehog stated, with a wave of his arm as if his newly acquired memory didn't matter. The fox's frown appeared quicker than he would have liked it to be as Sonic's face morphed into sympathy.
"Sorry Silver. I'm blank too," he said calmly, before he looked at the emerald. Bewilderment was evident on his face as if the emerald had chosen the wrong kind of memory.
Tails watched as Sonic carefully saved it between his quills again and turned to look back at the gray hedgehog. He was looking at nothing in his lap, the tap, tap, tap on his thigh spoke of thoughts crashing into each other, yet Tails thought Silver should have all the answers he was seeking.
"I still don't know what happened," Silver finally mumbled, as if he had figured out there was no answer to his thoughts. A deep hum was seemingly the end of the conversation and the glance he sent to the floor was more unappreciative than thankful. Tails felt his heart beating faster.
"Your family is important," he spoke, without knowing why. Two pairs of confused eyes turned in his direction. The immediate attention convinced him he had indeed said the thought out loud, one which made him want to curl into a ball. He bit his lip.
"What I mean is – now you know where you came from. You have people who cared for you. When your journey is finished, you have someone to look for. That's good," his voice came out flat, a toneless string of words without affection or sorrow. A mere statement. Yet it made the silver hedgehog blink in sudden realization. A smile came to his lips.
"I guess you're right," as if the disappointment had evaporated with shining rays from the sun, Silver's eyes shone with a kind of happiness he'd only seen on lost kids who finally saw their mom in the busy hours on the market.
"And you have your uncle, right?" Tails watched as he turned to look at Sonic who copied the smile on the gray hedgehog's face.
"Yeah. I bet that old man would like for me to visit soon," he echoed the enthusiasm. The fox saw the nostalgia in his eyes, the way they looked through the gray hedgehog. A longing for visiting home.
"How about you?" Tails looked at Silver. The enthusiasm was still there, his mouth opened a little. As if a kid had found candy, his curiosity was palpable. A thick green fog of jealousy encased his beating heart as he frowned at him.
"I don't have anyone," Tails spat, bitterness clear enough it could have sizzled on the ground like acid. He saw the sudden surprise and confusion on Silver's face before he looked down. The fox's hand was still resting on Chao as he pretended to check on his well-being.
"I don't understand. What do you-"
"Silver, let's, uh – not continue. Maybe later, alright?" Sonic tried to disperse the moment, yet Tails could feel their eyes on him.
His fur prickled in the same manner when people on the street judged him for his looks. He felt unwanted. He knew the opposite was at stake.
Yet as Sonic tried to fix the previous conversation by jumping to his feet and stating they should make a fire the pickpocket could still feel Silver's eyes drilled into him.
An unanswered conversation, a bewildered someone who had asked an innocent question. Yet he'd never been in the fox's shoes. He would never know what it was like to sleep with your stomach hurting, when rain pummeled down without a roof, when people hunted you. Warmth and care were foreign experiences. He'd touched the edges of their meanings, thanks to the hedgehog now blubbering about the weather, yet didn't know if it was achievable. Or if you were born with it.
The earsplitting yells and howls had become mere white noise to him. One voice trying to outshout the other, one person trying to be stoic and stubborn more than the other.
To the naked eye chaos resided between the arched walls in the sewers of Croford. Large tunnels which provided sewage from one end of the city to the next. The bricks had once been beige in color as only dark red hues encapsulated the market in a darker shade. Lanterns hung from one pole to the next – the bigger the light, the wealthier you were.
Many knew the higher ups had underestimated how many people could build costly houses with sinks and toilets and therefore many of the tunnels remained unused. The smell of piss and poop still lingered and yet that was the last thing the thieves needed to endure. Any foreign face was noticed by even the smallest eyes between the walls. Reputation was needed if one wanted to set foot in the black market.
He barely turned his head in the direction of the fight. Another kerfuffle of an unhappy customer. Presumably over moonshine. That was one of the most valuable items down here.
At one stand cages were sold. At another, fine displays of jewelry, and at a third more weapons than one could legally bring into town. More and more people had come to buy and trade the worse life up top became.
Uncertainty lingered on the streets, between civilians and criminals, as no one seemed to be safe anymore. Soldiers roamed more frequently, especially now that the princess was gone. He didn't know if she'd been killed or had been kidnapped. It didn't matter to his operation after all.
