Ages Away

A stormy dark night, the streets desolate, cold and barren. Nothing shifted from sight, all were tucked into the warmth of their beds, snuggling their pillows without a worry. All but one.

She ran down the streets, not caring what noise she made or who she may disturb. All she knew was that she had to get away from them, from all of them.

Tears stung her eyes as her legs strained to keep running, the rain pouring down her face, along with her tears. Why could nobody understand him? Why couldn’t they accept it?

Before she had met him, she had been the mere little defenceless girl of the team, unable to fight, unable to protect her friends, in their eyes at any rate. But with him, it was so different. He made her feel stronger, special, yet protected and loved. And nobody could understand nor accept it.

The girl wiped away her tears with her arm, still running along the soaked path, and the memories of the day running through her mind. Them, begging her to see it their way, trying to make him look like a monster, trying to make it look like she was a victim. The girl tried to force the day’s events out of her mind, but she couldn’t, and their voices still haunted her.

XX

She sat there on the beach, a faint smile on her lips as she escaped into fantasy about the one she loved. She remembered the beautiful locket he had bought for her, and allowed her fingers to stray. Opening the locket, she smiled at the picture of the two of them together, hugging each other, smiling. She loved his smile, whether his teeth were showing and gleaming or not.

She was going to see him tonight. Romantic dinner for two. She couldn’t believe that out of everyone, he had chosen her, and loved her for who she was. And she couldn’t believe that after all of these months, he still loved her and only her.

She was snapped from her thoughts and daydreams by a young two-tailed fox, voicing out to her. She gazed up at him, staring at him with a worried expression on her face. The way he was looking at her was very different indeed, but she had learned to recognize that look. The look of worry and wondering if she was making the right decision, one that did annoy the girl every now and then, today more so than ever.

“Where did you get those bruises from?” he asked her. The girl shuffled embarrassed to tell her clumsy fall down the stairs. But almost instantly, she knew what was running through his mind. He thought that he did it. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she glared at the fox boy.

“I fell down the stairs!” she raised her voice to him, “And no, he did nothing!”

She stormed out of her friend’s work shop, her nose in the air, trying her hardest not to cry.

XX

“Stop thinking about that!” The girl almost screamed, tearing along down the wet roads, hoping and praying that none of them were following her. She just had to get away from them. She couldn’t take the torture anymore. And she didn’t need to hear anymore crap from them.

XX

Sitting in a nearby restaurant on her own, the young teenage girl slowly bit into her chocolate spread sandwich, her eyes scanning the streets for any signs of her fox friend. None, which made her sigh with relief that he hadn’t persisted in making her boyfriend look like the bad guy. Taking another bite into her sandwich, her hands caressed the locket her boyfriend had given her, and the young girl allowed her heart to relax in thoughts of him.

“Hey, can I join ya?”

The teenager turned to see that a blue hedgehog with green eyes was the speaker, directly talking to her. She shrugged, allowing him to sit down opposite her, and order a chilidog for himself. She could only watch him warily, as he scoffed the chilidog with ease. Finishing with a loud swallow, he gave the girl fleeting thumbs up. The girl felt somewhat wary, considering he kept casting strange looks at her.

“So how’s it going?” he asked. The teenager could tell that he was trying to verge around discussing him. Why not though?

“Fine,” she answered stiffly, folding her arms in her chair and refusing to meet the blue hedgehog’s gaze.

“Listen… are you sure you’re okay? I mean, haven’t been having any trouble…?” he asked. He’s hinting that her boyfriend’s been hurting her. Rage travels through her blood and her once relaxed heart pounded with a vengeance.

“No!” she stands up, almost creating a scene, “He’d never hurt me! Everything’s fine, because he loves me and I love him! See ya later!”

She stormed off, leaving the tall blue hedgehog sitting there, a dazed look on his face.

XX

Tears streamed down the girl’s face, but she wasn’t bothered to wipe them away. Her heart pounded and her legs ached for rest but she kept on, through the pounding winds and rain.

XX

Whenever she needed somewhere to go, she could always go to her best friend. She had told her so a long time ago, when she was upset and wept into her arms, crying about something silly. But that was back when she was thirteen.

Her trembling hand knocked the door of her best friend’s apartment, and she fought back tears. Would everything be the same between them? For all she knew, her best friend’s view about her boyfriend might be the same as all her other supposed-to-be friends.

The door opened, revealing a pink hedgehog with jade green eyes, staring at her friend intently. She looked a little shocked to see her there. The teenage girl took in a deep breath, “May I come in?”

The pink hedgehog’s skin beneath her fur went pale, and she slowly nodded, pushing the door open enough so the teenager could walk in.

Settled on the couch, the girl drank her tea with her hedgehog friend, but no words were passed between them. The teenager felt awkward at the silence, and glad that her friend’s fiancé wasn’t home. She didn’t need another encounter with him, not now.

“So… did your boyfriend get you that?” the pink hedgehog made a brave stab at conversation. The teenage girl gazed down at her locket, a brief smile coming to her lips as she thought of him again. Remembering him sometimes helped her through the bad times. The teenager nodded, allowing her best friend to lean forward slightly.

“So does he really love you?” she asked a slight edge to her voice the teenager hadn’t heard before. She nodded again, a slight frown on her face. The pink hedgehog sighed.

“I don’t know what to say. Are you sure about… you know… him?”

The teenager felt rage gripping her chest again. Not her best friend too! “Yes, I am, and he’s sure about me too.”

“But… he’s so much older than you and…”

“Sonic’s older than you,” the girl stubbornly proclaimed.

