Just Hate Me
Prolouge
Lightning pierced the sky, lighting up the heavy blackness of the night. The rain fell steadily, cold and merciless to anyone that might be out in the storm. Thunder boomed across the ruins, nearly shaking the ground with its viscious roar. The wind was still, and once the boom of the thunder faded, the only noise was that of the rain pitter-pattering against the trees and ground. The Mystic Ruins looked almost dead, like not a person existed there, or throughout the rest of the world.
But life did exist, even as the storm raged throughout the ruins.
The lightning spilt the sky again, looking like a vein that belonged to the sky. The lake reflected the bolt of lightning, and the rain left ripples in the water, disturbing the once motionless water. The thunder boomed once more and faded as if it were never there.
Soft footsteps could be heard from the trees nearby the lake, the footsteps almost silent, making small squishes on the ground from the rain. He walked alone inside the canopy of trees, the rain falling through the leaves and striking the ground around him. His blue fur was soaked, sleeked and sticking close to his skin. And his green eyes looked haunted, lost and depressed.
A single drop of rain fell from above and struck him on the shoulder, but if he felt it, he gave no notion. He simply kept walking forward as the lightning pierced above him and the thunder shook the earth around him.
He broke through the trees, arriving in front of the lake, no longer protected from most of the rain. The cold water struck him mercilessly, soaking into his fur, but still, he seemed not to care. As he neared the lake, he stop, looking down at the water and at his own reflection. The rain broke the image, rippling the water and shattering his reflection. He blinked once, and lifted his head, looking toward the yellow light coming from the cliffside nearest to the ocean. Lightning lit the sky again, and his green eyes watched the small house atop the cliff carefully, and the green irises looked pained, saddened, and he cringed slightly, the thunder echoing around him.
The blue hedgehog clenched his fists together silently, his vision beginning to blur with tears as he looked up at the lone house. Then after a second longer of simply staring, he looked away and began to walk once more, his green eyes dull and lost once again. He looked back up at the cliff, his eyes staring longingly at the house, and the, suddenly, he bolted forward, running around the lake and up the cliff in a single heartbeat. Now, when he stopped, the house stood in front of him, a single candle in the window illumintating the outside slightly. He stared at the candle, the rain falling down his face, and he blinked the water from his eyes, stepping slowly forward until he was upon the porch, reaching for the door.
When he pulled it open, he found himself in a familiar place, the place he had and would always call his one and only home. He stared at the living room stretching in front of him a moment before he stepped inside silently, his soaked fur dripping water on the floor with a quiet drip-drip-drip. The door closed silently behind him, and he stepped into the living room, feeling his heart already growing heavy.
"Sonic! Help me!"
He stepped toward the wall, eyeing the few photos that lined the wall. They all consisted of himself, a handsome blue hedgehog, green eyes bright, smirking gently at the camera, and the only person he could call his best friend, a young, twin-tailed fox with glowing blue eyes and the widest and carefree smile. Looking at the photographs, the hedgehog smiled silently to himself.
"Sonic! Please!"
He turned away from the photos, looking toward the opposite hallway, leading into the kitchen. He could see the small stove from where he stood, and the counter that was attached next to it. He stepped closer to the couch, now looking down at his feet as the sadness that clutched at his heart caught his throat in its grasp, forcing him to swallow the lump in his throat before he could breath again.
It was suddenly that he felt another presence in the room, but before he could react, a soft voice called out to him, and the sadness grabbed once more at his heart, nearly causing him to collasp with guilt.
"...Sonic?"
For a moment, he didn't move, simply continued to stare at his feet. Then, after several seconds of silence, he lifted his head, turning around to face the orange, twin-tailed fox that stood in the close hallway leading into the bedrooms. For several minutes, not a word was spoken, and when Sonic the Hedgehog met the pale blue eyes of Miles 'Tails' Prower, he wished he had never came, had simply stayed in the rain where he belonged.
Finally, the silence was broken by the small kitsune that stared directly at him intently, confusion fluttering across his face.
"Where...have you been?" he asked quietly, the only emotion that of concern. Sonic said nothing for a moment, his bloodshot green eyes staring back at his pale blue ones. And he smiled sadly, shaking his head.
"Not here," he answered, chuckling darkly as if the whole thing were a bad joke, a horrible one, but a joke at that. He looked down at his red sneakers before back up at Tails.
"Sonic! Please! Help me!"
The kitsunes pale blue eyes narrowed in frustration, his twin tails stiff behind him. "Why not here?" His voice did not match his eyes in any way; the words were almost whimpered, as if fearful. Sonic stared at the two tails sticking behind him, and the one arm that remained hidden in the shadows.
"Because...you know as well as I do," he replied, his voice cold, scathing, and he shook his head violently, looking away from the kitsune. Tails said nothing, and the room was thrust back into silence, silence that was only broken by the fading echo of thunder.
"All I am is a threat," the hedgehog spat, closing his eyes. "I'm no help to anyone..."
"That's not true, Sonic. You've saved lives. And you've saved my li-"
"But I was still too late!" Sonic shouted suddenly, ramming his fist into the wall so quickly and unexpectedly, Tails jumped in surprise. The blue hedgehogs fist broke through the wall, sending pieces of wood falling to the ground. His teeth were gritted and his breaths were coming in short huffs of air, his heart clenching in guilt and gut-wrenching sadness. "I was still too late...Another second...another second and you-"
"But you weren't another second late!" Tails shouted back, angry tears beginning to fill his eyes. "You weren't! You were there just in time!"
"No, Tails!" Sonic demanded, shaking his head roughly.
"Tails!"
"I still let you down." His voice was quiet now, and he looked back up at the kitsune with haunted eyes. "He almost killed you. He almost killed you, and...and I can't risk that again, lil bro. I just can't lose you." Right there, Sonic almost lost it, almost broke down finally into a fit of guilt and rage. But he managed to keep himself together, to take a deep breath and close his eyes as tears began to fill his eyes. After several moments, he opened them back up and looked at Tails, the tears falling gently down his cheeks.
Tails suddenly moved, stepping forth from the shadows. The arm that had been hidden immediately caught the light in the room, sending its reflection off the metal of the robotic piece and up at the ceiling. His stiff metal tails did the same. And when Sonic saw his half-robotized brother, he nearly lost it again, nearly fled out the door in rage.
"Take care of yourself, Tails. Alright?" Sonic sniffed, looking up at him sadly. Blue eyes met green, and the two exchanged silent words in that single look, a million thoughts and worries exchanged in a single second.
And seconds later, Tails stepped up to Sonic, carefully wrapping his arms around his shoulders, embracing him as tears fell from his eyes and landed on Sonic's shoulder. Sonic did nothing for a moment, and then he wrapped his own arms around Tails. And the moment he felt the cold metal of his robotic arm, Sonic finally lost it, but in a totally different way than before.
There, in his younger brothers arms, Sonic the Hedgehog gritted his teeth as quiet sobs racked his body, and tears poured from his face.
End of Chapter