"So, you're just not going to tell me anything, huh sugar?" He ignored the flirtatious notes to her voice, "why do you even need those two girls?" Shadow cast a lazy glance to his right. The bat had a wide smile on her lips, walking close enough to his side that he could feel her black dress brushing against him.
"That's my business," he merely responded and kept walking. A group of his own thieves walked by, a bottle in one hand while two others were singing out of tune. A second group were riling up another salesman who tried to sell them throwing knives at a ridiculous price. Beating him up and taking them without paying was easier.
"I know slavery really isn't your thing. So, what? You're gonna sell them again? To some higher up or something?" The black hedgehog huffed as he elbowed a thimblerigger trying to get someone to play his games.
It was brave of them to come down here. Most of them didn't have the courage to face the raw and prowess atmosphere.
Shadow didn't answer Rouge's question as he reached the end of the market. Taller stands stood here, a cart which sold sausages and beef, others offered more weaponry and thirds their services to be kidnappers or assassins. People did anything to get money down here.
Shadow looked in the direction of another fight before he reached another smaller tunnel. Disappointingly Rouge decided to follow with the air of someone who was annoyed they had been ignored.
"If you're not going to tell me anything then how is the best assassin in Croford going to work for you?" Shadow sent her a look which made her smile. The hedgehog furrowed his brow and resisted the urge to groan before he turned away again.
Groups of thieves stood huddled together illuminated by a lantern on the tunnel wall. They had clear minds, merely talked, and waited for orders. None of them spared him a look as he made it to his private quarters, his personal guard waiting as usual. He paid him no mind as he pushed the door that marked the start of his private space. The small office was furnished with a desk, two chairs in front while the larger leather chair only waited for him to sit down. It was a luxurious quiet space, marking the change between the outside world and his own private quarters.
"You finished your task. That was the only requirement I had of you and your gang," Shadow commented as he sat down, the leather creaking softly in a warm welcome. The bat's smirk grew wider as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall.
"You know you can trust me."
"Considering you failed your last task I had my doubts," he said as he looked at the bat. Her smirk melted off her face in the same second. Her raised brow was one of irritation.
"You already got what you wanted. Now I want my share," she snapped. One hand elegantly reached toward him. The black hedgehog opened a drawer beside him and fished out a pouch. He threw it at her feet. Rouge quirked her brow at him.
"What a way to make a lady feel wanted," she kneeled and took the pouch. He could hear her check the content as he picked up a report from his desk, delivered to him while he had been away. He frowned at the words there. More demands. More greed. He tugged it away in the drawer before he looked back at the bat as she made a satisfied sound.
"You do hold your end of the bargain," she smiled as she closed the pouch.
"Yes. Now leave. I have matters to attend to."
"Not so fast sweetheart," he looked up as Rouge had that smile on her face which spoke more of morbid curiosity rather than a serious request, "I wanna know what happened. Why did you come back? As far as I heard you had that hedgehog and his little friend right at your fingertips."
"Yes, no thanks to you," Shadow narrowed his eyes at the assassin. "You told me that fox would have died." Rouge rolled her eyes into the ceiling.
"Oh please, I can't foresee everything can I?"
"Then you're not as much of an expert as you think you are." The hedgehog met her pierced stare with a calmness of his own. He clasped his hands together with his elbows on the table, resting his chin on top of his hands. The female assassin shook her head slowly before she advanced toward his desk.
"Instead of insulting me and dancing around the question then how about you just tell me why you're back?" She sat down on the edge of the table, one finger drawing a meaningless pattern into the wood, "C'mon honey. I want to play along. Who knows – my next mission may be cheaper."
Shadow caught the way she winked at him. He resisted the urge to groan as he merely looked at her finger drawing. The plan was already in motion. Like a well-oiled train riding along the railway, without any stop in sight. Already too many knew what he was doing. And why he was doing it. Their deal was set. The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes before he stood.
"I needed to return. The criminal web is at its hottest point. The black market has never been as popular as it is now. There's no need for it to falter with the greed of others. It needs to work. My operations needed to be tended to," he answered. Her finger stopped drawing. Her face turned to him in a practiced manner, like a thimble rigger performing in a bad play.
"You're a bad liar, you know that?" She smiled, "you didn't come back only to babysit your small puppets. What's the real reason?" Persistent. Shadow clasped his arms behind his back. He felt the emerald resonating with the steadily boiling anger in his stomach.
