Sonic X Fan Fiction ❯ Lucky 13 ❯ Rabbit's Foot ( Chapter 5 )

“Lucky 13” Chapter 5: “Rabbit's Foot”

 

“So you're sure you're alright with me calling you Sable?” She asked me, for the fifth time. I didn't say anything, only nodded from behind the comforter.

 

“Hehe. Okay.” She said. “I can't believe I just named someone. I feel almost like a mother.”

 

She was now too restless to sit in one place to speak to me, and walked about the room, pacing this way and that, making gestures with her arms, putting all the emotion she could into every sentence she spoke to me.

 

“So anyway, Sable… How did you end up washed up on Emerald Coast…?” She asked me.

 

I didn't know what she was talking about. I couldn't remember. I was trying for her sake, actually trying. But I didn't remember anything. I remained silent, and gave her only an unknowing look.

 

She frowned, but pressed on.

 

“Ok… Well… do you remember anything at all?”

 

I remembered lots of things. But they weren't my memories. They were Josh's. I didn't have the right to claim his memories… and she probably wouldn't believe me. I had no memories as Sable. As Sable, I had only just been born.

 

I shook my head blankly.

 

She scratched her head, and looked at the floor in a pensive way. I felt bad that I was causing all that unnecessary thinking.

 

“Well… Alright. I guess if you don't even remember your own name, you don't remember anything else, either.” She mused. She looked up, and gave me a cheery grin. Underneath the comforter, I smiled back. “That's okay. The best remedy for lost memories is to create new ones!”

 

I felt my broken heart beating a little faster. I wondered why she was willing to go to all this trouble for someone so broken. She…

 

Was she trying to fix me?

 

Just then I heard a voice that scared the living daylights out of me. It was a raspy, booming, powerful voice that came echoing from another room.

 

“Creeeeeeeeaaaaaaam! You up there?” It called.

 

I immediately pulled the comforter entirely over my head, shivering, like something was going to get me.

 

The bunny peeped, and I heard the sound of her door shutting.

 

Next thing I know somebody pulls the blanket away from me. My fur stood on end and I flinched considerably, expecting to see some kind of hideous monster, but seeing just the opposite. Her.

“Oh, shh, hey, don't be scared. That's just my stepdaddy… Um… But… you'd better hide.” She said, giggling weakly.

 

“CREAM! I heard yer door shut! What're ya doin' up there?” Came the booming, frightening voice. I shuddered, but she wrapped her arms around me, in a way to still me.

 

She wrapped her…

 

I felt hot, and stopped shaking. I looked timidly up into her eyes, and she put a finger up to her lips.

 

“It's okay… I won't let him find you. He may sound scary when he's yelling like that, but he's kind at heart. Oh… but… He's a little… Overprotective of me.” She said, giving me a failing grin.

 

I didn't like the sound of that. I felt my face get hotter, as she didn't remove her arms any time soon. I didn't hate it… I know I didn't. I think I liked it, but I was too confused to really know for sure. But I know I wanted to be invisible.

 

I looked down shyly. As I was looking down, I realized something.

 

“…I'm naked.” I said. Cream flinched a little, probably at my voice. That was only the second time she'd heard it.

 

We heard footsteps coming ever closer, stomping louder and louder, as if going up some stairs.

 

The girl sweatdropped cartoonishly.

 

“You're also a boy! Which is exactly why you'd better go hide in my closet before daddy comes in here and gets the wrong idea…” She told me.

 

My face got hot, and I nodded, walking into her already ajar closet, and sliding the door shut. Being naked wasn't quite so embarrassing when you had a coat of fur, I found, but I still felt awfully exposed.

 

There was a banging on Cream's door, and it made my heart pound like a jackhammer and my fur stand on end. I think I might have even arched my back a little, no doubt some kind of feline side-affect of my new… of Sable's body.

 

I didn't like Cream's stepdad already. He was loud. He was very loud. Loud made me think he was also powerful. Powerful and mean. Powerful and mean enough to snap me like a dry spaghetti noodle.

 

Her closet door was somewhat transparent, because the doors were barred with flat little planks of wood, so it was like looking through half-closed blinds. Through them, I quietly watched her.

 

I watched her flinch as her no doubt enormous stepdad pounded on her door. She flicked her light off, messed up her bed a little bit, and then… her fur?

 

I wondered what she was doing.

 

I watched as she unlocked the door, and opened it. She let her eyelids droop, and she yawned so realistically you'd think she had just gotten out of bed… Oh, I see.

 

“(*Yawn*) Daddy, why do you have to be so loud?” She said, drowsily.

 

Her father figure walked in, and for the first time I got a good look at him. The man looked almost exactly like I pictured him, which surprised me. I mean, there were records of intelligent life on Earth that weren't human, take Sonic the hedgehog, for instance… but it was rare, and I wasn't used to seeing anything like that outside of the news.

