RWBY: Sonic the Hedgehog

Chapter XXII

"I like your friend."

Once everyone in the house was sure Sonic wasn't going to destroy anything, and he was free to roam the house as he pleased, Ruby had pulled Weiss aside to talk to her.

Weiss wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the word "friend" being used to describe the relationship between the two of them.

"I wouldn't call us, 'friends,'" she corrected. "We're merely close companions."

Ruby smiled. "Then why were you sticking to him like that? You wouldn't let me touch him!"

Weiss crossed her arms. "He was injured, you dunce! You don't touch someone when they're injured!"

"You were petting him," Ruby said.

"I was being gentle!" Weiss retorted. "I wasn't poking and prodding at him like some kind of animal! And also, he is soft and cuddly."

"Ooooh," Ruby nodded, unable to argue further. "So where did you find him?"

Weiss sighed as she remembered how they'd met, which wasn't, by any means, a pleasant memory, especially in hindsight.

"He broke into our room looking for a place to hide," she said. "And I . . . might have shot him down . . ."

Ruby's eyes widened. "You what?!"

"I didn't mean to!" Weiss said. "I was merely startled!"

"So where are you taking him?" Ruby asked.

"He lost something important to his survival," Weiss explained. "It is on top of my home in Atlas. I promised I would take him there."

"Then why are you here?" Ruby asked.

"I came here to assess my situation before I prepare an airship to Atlas," Weiss said. "But it seems the government agent who's after us is well aware of where we're going, so we need to leave as soon as possible before he comes back."

Ruby suddenly got excited, and started hopping with joy, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Can I come too?!" she asked.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, Ruby. You do not want to join us. I simply agreed to help because I'd gotten him into this situation when I shot him. I'm a fugitive because of what I'm doing. I don't want the same for you."

Ruby shook her head. "Weiss, you're my friend. And Sonic is the cutest, most furry little thing I've ever seen! Well, other than Zwei. If I can help you, I'm going to. I don't care if I become a bad guy, too. I know I'm a good guy, and I know I'm helping someone who needs me."

Weiss smiled, rolling her eyes. "That's very . . . you of you."

"Pleeeaaassse!" Ruby pleaded.

Weiss chuckled with a shake of her head. "I suppose so."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered. "Come on, let's get him out of here!"

Weiss held out a hand. "Not yet."

"Why?" Ruby sulked.

"I need to talk to him."

She walked past Ruby to find Sonic.

The hedgehog himself was having a stare down, his fists placed against his hips as he glared at his opponent.

"So, you're supposed to be Weiss' best friend that she won't shut up about."

Zwei smiled, his tongue sticking out as he stared back at Sonic.

"Well, I don't see the appeal," Sonic said.

Zwei cared little for what he had to say, instead approaching him, and licking his face relentlessly.

Sonic laughed. "Stop! That is very gross!"

Weiss stepped into the room, and both animals looked up at her. Zwei trotted out of the room, and Sonic smiled as he watched him go.

"Cool dog," he said. "No wonder he's your best animal friend."

"I wanted to talk to you for a second," Weiss said, sitting down on the couch. "Have a seat."

"Okay," Sonic said, and he sat down on the floor, looking up at her.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, and gestured to the couch next to her. "Up here."

"Right."

Sonic stood up, and sat down next to her.

"So, back on the highway," Weiss said, "what was that lightning display?"

"I don't know," Sonic said. "It's only happened to me one other time at the baseball field."

Weiss thought for a moment. "'Baseball field'? That's weird. What were you doing?"

"Just playing baseball," Sonic lied.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," Sonic sighed, "there might have been some light crying involved. My power gets weird when I get emotional."

Weiss nodded. "Well, emotions are powerful. Humans and faunus both struggle with them."

"I've never seen a human shoot lightning out of their butt," Sonic said.

"I suppose you've never seen anyone with a lightning semblance then."

"Fair enough."

"And besides, perhaps it's your true superpower. With a little practice, you could get better with it."

Sonic sighed. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with her. He couldn't believe that he was having this whole adventure with her. At least, he thought of it as an adventure.

"Is something wrong?" Weiss asked.

"No," Sonic said. "I just can't believe this is happening."

"What?"

"This. This whole situation. You . . . You used to be my least favorite member of the team."

"Gee, thanks."

"No offense."

"None taken. You weren't exactly wrong to think that way."

Sonic shook his head. "I wasn't. I thought you were a spoiled brat who only cared about being perfect. But you're not. You're . . . You're a lot nicer than I thought. You put your life on the line to save me, and even after I got you into serious trouble, you still helped me."

Weiss sunk her head in shame. "But I didn't want to. I tried to push you away."

"But you still chose to help me," Sonic said.

"Only because you kept pushing."

"I was going to leave, but you stopped me. You didn't want to help me, but you chose to, because you knew it was the right thing to do, and because you knew you were partially responsible for my situation."

Weiss smiled. "Not 'partially'. Entirely. I am entirely responsible for your situation."

Sonic chuckled at her repeating his words. "But seriously, I was wrong about you. I just wanted to say . . . I'm sorry for thinking you were like that."

Weiss smiled, though she still felt guilty that he was apologizing for anything. She was still the one who had gotten Sonic discovered by Robotnik. She didn't deserve this apology.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," she said. "So, Ruby's going to help me get you into Atlas. Unfortunately, I'm going to need you to hide."

"Oh no . . ."