Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sonic Adventures: "On the road" ❯ Sneeze, Hedgehog ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14: Sneeze, Hedgehog

Down the street the RV went, round and round the wheels turned until at last, they reached a large city where tall buildings seemed to touch the sky. Sonic the Hedgehog, who was the driver, stopped the RV to refill and so the team relaxed after yet another long drive in California. Tails found the name of the city they were currently in and it was called Los Angeles. The girls were freshening up inside while Sonic was refilling the RV, and Shadow noticed the blue hedgehog had been quiet lately. It was not like Sonic, and Shadow knew that for a fact.

"Sonic, is anything wrong?" Shadow asked him, standing close by.

"Wrong?" Sonic asked, looking up to face him. "Nah, nothing is wrong."

"You have been a little quiet lately, ever since we left the Zoo." Shadow said.

"I just don't have anything to say." The blue hedgehog let out a quiet sigh. "Maybe it's the weather, you know. I don't like gray skies." He looked up to see the rain clouds above.

"Yeah, but a friend can be sunshine in one's life." Shadow told him, gently.

Then Sonic turned and looked at him. That hedgehog standing beside him may be dark and black, but Sonic had to admit it, he was sunshine in his life, when things were not going very well. Sonic finally smiled after what seemed like many days. "Thanks, Shadow." He whispered.

On top of the RV, Knuckles the echidna was sitting down and watching them. He smiled and blinked his eyes. "Oh, isn't that sweet?" He asked himself but the hedgehogs heard him.

Sonic looked up and saw the red echidna. "You stop playing spy up there!"

"Make me." Knuckles said, grinning playfully.

"There's no time to play games!" Shadow said, and then he suddenly jumped up high, reaching the RV's roof, landing beside the echidna. Knuckles gulped when Shadow looked down at him.

"Hi, pal." Knuckles waved his hand, nervously at the black hedgehog.

Just then, the girls returned and the RV was refilled, ready to go. Sonic paid the bill and then he came to the driver's seat, but Shadow was already sitting there.

"Hey, Shadow, move over. That's my territory." Sonic reminded him.

"No, I'm driving until you finish having a nap." Shadow said, refusing to move.

"Naps are for cats, not hedgehogs like me." Sonic said, "Now, scram."

"Nope, not this time. Go and rest for a while. You need some shut eye."

"But…" Sonic tried to speak.

"It's all settled." Shadow interrupted, and then he turned the key to drive.

Sonic sighed and turned from the black hedgehog and then he saw a pillow and a blanket waiting for him on the sofa. He closed his green eyes, shaking his head. "I guess I have no choice."

= = = = =

Later that day, it began to rain after the RV took the Sonic crew around to see Los Angeles. Shadow thought it was best to find a RV park outside of the city, where they could stop and wait for the storm to pass. The road was dangerously slippery but Shadow safely drove on until he reached a park where RVs could camp with water and electric. Sonic had fallen asleep on the sofa but the thunder woke him up from a restful sleep. He felt the blanket covering him and his head on the pillow and he looked up at the window, which was next to him. Through the curtain, he could see lightning flash across the dark sky. The hedgehog breathed in a little air and then he moved to sit up but he turned onto his side instead. He never realized he was so tired. He had been hiding and fighting it for a while. He closed his eyes again, listening to the rain outside. Shadow found a quiet place in the RV Park and with some navigating help from Knuckles; he parked perfectly. The engine became silent and the wheels cooled down but outside, the rain was pouring, the lightning flashed and the thunder roared. Shadow and Knuckles had the place secured; the water and electric was for them to use in their RV, and so after that was finished, they settled down inside where it was dry. Sonic moaned quietly and tried to sit up again.

"Sonic, are you okay?" Tails asked him, and he came to his side.

Sonic breathed quietly from his mouth, keeping his eyes closed. "I feel strange..." He answered, quietly and then Tails laid a hand on the hedgehog's head. It was very warm.

"Uh-oh." Tails said, realizing it. "I think you've got a fever."

Sonic sighed and turned his face away and then Shadow felt that the blue hedgehog's hand was cold. Yes, he was sick but Sonic, being a great hero and the world's fastest hedgehog always had trouble admitting something like that. His friends gathered to help him recover.

"Let's take his temperature." Knuckles said, and he came with a First-Aid kit.

"Quit playing doctor or I'll lose my temper." Sonic said, weakly.

"Hey, chill out. Now, open up and keep this under your tongue." Knuckles instructed.

Sonic obeyed after a moment of refusal and when the others saw his temperature, it was 102 degrees and so that was hot.

Shadow found some medicine in a First-Aid kit while Amy poured a glass of orange juice. Sonic swallowed the pills, which would help bring his temperature down and he drank the glass of orange juice. His eyes felt watery and he closed them while he rubbed them with his hands.