 

And now I was… sort of one of them, I thought.

 

But this guy wasn't small and cute and wonderful to be around like his stepdaughter was. No, he was just like I was afraid he'd be like: Big, scary, and mean looking. He was some kind of humanoid lizard, or alligator or something.

 

I now saw that he really was her STEPdad. No way this guy could be Cream's biological father… as far as appearance went, he was her exact opposite.

 

I could tell that he sensed something was out of place by the way he immediately entered the room, flicked the light on, and looked around. After a long moment, he looked back at Cream, who'd already climbed back into bed sleepily. I could tell she'd pulled the wool over his eyes before, and almost felt like laughing.

 

“Daddy, turn the light off…” She groaned groggily. Wow, she was good at this.

 

He folded his arms, and glared at the girl in a suspicious way.

 

“What're you doin' nappin' in the middle of the day, pumpkin?” He asked, more cautiously than worriedly. I sure hoped Cream wouldn't blow it… for my sake. A monster like that would probably chew me up and spit me out…

 

I gulped inaudibly as I examined those sharp teeth.

 

…LITERALLY.

 

Cream buried her head into her pillow. “Mffmffff fmm ff.” She answered.

 

“Can't hear ya, Cream…” He called impatiently.

 

“Daddyyyy… just let me sleep… I'll tell you tomorrow.” She whined. She was REALLY good at this.

 

Her gargantuan `daddy' gave the room another once over, and for a long, horrifying moment, he was staring at the closet, directly at me. He finally looked away after what seemed like forever.

 

“Aw, awright. Sorry sweetie.” He apologized, before flicking her light off and exiting the room, softly shutting the door behind him.

 

Cream waited a long moment, and for a second I really thought she was asleep. I remained in her closet, not wanting to leave it's safety myself.

 

Actually, I took a liking to her closet. In here I could look at her, but she couldn't see me. I was invisible, but I could still look at her.

 

After another long moment, I started entertaining myself by examining the contents of her closet. She had many assorted outfits strewn neatly about, all of which would look very good on her, I noted. Then there was the pile of shoes I was standing in the middle of, but I didn't really look at those.

 

The most interesting thing I found in her closet was an old photo album. Strangely enough, I found that I could see all of the pictures perfectly even though her light was off, her window shut, and I was shut up in her closet…

 

Strange. But I didn't give it another thought. I quietly flipped through the album, finding pictures of Cream when she was much, much younger. She was still adorable when she was little, but she was downright beautiful now. I found pictures of her with a little chao with a red bow tie. In almost every picture of her youthful self, she was with that little chao.

 

Heh. I never had one, but everyone I knew who did always told me that chao made great pets.

 

I wondered what happened to the poor little thing. I happened to know that chao are, in a sense, immortal. We studied them in biology class a lot, because they were so unique. For instance, the little critters live accelerated life spans, some maturing from a baby to an adult in just hours, others topping out at a year or two. But when a chao gets so old, I hear it turns back into an egg, waiting to hatch into another life. I guess they sort of reincarnated themselves or something like that.

 

But I noticed the presence of no chao in her room, or anywhere, so I assumed something had happened to it. Maybe I'd ask her later.

 

I flipped through the book and found pictures of none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. There were a lot of them, and none of them were autographed or anything. It donned on me that Cream might actually be close friends with the hero. I also found pictures of other familiar faces, ones I couldn't name, but had seen on the news countless times. They were all part of Sonic's crime fighting… team… or something like that, I assumed.

 

As I neared the end of the book, I found pictures of that crocodile man Cream called `daddy' with a rabbit that, in some ways, looked remarkably like Cream. That had to be her mother, I thought, counting the similarities.

 

Eventually I put the album back, and immediately after I'd done so, the closet door slid abruptly open, scaring me half to death.

 

When she saw me shivering in the corner, her face melted into a sad smile. “Awww… I'm sorry, Sable, I didn't mean to frighten you.” She said, grinning almost mischievously. “It's safe to come out now. Daddy's detective friends called him over for a game of cards.”

 

Detective. That guy was a detective…?

 

Remembering how suspicious he got when Cream was trying to hide me from him, that actually made a lot of sense. I really had to admire how crafty the bunny would have to be to fool Shercroc Holmes so easily….

 

I really hoped she could do it on a whim, or I'd be toast next time.

 

I didn't say anything, only nodded, subconsciously folding my tail over my pelvic region.

 

And Cream just watched me like it wasn't even that big of a deal. Well, I guess it wasn't… I mean, it wasn't like you could SEE anything on me… I think Sonic and a whole lot of those other characters were the same way, because they never wore clothes.

 

But I… I wasn't born like this, so I couldn't help but feel like… you know.

 

I looked up shyly from the corner of the closet, folding my knees up to my chest. Cream looked at me in a way that almost suggested fondness. I felt hot, hot and naked and exposed.

