Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Atonement ❯ The Virdict ( Chapter 1 )

Atonement

(Author Note: To gtajake. I felt a mix of being flattered and offence when I read Author Adventure. Flattered that I appeared in a gtajake fic, and offended that I would be passed off as the typical male, thinking of nothing more than breasts and pizza. However I know that it was all in good fun and not to be taken seriously, (I hope) so I'm not mad, `cause I know that if I upset you, you'd tell me, not only that but the fact that it was a good story as well. One thing about me that most of my friends hate, is that I take things to heart and wear my emotions on my sleeve, a habit I should learn how to break. My dedications this time go to gtajake for being a fan and one of the leaders in the fight for dignity to this section, I.D.E for offering his support in my writing and my cousin "Vic"... I miss him dearly.

The darkness produced from the ominous clouds that hung above Tails's head seemed to represent the last year of his life. Tails felt nothing but regret and pain as he stared among the fallen. Headstone after headstone, marking those who now lie six feet under, however he was in search for one in particular. He wandered around the small graveyard, seeming to ignore the puddles of mud that he was stepping in. He even remained motionless as a bright flash of lightning illuminated the evening sky. The sharp bolt of lightning was quickly followed with a rolling clap of thunder, which echoed through the trees and open fields. Tails continued his search, ignoring the approaching storm. Finally, after five minutes of blindly searching the headstones, he came upon the one that he was looking for, just as the sky opened up and the clouds released their rain. "Amy Rose-Prower 1983-2004" Tails reached down and touched the cold, wet granite, ran his fingers slowly across the name and started to reminisce.

He remembered the beautiful wedding that they shared. All of their friends their to celebrate the happiest day of their lives. He remembered how good Sonic looked, fresh out of law school. His smooth cobalt fur blending in with the midnight black and egg shell white of his tuxedo. He remembered the pit that formed in his stomach the second that he saw his bride Amy around the arm of his former friend, Knuckles. She was breathtaking. Her eyes were filled with tears as she laid eyes on her husband and tried not to trip over her elegant white lace dress. The vows were read and the rings were exchanged and it was official, Amy Rose had gained the last name Prower. However, there were two other things that were stuck in Tails's head, one a dream come true, the other a hellish nightmare come true.

Tails thought back to the day that he knew that he was going to be a father. The thought that his genes would be passed on to the next generation through the miracle of birth. Then came the pain of loss. He remembered the night all to well. Eight months into the pregnancy, he remembered waking up alone in the bed at four in the morning after hearing the door slam from downstairs. The sheets where Amy one lay were ruffled and stained with blood. Tails quickly hopped out of bed and noticed the huge streak of blood that led out of his bedroom and downstairs. Tails followed the path, which led him to the most gruesome sight no man should have to look at. The love of his life now lays dead, slumped to her left side on the couch. Her neck had been sliced open, allowing blood to pour onto the couch and floor. Tails cried uncontrollably as he screamed and pleaded with Amy to wake up... a lost cause.

"But that was over two years ago, wasn't it Amy?" Tails said as he kept his vision focused directly ahead of him, allowing the cold, heavy rain fall on his skull. "That was a day that I will never forget. The day that the sun went out. I lost you and my child, but justice will be served!" He closed his eyes and yelled. "I guess that's the main reason that I walked all the way out here in the rain. Don't get me wrong, it's never a hassle to come and see you, but this time I made a special trip." The now soaking wet Tails wiped away a single tear that fell down his already wet face. "The closing arguments ended four days ago and I was just told that the verdict would be read tomorrow." Tails cleared his throat and knelt down in the dirt, staining his black jeans with mud. "You don't know how bad I want to ice that bitch myself! I know he did this to you!" Tails calmed down and dropped his head. "And now the world can see. They can see what was done to you and he'll be put away for good." Tails stood up and began to turn around to walk away. He held his head high and turned back to give one last look at the headstone before leaving and said, "With you on my side, I know that things will turn out for the better. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

More tears welled up in Tails's eyes as he tried to wipe them on his arm, which only made his face wetter. Tails began the long walk home and peered into the evening sky and saw no change in color or weather, only fading light. He walked at a terribly slow pace, one in which a one mile walk would take about three. Suddenly, another huge clap of thunder shook the ground and sent a chill up Tails's spine. He sped up to a normal stride as the rain continued to intensify. Once deeper into the forest and under the protection of the tall evergreen trees, Tails began to prepare to fly the rest of the way, when his cell phone began to ring from inside his left front pocket. "Damn, I'm surprised it still works." He said quietly as he opened the flip phone.

"Hello?" he asked softly. "Hey! It's Sonic." Said an abnormally cheery voice from the other end. Once Sonic had graduated from law school in the fall of Amy's death, he immediately started his own small firm. Both Tails and Amy were offered the jobs as alternating secretaries, however at this time Amy had become pregnant, so Tails took the job. Once Amy was murdered and Sonic saw that his friend was on the verge of suicide and drug dependency from his growing depression, Sonic vowed to help, free of charge.