"I didn't need to waste my time out there. I have people looking for them," he explained calmly. The bat quirked her brow at him. His hands fisted.
"Sweetheart all I want to know is-"
"How about you shut your damn mouth before I cut your tongue!" He'd seen it coming. He let it happen as Rouge sprang from her perch. The silver knife blinked in the light from the lantern in her hand when the back of his head smashed against the wall. He stared into Rouge's eyes as a boiling rage had come forth. One arm was up against his chest. The metal in her hand was shoved against his throat.
"The last thing you're going to do is threaten someone like me," she said, her eyes narrowing, "if you want me to still be a part of your little game then you will stay in your place where you belong."
Shadow felt the tip of the knife pushing against his throat. He could feel her strength in her arms alone. Her stance was locked and precise like a rock unable to be moved. Shadow smirked.
"If you had this much professionalism in your work then the hedgehog wouldn't have been a problem anymore," he said. Rouge's expression softened for a moment, as if calculating what he was getting at. She shoved him again.
"If you want me to hunt that hedgehog down and cut his throat then I will," she said. The hedgehog felt the knife had pierced through. A small string of warm blood slithered down his neck slowly. Her eyes were fierce, concentrated. Her stubborn and too curious nature was still needed. Shadow hummed before he calmly laid a finger on her hand holding the knife.
"That won't be necessary," he pushed the knife away without difficulty, "for now I need you to stay here." Rouge took a step back with a huff. She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression sharp.
"For what?"
"Patience Rouge," Shadow wiped at his throat and barely noticed the crimson color on his glove, "You want to be a part of the game? Then wait for your turn to roll."
He looked back at her. The fire in her eyes was still there. Standing tall with her guard up, as if expecting he was going to attack her at any moment. She merely put the knife away.
"Fine. I will," she finalized and turned with such elegancy her dress flowed with her movement. Her heels echoed in the small room as she opened the door. The slam was expected.
Shadow narrowed his eyes before he picked up the chair which had fallen. As his hand merely rested on the armrest, he sighed deeply. One hand curled around the emerald in his quills. His vein throbbed with satisfaction; a calmness overcame his body. He let it go again before he sat down.
For now, he needed to wait. He'd been called back by his main deal. It was about to happen. The city was crumbling, the soldiers were oblivious, and the richer people would never see it coming.
The world was about to fall apart.
Eyes wide open. A gasp filled the space. Heart beating out of his chest. Hands shaking. A white light had replaced his vision. It was drowned out by a flickering orange light. Drops of sweat fell from his brow and down on the old and worn floorboards. Inhaling. Exhaling.
He blinked and realized he had a lump in his throat.
"You okay over there?" His ears flicked against the voice, yet he was staring at the wall. His heart ran like a galloping horse and his hand covering his chest where it was beating didn't calm it down. He closed his eyes and breathed. He didn't know if both of them were watching him as he tried to prevent hyperventilating.
The tears which wanted to sprout were unneeded.
"Tails?" In the far back of his mind he registered it to be Sonic's voice. He opened his eyes and stared at the wall again. He looked at his other hand. His fingers were shaking like a leaf rustled by wind.
"I'm fine," he failed to hide the shakiness in his voice. He hid his hand in his armpit to try and stop it from shaking. His injury was pounding painfully against his side; the effects of the paste were long gone.
One thing at a time.
He inhaled.
Held it.
And exhaled.
Breathing deeply and trying to calm himself down. He squeezed his eyes against the images in his mind. Tried to prevent the shadows of his past to reappear before him again. The laughing, the hurting. The cold and slimy cobblestone ground on his naked feet. A monster hiding in the next corner. He'd seen it before. His fantasy had run amok similarly before. Why it had to do it tonight was beyond him.
"You sure?" He could hear the hesitancy in the hedgehog's voice. As if he considered walking over to him.
The pickpocket didn't want that. He breathed out again and shifted to sit. Using the ground as leverage, he failed to hide his hiss as he sat. The wound was throbbing, crying for him to stop moving. Tails breathed out again before he turned his head.
The fire was framing the hedgehog in a darker silhouette. His spikes made uneven shadows on the walls behind him.
Tails blinked as his night vision kicked in at the same time, he read Sonic's face. A wrinkle on his brow. His mouth slightly open. A small twitch of the lip. Leaned forward a little, sitting crossed legged. The thought had occurred to walk over to the pickpocket. And he hadn't learned how to conceal his concern yet. When their eyes met Sonic's face didn't change.
