Need to Want

Chapter 1: Into the Fade

This story takes place after Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure.

Just outside of Eggman's latest base of operations, Sonic the Hedgehog had yet again defeated another plot of the evil Dr. Eggman. Very high on top of a mountain, the battle had ended on a platform connected to the outside of the base "I'll get you next time Sonic!" Dr. Eggman yelled in his hovering escape vehicle as he flew away. His latest giant robot was in smoldering pieces all over the metal floor of this platform.

Super Sonic smirked with his arms crossed, watching Eggman escape. He could catch him, but that just would be no fun. Tails and Amy on the sidelines ran over to greet Sonic as he hovered near the ground. He high five'd Tails with a big grin, and dodged Amy trying to hug him "Tails, whats your take on the emeralds? You got some explanation on why they are so powerful?"

Amy finally got a hold of Sonic, and he tried pulling her off of him, struggling with his super strength to get Amy off of him. Amy giggled wildly, protesting him. Tails rubbed the back of his head with a confused expression. "I'm not sure Sonic. I haven't been able to come up with a straightforward answer myself. I suppose they are what they are."

"Sort of like the Sol Emeralds I guess." Sonic said as Amy let go of him.

"Yeah, I wonder how Marine and Blaze are doing." Tails said, tapping his foot.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever been that deep in space..." Sonic said, keeping his curious look, wondering when the emeralds would leave him.

"How old is Marine?" Amy asked Tails, raising an eyebrow.

"Amy, Marine is not even close to Sonic's type." Tails said, holding his hands up in defense with a grin.

As Amy looked slightly annoyed as she glared at Tails, Sonic's thoughts drifted elsewhere. He thought of the alternate dimension where Blaze lived. If she was a guardian, didn't that make him one? Although he never labeled himself that way, he knew it to be true. He didn't get to know Blaze very well, but even though she seemed cold, he knew somewhere in her there was a little warmth. But that didn't mean at times she could be cold, as she was the last time he saw her. She probably didn't mean it but, her cold nature could be a little off-putting sometimes. Sonic did smile about the good times spent with his friend from an alternate dimension in their last adventure to her world, though.

Sonic put his fist on his hips and spoke up with a big smile, "I think it's wearing off..."

As he spoke, Amy and Tails's argument died as Sonic glowed brighter and brighter and in a flash Sonic disappeared. The shock wave caused by Sonic's sudden teleportation knocked Tails and Amy off their feet. They both got up as fast as they could "Sonic?" Amy yelled, looking around.

Tails put his hands to his mouth, yelling from the top of his lungs, "Sonic?"

After no response, a few moments later Tails and Amy looked at each other grimly, not knowing what just happened. When things like this happened, it usually wasn't good...

In a forest somewhere, Sonic was spat out of a portal. He hit the ground still, Super Sonic, but as he got up, he felt the emeralds leaving him. He transformed back, and the emeralds shot from him, flying away. Sonic grunted with a frown, knowing the situation just got worse. Because for one, he didn't know where he was and the emeralds were scattering everywhere. Luckily, one emerald did not fall too far away from him. Sonic sighed in relief and observed his surroundings. He was in some kind of tropical forest...

He jogged over to pick up the White Chaos emerald when a group of male felines came running in his direction; one with a sack saw the emerald and picked it up and put it into his sack. Unfortunately, they were a lot closer to the emerald than Sonic. They saw Sonic and shot him dirty looks and ran in another direction.

"Wrong move buddy." Sonic dashed off after them with an upset face; his feet swiftly moved across the green lush forest floor.

It didn't take a second as Sonic spin dashed into the three men, knocking them into the air and knocking them out. Sonic paused, looking at the three knocked-out men once he felt comfortable that they were down before he spotted the sack; it had dropped a few meters away by the trunk of a tree. He smirked as he walked over, pushing past a large batch of leaves, and grabbed the sack they had dropped. As Sonic opened the sack, he became confused. He pulled the white emerald out of the sack, but it didn't look like a Chaos Emerald. Sonic opened his eyes in shock and horror... it couldn't be... again?

Sonic's ear twitched; something was hurtling towards him. He jumped out of the way as multiple objects hit the ground where he was standing. Smoke pellets. Sonic put the emerald in the sack, waiting for his attacker to show. He went into a battle stance, listening as things became quiet and the pellets were making things hard to see. Then he saw the attacker out of the corner of his eye. He was about to dash after whoever it was when the area he was standing in became engulfed in flames. Sonic stopped in his tracks. Only one person he knew could do that. He was definitely back...

Sonic coughed a bit from the things burning around him; they threw more smoke pellets around him. He waited until he saw a purple cat come flying down from the palm trees. Without hesitation or even looking, she fired a huge fireball right at Sonic. She looked mighty upset. Immediately rethinking the situation, Sonic realized it would have been a better idea to announce himself; it had to be Marine throwing the smoke pellets. Sonic jumped out of the way, almost getting burned, when Blaze realized she had never seen any blue hedgehogs around her island.

Blaze lowered her hands slowly and her anger faded as she disbelievingly blinked her eyes "...Sonic... is that you?"

Sonic spoke muffled, face front on the ground. Blaze placed her hands on her mouth briefly in surprise, fear, and a bit of embarrassment. Subsequently, she made the flames in the area go away, raising her hands, and the flames quickly dissipated. Then she ran over to help him up "I am sorry Sonic. I didn't mean to..."

Sonic got up and handed her the sack. He spoke with a slight frown, trying to pat down the singed fur up and down his right side "Don't worry about it..."

Blaze looked worriedly at Sonic for a moment, but quickly her upset face returned, and she looked inside the sack. She counted only six Sol Emeralds, and she looked to Sonic "There were four men. How many did you see, Sonic?"

"I only hit three." Sonic said as his face became serious.

Then, from the trees behind Sonic, Marine came out of hiding. Marine looked to Sonic and smiled as she coughed into her hand "Ach! That means one bloke is heading towards that ship!"

Marine had got a little taller and the silliness that used to consume her face seemed to have died down a bit "Sonic is it really you?" she hugged him briefly and let go "I don't know how you got here but we could use your help..." then Marine froze looking as if she had cursed and her eye's widened.

"What's wrong, Marine?" Sonic asked, confused by her reaction.

Blaze glared at Marine, chastising her "We don't need Sonic's help. We are quite capable of taking care of this Marine, as we always have." Marine smiled sheepishly back at her, then she looked back to Sonic, and her seriousness never faltered "But since you are here, Sonic, you can help. Will you assist us?"

They were going to have plenty to talk about, but right now, Sonic focused on the task at hand. He looked at them both grinning "Duh? Do you know where they might be headed?"

"I know where they're going. He must have been going back to the south side of the island. That's where I last saw their ship before we chased them into the forest." Marine said, also serious now.

Blaze handed the sack to Marine, nodding, "Follow me." and she turned, dashing off, disappearing into the brush.

Sonic nodded, scooping Marine up and catching her off guard. She clung to his neck as they followed Blaze to find the last Sol Emerald.