Everything Changes (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Kay ran and ran until she simply couldn't anymore, and then she collapsed in the sand and just lay there catching her breath while her legs tried to stop feeling like noodles. She had no sense of time or how long she stayed in that secluded, far-off spot on the beach, but it was a while for sure. Eventually she was able to pick herself back up and she set off at a much slower walking pace back the way she came, figuring she'd find her way to Amy's if she just stayed near the shoreline.

It took her much longer to cover the same distance walking back, obviously, but Kay found that she didn't really mind. She just took in whatever sights she could see in the darkness. It wasn't much longer before she began to notice that the sky was beginning to gradually get brighter.

Sunrise, she realized, perking up instantly. My first sunrise on this new Mobius. She recalled the sunrises she saw on Mobius Prime, and even on Earth, and she once again found herself thinking of Silver. The two were basically connected now, in her mind. Will this sunrise be better than twenty-first century Earth? She smiled to herself. I suppose I'll see.

She could just make out Sonic's beach house in the distance when the first rays of sunlight began to shine over the deep blue water of the ocean. Kay stopped walking and turned to face the oncoming warmth, listening to the waves rolling softly on the shore and the early morning songs of the island's bird population. It was quiet and calm, watching the sunrise out here. Nothing like standing on the edge of Angel Island, anticipating an oncoming war with Enerjak. Nothing like standing on a rooftop in NYC. For a moment, it was only her and the sea and the sun. It was serene.

Kay took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then resumed her walk back toward the village.

By the time she got to Sonic's beach house, the blue hedgehog himself was stepping out onto his patio and stretching. When he saw her approaching from the direction she was, he gave her a confused look.

"Where have you been?" he asked, stepping off his patio to join her on the sand.

"Just running on the beach," she replied.

"In the middle of the night?"

"Why not?"

Sonic observed her for another minute, then offered a small smile. "Good point. It's always a good time to run."

Kay smiled at him, thinking that he sounded more like himself when he said things like that. She looked him over once again now that they were at a closer proximity, and noticed his blue arms and weird sports tape that he wore for no apparent reason. Then she noticed the scarf. It was the only item of clothing he wore besides his shoes and gloves, and while perhaps it made sense to wear it at night when it was cooler, she remembered that he'd been wearing it all yesterday as well when the sun was high in the sky and the heat was upwards of 90 and 100 degrees.

"Isn't it a little warm for a scarf?" she asked.

Sonic glanced down at it as if noticing its presence for the first time, then shrugged nonchalantly. "I always wear it. It doesn't bother me."

"But why a scarf?"

"It was my dad's," he replied, turning away from her to begin a fast-paced walk further towards the village.

Kay was so surprised by the response that all she could do for a moment was watch him go. Then she came back to her senses and jogged to catch up, deciding that if she wanted to know more about his personal history, now was the time to ask. Before they got to Amy and the others.

"Your dad's?"

"Yeah."

She decided it was best to let that particular subject drop, but she used it as a springboard to veer onto another topic. "Have you lived on the island your whole life?"

"Most of it," Sonic replied. He seemed distant, like he was replying to these questions on autopilot. How many times had he talked about this with others? "Dad came here from...well, I guess it was Chun-Nan, according to your book. I was a baby. Don't remember any of it."

Kay frowned. "Just wanted a change of scenery?"

"I guess. I don't know. Never asked him about it. As far as I was concerned this was my home. I had no need to think about anywhere else."

"Have you ever left Bygone?"

"Sure I have." Sonic glanced at her. "Back when Lyric was causing a ruckus the gang and I had to travel practically everywhere just to keep up with him. Saw a lot of places. Pretty cool world we live in. But I have no desire to be anywhere else. Bygone is enough for me."

"Lyric?" Another name Kay had never heard before.

"Robot-snake dude. The Last Ancient, or whatever. Took him down a while ago. It's all good now."

She could see Amy's beach house in the distance. She had to keep going while she had a chance. "Why did you guys start fighting Eggman?"

Sonic actually laughed at that. "The guy came outta nowhere, talking about how he wanted the island to be the location of his theme park. Who needs a theme park? Anyway, he started pitching a fit when our mayor told him no, so the gang and I stepped in to help, and it's kind of just been a thing ever since. Makes life exciting."

Not nearly as exciting as it was on Prime, Kay thought, but she didn't say as much out loud.

They were nearing Amy's place now. If her host hadn't already noticed her absence, she would soon. Kay could only assume they all woke up at relatively the same time of day, since Sonic seemed to be heading straight for her place instead of to the village itself. Interesting.

Just then she saw Amy step out onto her own patio, glancing around the immediate area with a puzzled expression. Kay had time for one more question.

"Sonic," she asked quietly, "where is your dad now?"

The blue hedgehog absentmindedly brushed the scarf around his neck, his emerald green eyes misting over slightly. "He died two years ago."

"Oh, there you are!" Amy exclaimed, waving at the two of them. "You scared me to death! I thought you sleepwalked right into the ocean!"

Kay waved back, but her mind was still preoccupied with everything Sonic had told her.

How different his backstory was here. No wonder it was as if she knew nothing about him. She really, really didn't. No mention of a mom, and his dad was gone? He thought that fighting this Eggman was exciting?

Her heart suddenly ached for the old Sonic the Hedgehog.