"Just woke up from the pain," Tails mumbled as he looked past Sonic's shoulder. Their silver companion had his back turned to them, the heavy breathing suggesting he hadn't woken up.
Beside Sonic rested Chao, curled into his own little ball.
"Doesn't look like it to me," the pickpocket looked back at the hedgehog's words. His emerald, green eyes were cast down at Tails' hand. He looked as well and realized his fingers were violently shaking against the ground. He clasped them together quickly as he breathed out heavily.
Not now.
"What happened?" The curiosity in Sonic's words didn't hide the worry behind it. Tails resisted the urge to pull his ears into his skull as he looked away.
"I woke up," he explained lamely.
The hedgehog's chuckle made him look back.
"That's what usually happens when someone doesn't sleep anymore," the smile on his lips was an attempt to make this easier. The glint in his eyes was one of warmth. The gentle flames rose into the air carefully, the same way the hedgehog's face was calm.
"C'mon. What's going on?" Sonic tried again, this time with a widening smile. An invitation to talk.
Tails felt warmth come to his cheeks as he crossed his arms over his chest. His beating heart hadn't yet stopped galloping from the fake images of his mind.
A shiver went down his spine, one so sudden and unexpected his body shook.
"At least get over here to get some warmth from the fire. I see you freezing," Sonic had luckily mistaken his shivering for being cold.
The pickpocket looked back at him which resulted in the same smile getting bigger. The small nod toward the fire was a second invitation.
A part of the fox wanted to stay where he was. The darker, colder corner of the burnt down inn. Hidden in the shadow and concealed from the world.
Another part of him wanted to walk to the light and meet the warmth.
He wasn't sure if he had decided yet as he carefully shifted and scooted closer. He bit his lip against the surges of pain thundering through his side to his chest as he sat next to Sonic. He could feel the hedgehog's encouraging smile on him as he simply stared at the flames.
His hands were still shaking as he concentrated on the warmth.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
"I'm waiting," Tails' ears flicked against the voice suddenly being close to him. He turned his head in the hedgehog's direction.
"For what?"
"For you to tell me what's going on," the chuckle in the back of his throat tried to dispel the seriousness of the situation. The wrinkles had disappeared, his eyes were almost glowing in the light from the flame. Tails looked away.
"It was nothing, it was just-" the pickpocket paused.
A deep sigh left his soul as he tugged his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. He closed his eyes.
"Just a nightmare."
The mere word made another shiver go down his spine. The tightening grip around his legs was an attempt to dispel the shaking.
When another face appeared in the dark, he opened his eyes again. Gentle flames wafted carefully back and forth.
"Ah, I know what those are," Sonic's voice made the fox look at him. The smile was still there as the hedgehog lifted one leg and slouched his arm over his knee.
"I had them especially when I was younger. Like I've said, I don't know where my folk have gone. To this day I still don't know. But back then I would often get nightmares about what had happened to them. Like I just needed to know and then my mind came up with something, you know? But anyway, whenever I woke up, I would be shivering all over. I ran to my uncle and pounded the poor man's chest until he woke up. He would sit with me until I could fall asleep again," he said, and then chuckled, "if I were him, I would've gone back to sleep. I was needy and demanded he stayed awake with me. And he did what I asked."
Tails watched as the hedgehog stared at the flames. He looked through them as a glaze of nostalgia covered his eyes in the light. When he blinked it disappeared in the same moment. Then his eyes turned to him.
The fox, suddenly feeling vulnerable, looked away. He knew what Sonic wanted him to say. What he wanted him to share.
He bit his lip and partially wanted to pretend the hedgehog wasn't there. That he was alone, invisible to the naked eye of everyone around him. Yet his fur prickled against the presence right next to him. Like a tig you couldn't get off. Tails watched him in the peripheral of his vision as he sighed.
"Whenever they happen to me, I get up. I often sit down and try to read to distract myself. Sometimes I'll tinker with my tools. If they're particularly bad, I don't go to sleep afterwards. I just wait until the sun comes up," he explained, like the grass was green.
He didn't know how often it had happened. He had stopped counting a long time ago. Some weeks were better than others. He remembered waking up in a cold sweat. Standing and sitting down at his desk. His ears flicking back and forth to listen for the monsters which weren't there. It had been normal occurrences.