“By three years, which is not much when you think about it,” her friend replied, trying her best not to fly off the handle, “But you and… him… God knows how much older he is, and considering all the things he’s done…”

“Not you too! Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?! I thought you were my friend Amy!” the girl screamed, unable to take anymore of this crap and stormed out of her best friend’s apartment.

XX

She ran and ran, the rain hitting her face like pebbles, which made the girl want to stop and sob like a little child, defenceless and in search of its mother. Her own best friend didn’t trust her judgement in the matter, which dug a deep knife in her chest and twisted it. But the worst happened only merely a few hours before.

XX

She lay on her bed, in her room, sulking. Her three nearest and dearest friends couldn’t even trust her judgement. They couldn’t see the love that she shared with her special boyfriend, and see the impact he’s had on her life. The girl buried her face into the pillow, wanting to sob heavily and hard.

“Dear, could you come down here for a minute?!” her mother called. The girl sighed, forced herself off of the bed, and slumped downstairs, taking one step at a time.

Her mother awaited in the living room with her stepfather. Her mother was fairly beautiful in her old age, still managing that same old charm that she had maintained when she was a child. Her stepfather, on the other hand, looked quite intimidating, yet again, it was usual, considering he was a crocodile.

“Your boyfriend called,” her mother said stiffly, “He asked if you were still going out with him tonight.”

“Yes…?” the teenager asked, longing to know what her mother was trying to say. She had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good.

“And I told him you weren’t,” she finished. She could feel rage squeezing her heart again, wanting to scream, and she began to fulfil her want as she raised her voice dangerously.

“How could you?” she dangerously said, “We had dinner planned, it was going to be perfect.”

“Dear, you know how I feel about that boy; I don’t think he’s your type. He’s far too old for you and-”

“SO WHAT?!” she screamed, slowly beginning to cry, “He may be a man, and I may be a teenager still BUT WE STILL LOVE EACH OTHER!”

“Listen to reason, kid, you’re mother knows what she’s talking about,” her stepfather said in a firm voice.

“And who asked you? You’re not my dad!” the girl cried loudly.

“I’m as good as!” he yelled, “And if your mother thinks that he and you should no longer see each other, then I agree! So you’re going to end it, you hear me!”

“Vector…” her mother gasped, shocked at her husband’s sudden behaviour.

“No! I won’t! We love each other! I don’t care what anyone else says!” the girl screamed back.

“You’ll end it with him or you’ll cease to live under this roof!” he yelled back. The teenager had never seen her stepfather so aggressive with her before. It frightened her, but she tried not to let it show.

“Fine!” she yelled, turning on her heel, storming up the stairs, slamming the door shut and locking it, hearing her mother’s muffled voice through the door, begging her to see it her way, begging her not to let her stepfather’s words take true effect.

She ignored her parent, tossing whatever valuables she had into a bag, throwing it over her shoulder and storming past her mother, trying not to look her in the eyes as she tried to grab her daughter’s shoulders and shake some sense into her.

The teenager ignored her, and ignored him when she got down the stairs, throwing her bag open. She could hear her mother crying for her not to go, but she ignored her. She ignored the words her stepfather shouted, though it registered in her mind somewhere.

“One day he’ll hurt you Cream! It’s only a question of how he does it!”

She wiped away her tears, and stormed off into the night, running away as far as she could.

XX

Cream the Rabbit ran and ran, wishing more than ever she could collapse onto the ground, but not wanting to turn back or be found by any of her so-called friends, she kept going, feeling a stitch in her chest, but she ignored the pain and kept running. She was almost there. Almost at one place she could go one place where she would be cared for.

She could see the small section of houses in the distance. Though it was in a dark, filthy street, the rabbit had always loved going there to see him. This time she needed him.

Making her way up to the door of number 9, she shakily knocked and waited, tears streaming down her face as she waited for the answer from her one and only boyfriend.

The door opened and Cream gazed at him, standing there, looking at her in concern. Before he could say anything, she threw her arms around him and sobbed heavily.

“Cream?” he asked, quite shocked at his girlfriend’s behaviour, “Cream what’s wrong?”

“I-I’ve been kicked out…” she sobbed into the black fur, “I-I needed somewhere to go…”

He could only hug her, feel her warmth against his black fur, her hands slowly running through his red and black quills. His ruby eyes watched her as he rested his chin on her head, feeling Cream nestle the white patch of fur on his chest.

“Come in then, Cream,” he nervously said.

“Thank you, Shadow,” she responded, draping her arm around his and following him inside.

XX

Tea and sympathy. She needed those things from Shadow more than anything at that moment in time. She told him the whole story, going back to Tails’ comment on her bruised leg, which Shadow also took concern at. Sonic’s statement at the café, and Amy’s own harsh opinion of him.

Shadow was never one for letting other’s opinions of him get in his way of loving Cream, but it clearly bothered his young girlfriend to no ends.

“And then… h-he told me to… break up with y-you or I have t-to leave…” Cream finished her story, still sobbing heavily, still needing her boyfriend’s shoulder to cry on.

He could only hug in that moment in time. He couldn’t think of anything to say. Something came to mind. It sounded silly and harsh, but he couldn’t bear the silence and he knew, neither could she.

“At least we’re still together,” he whispered, planting a kiss on the sixteen year old doe’s forehead.

“Yeah… I guess so…” Cream said, smiling as she rested against his chest, before slowly allowing her head to glide to his, her hands moving through his quills as she kissed him. Breaking off from the short kiss, they gazed into each other’s eyes.

One day, Cream vowed, One day they’ll all see how much we love each other…

In the meantime though, she was very content with just lying there in Shadow’s arms until that time came.

She didn’t have to cry when he was around.