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Description
SEVEN YEARS PAST, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan-story of redemption and forgiveness.

The single moon of the Mobian night skies rested like a bright silver coin, surrounded by the glittering diamonds that made the stars. Reflections of the celestial atmosphere shone on the gentle grotto nearby where the fox sat. The only sounds were that of the waves ebbing and flowing at the shore, along with the noises of the night creatures, crickets being plentiful. So plentiful, indeed, since it was the mating calls they made that were the purpose behind the chirping.

Eventually, another sound was added to the night's performance, the faint sound of someone in mourning. Tearful groans and sniffles could not be deafened by the surroundings; they started fairly quiet, only to increase in volume. It was the fox that was crying to the moon reflected on the grotto. His vision was more blurry than the waves which caused the night skies to dance in emotionless manner. There was nobody around to hear Tails weep, so he thought.

He struggled in vain to stop himself, but after all the time of trying to endure patience and perseverance, it felt like it was all for nought. In his mind were the flashbacks of when he was eleven, still only a child, yet to him, anything but a kid. He felt big, he felt mature... He was in love. And that love was slapped back in his face.

You can't count on anybody, the memory mocked in his mind. Tails reached up with a trembling hand and rubbed the sting on his cheek that unexpectedly begun. She was wrong. His friends had always been there for him, he had proven himself over and over that he was not some simpleton child. He felt that he had to grow up fast when he first joined the Freedom Fighters, with the supposed lose of his parents, his father a war hero. But his growing up was not needed so much as there were others, older and more experienced who looked after him like a mother, a father, and especially a big brother. That big brother had broken his heart once, too. He was only thankful that there were reconciled quickly. But despite all that, his heart was never fully healed.

As Tails opened his wet eyes and stared at the rippling lake, he did not hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind. At that moment, he didn't even care, even if he did hear anything out of the ordinary. He just wanted to be left alone to his misery, just once; to wish the night to surround him in its cold embrace. It was the same as when Sally had vanished, only to be replaced with a robotic duplicate. Just putting that memory to mind made him feel worse, since it was the other way around when he first experienced love. First it was a robotic double, then the real deal, both lost to evil, one programmed to do so, the other choosing to be so.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he flinched in terror, not expecting anyone at this hour. Tails sucked in the air and froze, staring straight ahead of him, not daring to turn his head to discover the intruder. All his hearing senses gave him was a soft voice, "Tails?"

Was it Sally's voice? For a split second, he thought so. She had escaped back then and found Tails at the same spot by the grotto. He had thought he would never see her again, missing the times when she gave him those "funny kisses" to his nose. But as Tails rechecked his brain, it was not the voice of Sally, but he recognised it. Slowly, he turned his head to see the face.

She looked practically the same as when he last saw her. That same dark fur, the darker hair with the spiky look. The same eyes... Were they the same? Those sweet innocent-looking eyes, she had that look when she slapped him across the face.

"...Fiona?!" Tails was shocked to speak anything else for a moment. Part of him cringed at her touch, another part felt sick, not from being repulsed by her presence, but the bitter recollections still racing through his head.

"It's me... It really is," Fiona replied as if reading Tails' thoughts. But she was not smiling, not the same way she had when she added that last insult to injury. She wore her yellow jumpsuit with the matching boots. Tails remembered how much Amy was disgusted by Fiona's sense of fashion, but he figured she was just so angry about the betrayal she had no better way of expressing her feelings of dislike.

As Tails found his voice again, he mumbled, "Have you come back to hurt me?" He felt terrible, asking such a question, but he wasn't going to look weak or spineless. He was surprised when he saw Fiona's face turn into one of injured innocence and she shook her head solemnly.

"If there's anything who's hurt... It's me," Fiona responded, her tone becoming remorseful. "You've been hurt enough." She closed her eyes, her head bowed. Tails couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing.

"You were right. You always were right," the pretty girl fox whispered as she released her hand from Tails' shoulder, placing both behind her back, one foot kicking at the ground shamefully. "And I was wrong... Holding a grudge all those years... I never realised how much it hurt me." She looked to see Tails shift his body around slowly to give her his full attention. She then continued, "You were so young, I couldn't see myself falling for a child. I'm amazed to see how much you've grown after seven years."

This coming from one in her early twenties, Tails thought. She hadn't aged a day. She still looked the same as when he first saw her, the real her when she joined the Freedom Fighters. She was still as beautiful and gorgeous as ever.

Fiona couldn't take it anymore as she slumped down to her knees. "Can you forgive me for all that I did... As you and Sonic did for each other because of me?" Tails then noticed tears began to form in Fiona's eyes. Was this some trick of hers to gain his confidence? She had lied before, this could just be more of it. But something told Tails she was being truthful. As she gazed up to look at him, Tails' eyes peered deeply, as if reading her heart. He saw no darkness within.

Finding a hopeful smile slowly forming, Tails took her hands in his own, "You already know my answer." He leaned forward and kissed her nose, the first time he ever did it to someone else. It made him giggle as a child when Sally did it, but he never wondered what it felt like the other way around. That childish part of him was past, however, treasured as it was while in his youth. Fiona's tears changed as he awaited her reaction, from regretful, to thankful.

The girl fox felt her strength coming back to her legs as she slowly got up off the ground and stood up, Tails still sitting on the fallen log. Fiona put her arms around him, feeling even more comfort when he did the same. After holding him for several moments, she whispered into his ear, "I won't ever break your heart again. That's a promise. I love you."

"I've always loved you, Fiona... That's my promise."