"I'm sorry," Sonic said. Tails looked at him fully and saw the concern in his eyes. Someone who was sorry that the fox didn't have any chance of having his demons quelled. A kid who shouldn't be by himself.
The fox shrugged. "That's how it is. There's nothing you can do about it." A fact of truth.
He looked back at the flames again. Their gentle dance had calmed his heart. The shaking in his hands had stopped for the most part. Yet he could feel the inner monsters of his mind lurking. He knew the minute he closed his eyes they would return. Another night of no sleep.
In the corner of his eye, he could see Sonic shifting. Tails lifted his head when the hedgehog's arm snaked around his back. His hand landed heavily on his shoulder. The fox stiffened as he was slowly scooted and tugged into Sonic's side.
"You know what else helped younger me than just pounding on my uncle?" The fox had hardly heard the question. He twisted his head and looked at the hedgehog. He was staring at the flames, pretending that nothing had happened. When he suddenly looked at him, his eyes had softened. The emerald, green color was glinting with warmth.
"Talking about it," he smiled. He could feel the hedgehog breathing against the side of his ribs, the warmth from his stubby fur. The fox's shoulders were hiked to his ears, his own pelt puffing in embarrassment alone.
Tails' eyes were still plastered to Sonic's. Yet the latter was stubborn. He kept looking at him with the same expecting expression. The same warmth and kindness he'd shown him before. Even if the pickpocket wanted to, he had a feeling he couldn't refuse his half hug. He concentrated on Sonic's hand on his shoulder, his arm which partially covered his shoulder blades. The warmth and safety he provided without a price. Tails felt as his own fur stopped puffing, his shoulders relaxing. He looked away.
"I – I don't remember much," he did nothing but comply with Sonic's request. He swallowed something in his throat. "I was just running. I was back in Croford, or something that looked like it. I was between the alleys. There were people after me. I was small and didn't have any shoes on. It was cold and sticky and-" he paused. The shiver down his spine wasn't from freezing. He sighed.
The small tug was an encouragement to continue.
"I just remember being hungry and scared. And there were something hiding at every corner. A monster or something like it. I was running away from it, I was screaming for someone to help me. But nobody came," he explained.
He closed his eyes when his memory betrayed him. A blackened silhouette reaching out for him. A snaky and black clawed hand. Almost reaching him. Almost choking him.
He breathed in. Held it. And breathed out.
The hedgehog didn't comment on his story. The pickpocket couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad thing. He merely felt himself relaxing under the gentle hold of the other. When he opened his eyes, Sonic had turned his head toward him. His breath gently grazed his bangs.
"Is this from what we talked about earlier?" His voice was gentle and calm, low in volume. The pickpocket had tried to make the same connection. Yet he shook his head.
"I'm not sure. I've dreamt something similar before," he explained. He felt when Sonic took in a gulp of air, his ribs expanding with the movement. It escaped into a sigh.
"He was just curious kiddo. You don't have to tell him anything though," his shoulder was gently squeezed. The fox didn't mind. His heart had calmed down. His shaking hands had stopped their dance. His body had slumped further against the hedgehog than he had realized. The heaviness residing across his shoulders made his head feel heavy. His eyes closed slowly as he resisted the urge to yawn.
"I know," he agreed. The flames in front of him had seemingly calmed as well. Turned into a slow burning, a crack from the wood here and there. It was music to his ears. A symphony which had slowly made the lurking monster disappear. Tails blinked slowly as he leaned his head on Sonic's shoulder.
"Thank you," he said. He could feel the hedgehog's chuckle reverberate through his body, like a miniature warm earthquake.
"No problem, buddy," his voice was loud with the pickpocket's ear close to the other's neck.
He could hear his breathing. He concentrated on the gentle and slow movement. It synchronized with his own, like a set of violins playing the same song in the orchestra. Sonic's heavy hand on his shoulder felt natural, like it had been missing there for years. The gentle tug, the slow squeeze.
He'd been hugged by him before. And every time it had been a rollercoaster of confusion and compliance. Now all he could do was relax. His eyes closed, his ears flicked against the gentle snore from Silver's corner, flicked against Sonic's gentle breathing.
The latter didn't say anything else. He merely remained sitting, seemingly waiting for the fox to go to sleep. If the fox meant to disappear back into his limbo he wouldn't remember in the morning. All he could feel was the comfort of something he'd never had before.
Even in fragile evenings of dangerous shadows - it could still be there.
Author's note: Thank you for your patience