The Last Resort (A Sonic / Teen Titans Crossover)

VIII. Sonic the Hedgehog

He made a jab for my side, and I jumped into the air, kicking down at his head. He fell, then tried to get me with some 'X's. I moved swiftly to avoid them, watching the floor as well.

Then he laughed. "I didn't expect this."

I watched him carefully. I wasn't about to be fooled twice. "Expect what? Such awesomeness?"

"Er... Sure. I will assure you, I will be back. For now, you may keep your petty toy." I watched him as he jumped away and disappeared.

I didn't have anything to worry about anymore, so I put my shoe back on and didn't watch the ground. And... both my shoes were stuck in red weirdness. It was like crazy glue, but Red X was completely invulnerable to it. I mean, okay, whatever, he made it, but it totally should have stuck to him.

So I took off my shoe again and worked on trying to get my glove off. I tried everything. I tried pulling it loosely. I tried ripping it off at a million miles per hour. I tried the middle of those two. Heck, I even tried talking to it! Then, I ripped it off like a band-aid, and I screamed with frustration.

Most of the palm had been ripped off and was still stuck to the stupid gooey X. I put it on, bending my fingers over it. I looked at my shoes with fear draping my face. If the soles came off of my shoes, I would be stuck on this miserable planet forever.

I took a deep breath. No one was going to do it for me. I pulled the shoe off for a long time, just as I had with the glove, and...

The sole totally came off.

I blinked. I couldn't run around in my socks. For one, it wasn't heroic. Two, broken toes. Three, glass, rocks... Do I really need to say anymore?

I went to the other shoe and did the same. I smiled a little when it came off with the sole still slightly intact, but there was no way I could get the sole of the other shoe off. The X covered the entire bottom.

Then I heard something. And it wasn't just a brush of wind. Someone was coming. I waited, keeping my intact shoe in my hand.

"Finally!" Hearing Robin's voice was a relief. "You know how much trouble it is finding you?"

"Robin, it was not that difficult." Starfire told him. "We only had to-"

"It still took a while." He replied. "And what happened here?"

"Guy named Red X." I said with a bit of hatred. He ruined my shoes. And a glove.

"It looks like you had some-"

"I didn't." And I hadn't meant to interrupt. I just kind of had to...

"Then what happened?"

"Tried to steal the Emerald. What else would have happened, leader?" 

Robin lowered his eyes. "Look, I don't know what I did-"

"You say you're trying to protect me, but you... you suck at it!" I yelled. "We've got three enemies on our tail, and I just battled two today, and you keep saying you're trying to protect me!"

"I told you to stay with Cyborg and Beast Boy!" He screamed. "If you can't do what I suggest, of course you won't be safe!"

"I was going to go and give you the Emerald because we were losing the battle! And what do I get? A broken pair of shoes and a leader who has no idea if two of his members are okay!"

Robin flinched. "I... Cyborg and Beast Boy can handle themselves."

"Yeah? Because we were losing when I was helping."

"Really? Because I think all you care about are those Emeralds and getting home."

I looked at the ground. "I care about my shoes. I care about my friends. I was going to make sure you were okay. And if Slade gets the Emeralds, you won't have any friends."

"I don't think we can even trust you."

"Robin!" Starfire squealed.

"You care about your shoes more than helping Cyborg and Beast Boy defeat Starfire's sister. What danger could I have possibly gotten into? You're lying. You want to save a friend you don't even know is alive more than you want to help us help this world. You don't care about us at all."

I paused. He was wrong. But if this was the way I was going to be treated, I couldn't stay. "I guess I'll go to someone who I know can help me get home."

"I don't know who you're going to, but..." Starfire's hands were folded into each others', and she looked sad. I couldn't tell if my eye was watering because of the brutality it got or because I was being rejected by my former friends.

I jumped off the roof holding my shoes, one of them containing the Chaos Emerald. I knew he was trying to kill me, but if I could convince him, Slade was my last chance at getting home.