"Sonic, It's raining and I'm outside, what do you want?" He asked with a hint of attitude

"You were at the cemetery, weren't you?"

Tails took a deep breath and lowered his head. "I miss her so much, Sonic. I just hope that we didn't screw anything up."

"Hey, all the evidence points to Knux, the bank receipts, the mask and the knife. We had a strong case and they basically had confession when Knux said that if given the chance, he would have killed all three of you guys. Justice will see us through, Tails."

"Soinc," Tails said, his voice being broken by tears. "I want to thank you for all that you've done and how hard you've worked for me."

"That's what friends are for, now you go home and get some sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow at nine."

"Thank you so much, I love you." Tails said while wiping away a stray tear.

"I love you too Tails. Good night, and get some sleep."

However with all of the excitement and stress of the following day, Tails got little if any sleep, which caused him to yawn as soon as the judge entered the room. "All rise!" The large, rounded bailiff commanded. The entire courtroom slowly rose to their feet. Once the female judge took her seat she allowed the courtroom to take their seat. "Good morning." She said in her stern professional tone. "Well, today is a very important day, and it is my personal policy to allow each party have their final say before the verdict is read. Although this changes nothing, I know from experience that there are still some things that people want to get off of their chest." She took her time as she sorted through a stack of papers atop her perch in the abnormally hot courtroom. Finally, she picked up her gavel and pointed at the defense table. "We'll start with Mr. Echidna."

Knuckles slowly pushed himself away from the table and stood up. His cold, unforgiving eyes stared Tails down as he turned his head to the right to look at the prosecution. Tails glared back as his heart was now filled with the thought of revenge and hate. "The only thing that I have to say is that I'm sorry that Amy and her child had to suffer this terrible fate…"

"You don't give a fuck about either of them you lying asshole!" Tails blurted out, slamming his fist on the desk. Suddenly, a loud noise emitted from the front that was similar to that of a gunshot. The judge had slammed her gavel against the thick piece of wood attached to her desk.

"Young man, you need to watch the language or I'll hold you in contempt!" She scolded.

"Our apologies, Your Honor." Said Sonic, rubbing Tails's back.

"Be sure that it doesn't, You may now continue." She replied and nodded at Knuckles.

"Yes, anyway, all I wanted to say is that I feel that due to a small fight that happened over three years ago, Tails seems to hold a grudge and is just taking it too far. I know that the truth will show and the jury will make the right decision." He said, casting a stone cold glare at the jury booth.

"Mr. Prower, your final words."

Tails slowly stood to his feet and mouthed, "Fuck you." In Knuckles's direction, which was absent of a lawyer as he was representing himself. Before a word even escaped from Tails's mouth, tears streamed down the young fox's face. Tails tried his best to calm himself, but was under the wrath of the pain of his loss. "Three years ago." Tails started, his voice cracking and cutting out from the tears. "Three years ago, the love of my life was taken from me. Not only that, but I was robbed of the chance to hold my child in my arms. And now, for the past twenty seven days, I've been forced to watch the person that took these chances away from me stand up and claim that he was innocent. It's now more than I can bear and I pray that the jury has made the right decision."

"Bailiff, may I have the verdict." Called the judge after Tails's plead. The large man walked to the head juror and retrieved a small slip of paper and returned it to the judge. Upon reading it, she nodded as the eyes of the entire courtroom were upon her, hoping to catch some sort of facial expression. However, there were no visible giveaway to the secrecy of the answer as she asked the bailiff to give the verdict back to the head juror. "Please read the verdict to the courtroom." Called the judge as she prepared her gavel.

The elderly woman took a deep breath and said, "We the jury have declared beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, Knuckles T. Echidna be found... not guilty of the crime of murder."

As soon as the word "not" had left the woman's mouth, Both Sonic and Tails jumped to their feet and remained still with their mouths hung open in shock. Tails immediately burst into tears and fell back into his chair and almost on the floor. Sonic slowly went down to comfort his friend and quietly said, "I'm sorry."

However, on the other side, Knuckles didn't jump and shout for joy, he just remained in his seat and slyly smiled. In the audience there was much talk, most of it disagreeing with the verdict. Loud, sharp noises filled the air as the judge did her best to restore order. Eventually all noises ceased, except that of the faint sobbing of Tails, with his head pressed deep into Sonic's black blazer.

"Order!" The judge yelled, making her best attempt to get Tails's attention, however, the young fox threw away the sleeve of the jacket and made his way out of the courtroom. Sonic quickly gathered his papers and shoved them in his briefcase.

"We're going to file for an appeal your Honor, however, I think that this courtday is done. I'll be in touch." Just as Tails was out of the courtroom he stopped and turned around to yell, "Knuckles! This isn't over!" Tails again lowered his head and made his way out of the courtroom and back home.

Knuckles remained as steady as a rock, his gaze remaining directly in front of him, but his face twisted into a maniacal smile as he said replied, "Not by a long shot my friend."