"Now, there." Knuckles said, gently petting him on the head.

Sonic felt too weak to slap the hand away and then he smelled soup. It was Tikal's specialty and Tails helped Sonic sit up to eat the hot soup, so he would recover quicker. At first, Sonic did not want anything but when he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw all his friends looking toward him with concern, and even Shadow looked worried. Everyone was silent. Then…

"Thanks, guys." Sonic said, and he forced a smile and so the team smiled with him.

"This calls for a story." Tails said as he watched Sonic take his first sip of the soup.

"Now, that's a good idea." Amy agreed and then everyone looked at Shadow.

"Do it, Shadow." Rouge requested but the black hedgehog did not understand.

"What should I do?" Shadow asked, and then everyone but Sonic answered.

"Tell us a story!" They all said at once and this surprised Shadow greatly.

"No, no, no, I'm not a good storyteller." Shadow refused.

"Yes, you are." Amy said, "We all know you can do it, Shadow. Please tell."

"Well, I don't know…" Shadow shrugged, and then Sonic looked up at him, grinning.

"Hey, it will make me feel better." Sonic said, still weak in his voice.

"See, Shadow?" Rouge asked him, "You want to make Sonic better, don't you?"

"Yes, of course, I do." Shadow replied without even thinking of saying, No. The black hedgehog sighed quietly and then he closed his eyes, thinking of something while the others waited. "Well, I do remember one that Maria read to me, but I don't quite remember all the words."

"It doesn't matter." Tails said, "We'll hear it anyway, just tell it as you remember."

"Fine, okay." Shadow said, and then he took a breath before he began. "This story is called Stone Soup and it goes something like this: A long time ago, three soldiers came back from war. They were tired and hungry. They had no food to eat. The soldiers went to a town, but the villagers would not share their food with the soldiers. These villagers hid their potatoes in cellars. They tucked vegetables under their beds. They even hung meat inside closets! They stuffed barley in pillowcases. All the food in the village was hidden. Then the soldiers tricked the villagers. They told them that they could make a pot of stone soup. The soldiers put water and stones in a pot. A girl zoomed over with salt and pepper. Somebody brought onions for the soup. Then came celery and carrots. After that came potatoes. The town miller brought barley. A lady brought milk. A person brought meat. The soup was rich. The soldiers and villagers had a feast fit for a king and queen. The soup was served on a table. People jumped for joy and there was so much excitement. The soup was yummy and it was extra special. After dancing and celebrating the people were ready for sleep. The night came and the soldiers were welcomed to sleep in the villagers' beds." Shadow cleared his throat quietly and then he finished it. "There, and that's the end." He crossed his arms and lay back against the chair to do some quiet thinking.

"Wow, that was a great story. I like it." Amy said, and everyone agreed.

"He told it pretty good too." Knuckles said, and then Shadow lifted a finger to his lips, pointing to Sonic. When the others turned and looked, they saw Sonic, sound asleep under the blanket.

= = = = =

It was nightfall when the rain stopped and it all ended, bringing a calm, quiet night as the sky began to clear and the stars began to be seen once again. The RV Park lost electrical power but the Sonic team was safe inside, dry and warm and they heard that the storm had passed them. Outside the park's walls, Metal Sonic and Chaos silently approached, seeking the crew's RV.

"It's black as midnight, Metal. I can't see a thing." Chaos whispered, staying close.

"That's perfect, iceberg. If it's dark, no one will see us." The robot hedgehog said, quietly.

"Oh, you're right. What a good plan." Chaos chuckled, quietly and covered his mouth.

"Yeah, well, I like to use both sides of my brain." Metal said, and then he stopped walking. "Now, I'll need to look into the park from this wall." He turned to Chaos and used him as a stepladder. The robot hedgehog stood on his back and he peeked over the wall, seeking.

"Hurry up, Metal. This really hurts." Chaos said, sweating on his face.

Metal used his radar and then he saw the RV of the Sonic crew, quietly parked in a place away from the other vehicles in the park. "This is as good as it gets." Metal whispered, "We'll sneak into the park, to the RV and before you can say 'Eggman is my Uncle,' we've got the Emerald." The robot jumped over the wall and quietly landed on his feet, in the park now.

"Hey, what about me?" Chaos asked from the other side of the wall, outside.

"What about you?" Metal asked, crossing his arms and he tapped his robotic foot.

"I can't jump very high." Chaos said, after he tried a few times but he failed each time.

"You can climb, remember, acorn brain?" Metal reminded him.

"Oh, yeah." Chaos remembered and so then he climbed the wall, reaching the top. He tried to climb down but he fell instead, landing right on his tail, that is, if he had one. "OW!"