Description
SEVEN YEARS PAST, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan-story of redemption and forgiveness.

The single moon of the Mobian night skies rested like a bright silver coin, surrounded by the glittering diamonds that made the stars. Reflections of the celestial atmosphere shone on the gentle grotto nearby where the fox sat. The only sounds were that of the waves ebbing and flowing at the shore, along with the noises of the night creatures, crickets being plentiful. So plentiful, indeed, since it was the mating calls they made that were the purpose behind the chirping.

Eventually, another sound was added to the night's performance, the faint sound of someone in mourning. Tearful groans and sniffles could not be deafened by the surroundings; they started fairly quiet, only to increase in volume. It was the fox that was crying to the moon reflected on the grotto. His vision was more blurry than the waves which caused the night skies to dance in emotionless manner. There was nobody around to hear Tails weep, so he thought.

He struggled in vain to stop himself, but after all the time of trying to endure patience and perseverance, it felt like it was all for nought. In his mind were the flashbacks of when he was eleven, still only a child, yet to him, anything but a kid. He felt big, he felt mature... He was in love. And that love was slapped back in his face.

You can't count on anybody, the memory mocked in his mind. Tails reached up with a trembling hand and rubbed the sting on his cheek that unexpectedly begun. She was wrong. His friends had always been there for him, he had proven himself over and over that he was not some simpleton child. He felt that he had to grow up fast when he first joined the Freedom Fighters, with the supposed lose of his parents, his father a war hero. But his growing up was not needed so much as there were others, older and more experienced who looked after him like a mother, a father, and especially a big brother. That big brother had broken his heart once, too. He was only thankful that there were reconciled quickly. But despite all that, his heart was never fully healed.

As Tails opened his wet eyes and stared at the rippling lake, he did not hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind. At that moment, he didn't even care, even if he did hear anything out of the ordinary. He just wanted to be left alone to his misery, just once; to wish the night to surround him in its cold embrace. It was the same as when Sally had vanished, only to be replaced with a robotic duplicate. Just putting that memory to mind made him feel worse, since it was the other way around when he first experienced love. First it was a robotic double, then the real deal, both lost to evil, one programmed to do so, the other choosing to be so.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he flinched in terror, not expecting anyone at this hour. Tails sucked in the air and froze, staring straight ahead of him, not daring to turn his head to discover the intruder. All his hearing senses gave him was a soft voice, "Tails?"

Was it Sally's voice? For a split second, he thought so. She had escaped back then and found Tails at the same spot by the grotto. He had thought he would never see her again, missing the times when she gave him those "funny kisses" to his nose. But as Tails rechecked his brain, it was not the voice of Sally, but he recognised it. Slowly, he turned his head to see the face.

She looked practically the same as when he last saw her. That same dark fur, the darker hair with the spiky look. The same eyes... Were they the same? Those sweet innocent-looking eyes, she had that look when she slapped him across the face.

"...Fiona?!" Tails was shocked to speak anything else for a moment. Part of him cringed at her touch, another part felt sick, not from being repulsed by her presence, but the bitter recollections still racing through his head.

"It's me... It really is," Fiona replied as if reading Tails' thoughts. But she was not smiling, not the same way she had when she added that last insult to injury. She wore her yellow jumpsuit with the matching boots. Tails remembered how much Amy was disgusted by Fiona's sense of fashion, but he figured she was just so angry about the betrayal she had no better way of expressing her feelings of dislike.

As Tails found his voice again, he mumbled, "Have you come back to hurt me?" He felt terrible, asking such a question, but he wasn't going to look weak or spineless. He was surprised when he saw Fiona's face turn into one of injured innocence and she shook her head solemnly.

"If there's anything who's hurt... It's me," Fiona responded, her tone becoming remorseful. "You've been hurt enough." She closed her eyes, her head bowed. Tails couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing.

"You were right. You always were right," the pretty girl fox whispered as she released her hand from Tails' shoulder, placing both behind her back, one foot kicking at the ground shamefully. "And I was wrong... Holding a grudge all those years... I never realised how much it hurt me." She looked to see Tails shift his body around slowly to give her his full attention. She then continued, "You were so young, I couldn't see myself falling for a child. I'm amazed to see how much you've grown after seven years."

This coming from one in her early twenties, Tails thought. She hadn't aged a day. She still looked the same as when he first saw her, the real her when she joined the Freedom Fighters. She was still as beautiful and gorgeous as ever.

Fiona couldn't take it anymore as she slumped down to her knees. "Can you forgive me for all that I did... As you and Sonic did for each other because of me?" Tails then noticed tears began to form in Fiona's eyes. Was this some trick of hers to gain his confidence? She had lied before, this could just be more of it. But something told Tails she was being truthful. As she gazed up to look at him, Tails' eyes peered deeply, as if reading her heart. He saw no darkness within.

Finding a hopeful smile slowly forming, Tails took her hands in his own, "You already know my answer." He leaned forward and kissed her nose, the first time he ever did it to someone else. It made him giggle as a child when Sally did it, but he never wondered what it felt like the other way around. That childish part of him was past, however, treasured as it was while in his youth. Fiona's tears changed as he awaited her reaction, from regretful, to thankful.

The girl fox felt her strength coming back to her legs as she slowly got up off the ground and stood up, Tails still sitting on the fallen log. Fiona put her arms around him, feeling even more comfort when he did the same. After holding him for several moments, she whispered into his ear, "I won't ever break your heart again. That's a promise. I love you."

"I've always loved you, Fiona... That's my promise."