"Quiet." Metal silenced him, dragging Chaos out of sight behind some trees where they could spy on the RV and when the time was right, they would make their move.

= = = = =

Meanwhile, Tikal stepped outside to see the stars. She could see them and felt glad to see the storm clouds moving on and away. She smiled at them and then looked down to see a lone red rose, which was opened now that the storm had passed. She saw a raindrop shine on its lovely petal like a diamond. The female echidna reached to touch it but her finger touched a sharp thorn instead and she stepped away, holding her wounded finger close. It burned and she closed her eyes to keep the tears back. She felt saddened and did not know why.

"What's wrong, Tikal?" A voice asked and she knew it was Knuckles. Tikal turned to face him and Knuckles saw her eyes. He knew she was hurt. "What happened?" He asked, gently.

"I tried to smell the rose." Tikal pointed toward it. "But I touched a thorn by mistake."

"Hey, don't be so downhearted. There's no need to cry." Knuckles said and he held the wounded hand, giving the finger a kiss. "I'll get it for you, young lady." He said, and then with a few strokes of a knife, he removed the sharp thorns of the rose and then he picked it. He turned and gave the flower to Tikal who smelled it with a shy smile. It had the sweetest smell.

"Thank you." Tikal whispered and she surprised Knuckles with a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't mention it, Tikal. It was easy as pie…" Knuckles said, blushing.

Then suddenly, Metal's voice was heard. "You creatures are so sickening."

Knuckles turned around to face the enemy. "Metal!" He growled, pointing.

"Hey, don't forget me." Chaos said, stepping into sight from behind a tree.

"Never mind." Metal said, still facing the echidna. "Where is the hedgehog?"

"He's feeling ill." Tikal answered, staying behind Knuckles.

"Good, then I'll go and finish him like the coward dog he is." Metal laughed.

Knuckles was angry at Metal for mocking his friend. "Tikal, run!" Knuckles said, and he gave her a push to safely, toward the RV. She ran back for the RV to find Shadow and Metal knew it.

"Stop her!" Metal commanded Chaos and then the robot began to fight against Knuckles.

Chaos ran toward Tikal and he stopped in front of her, blocking her path. "Stop, you girl."

"No!" Tikal screamed when he tried to take her and she slapped his face. She ran while Chaos rubbed his wounded cheek. The echidna escaped, leaving Chaos shocked and surprised.

"That hurt a lot. I never knew a female hand could hurt so much." Chaos said to himself.

Back at the RV, Shadow lifted his eyes toward the door as it opened and in came Tikal, panting from running. Everyone stood up to hear the news. Tikal told them that Metal and Chaos were attacking Knuckles and Shadow did not even stay to hear her finish. He ran outside in the dark.

"Here I come!" Shadow said, before he vanished into the darkness, ready for combat.

Just then, Sonic weakly sat up with his eyes half opened. "Huh? What's going on?" He asked.

"Nothing, Sonic, just go back to sleep." Tails said, standing beside the sofa where he laid.

"No, I thought I heard Shadow outside." Sonic said, and then he gripped Tails by the arm to support himself to stand on his feet. "I gotta go find him. I smell trouble."

"But Sonic…" Tails tried to stop him but Sonic was gone before anyone could stop him.

= = = = =

Outside, Metal Sonic threw Knuckles and the red echidna crashed against a tree, fell to the ground and he felt pain in his shoulder. Before Metal could attack again, a hand gripped his arm, pulling it away from Knuckles. The robot looked and faced Shadow the Hedgehog. Metal began to fight with Shadow while Knuckles climbed back onto his feet to stand again. He froze when he heard Chaos, hissing behind him. He gulped and slowly turned around to face him. Chaos moved to attack, but then the voice of Sonic stopped him from doing any harm to the trapped echidna.

"Hold it right there, puddle trouble!" Sonic said, pointing toward him.

Chaos turned and stepped toward the blue hedgehog with anger. But before any of the two could attack each other, Sonic suddenly sneezed twice. He sniffed and rubbed his watery eyes.

"Bless you." Chaos said, after the hedgehog sneezed.

"Thanks, I--Hey you!" Sonic said, angry with the enemy.

Then suddenly, Chaos sniffed and felt strange. Before he could move, he sneezed and with such a force that he fell backwards, crashing into Metal and both of them flew right out of the RV Park, through the gate and into the street. They landed on the hood of a police portal car.

"Whoa!" The Sonic team all said it together, watching with surprise.

The police officer inside the portal car that was eating a big powdered doughnut was unharmed, but he stepped outside to write down a ticket for the two speeding, going the wrong way on a one way street, destruction of police property and last but not least, wearing Halloween costumes out of season because no one saw a Metal Sonic and Chaos everyday. Again, the Sonic crew was safe as they left the area to find a place more calm and peaceful. The stars seemed to follow them.