 

“Hee! You're such a shy boy, Sable. I've never met a boy who's not human that actually wears clothes… At least not all the time. When I found you you were wearing some… but they were all muddy and way too big, so I threw them away…” She said, frowning. I frowned too, also highly embarrassed that the girl had undressed me when she had found me washed up on a beach, something I still didn't even remember.

 

I looked up from behind my knees, shyly looking into her eyes, trying to ask questions without having to actually speak. She looked back at me and winked one eye shut, tilting her head. The other eye looked at the ceiling, as a sort of thoughtful look. She had many thoughtful looks, but none so cute as that one.

 

She opened her eyes with a grin, looking at me in a way that suggested she had had a lightbulb. She held up a finger.

 

“Hold on just a second!” She said, darting off into another room.

 

And I waited. I didn't want to leave the closet, even though she was, to my knowledge, the only one here now.

 

She was back in a flash, enthusiastically grinning as she tossed a pile of clothes into the closet and shut the door.

 

“Hehe! Go ahead and try them on! They're some of my daddy's clothes from when he was in college like a million years ago. He's a lot bigger now than he was then, so maybe these clothes will actually fit you.” She called through the door.

 

I stared blankly down at the clothes for a moment, then picked them up. I examined them. One was a pair of jeans that I could probably fit three of me in, and the other was a big hoody sweatshirt that looked comfy and warm. Something was written on the front, but I didn't pay any attention to it.

 

A moment or two later, after I'd dressed, I slid the door open just a little, letting my face peer out at her. She turned around and smiled at me.

 

“Well?” She said, looking anticipant.

 

Sighing a little, I stepped out from the closet. The shirt fit me in only the vaguest sense, the bottom trailing down to my knees and the sleeves hanging over my paws. I looked like a little kid in a giant's shirt. The pants fit loosely, too, but there was a hole in the back for a tail, and I could use that to keep them from falling down. My footpaws were kinda big, so the pants didn't fall over them, but I still looked like a fool, I thought.

 

I looked down at the ground, feeling Cream's eyes on me heavily. I felt so humiliated, and wished I was invisible, or back in the closet, or behind her comforter.

 

I expected her to laugh at me. And she did.

 

Only a little titter, but not the kind of hysterical `what a loser' laugh I was waiting for. No, this was her happy Cream laugh that made me feel like laughing with her.

 

I looked up at her, and smiled a little tiny bit. I guess it was kind of funny.

 

“Hee! That's the first time I've ever seen you smile, Sable!” She said, fondly. I felt embarrassed, but still smiled as I scratched my head, looking down at the figure on the shirt…

 

I felt the laughter and the happiness fade as I gazed at the horrid reminder.

 

On the dark gray sweater were the plain, bold numbers, 1and 3.

 

13…

 

Cream giggled for another fleeting moment, before she detected my sudden fear. I looked up at her, then back at the number.

 

It took her a moment to figure out what was upsetting me, because you can probably tell by now, I didn't say a whole lot as Sable… I dunno, I guess I just didn't think it was necessary.

 

Maybe it was because I was broken, or shy, or timid or afraid.

 

“What is it…? Is there something wrong with it…?” She asked.

 

“…Number…” I breathed, feeling like that was all I could say.

 

She looked up at me, then at the number on the shirt. She smiled, and giggled.

 

“Oh, that's right! You're a black cat, aren't you? You don't believe in those old human superstitions, do you?” She said, trying to lighten the mood. I forced myself to smile, and I think I failed horribly. I shook my head.

 

“No… it's my… lucky… number…” I said, each word seconds apart.

 

I could see it in Cream's eyes. She knew I was upset, and she looked worried. Why did she worry about me so…?

 

Nevertheless, she forced a smile, too.

 

“Hehe. That's a pretty strange coincidence, isn't it…?” She pointed out, rocking on her feet cutely.

 

I nodded weakly, reminded that Lady Luck was watching.

 

I felt like she was a cattle rustler, and I had just been branded… The 13 was proof that I was her property. She owned me. I couldn't escape.

 

“Sable…? You're… shivering.” The bunny said, pulling me from my thoughts. She had taken more than a few steps closer to me, and now she had her hands on arms, like she did before, trying to steady my body's sporadic spasming.

 

I looked down away from her eyes immediately, feeling my face get hot, as my body calmed itself at her very touch.

 

It was like magic. Like a broken part of me mending.

 

Another tiny little piece of my heart clicked back into place.

 

“Shh. It's alright… If you believe in luck then don't worry… Look.” She said. I looked up at her, and saw that she was pointing at her foot. I looked down at it and didn't realize what she meant until a moment later.

 

It was a cute way to try and cheer me up, and not in vain, either. It made me feel a bit better, and I even smiled. Cream grinned and stepped away from me, seeing that she was making me nervous.

 

After a moment she looked at my attire again, and started tittering madly like before.

 

I actually found myself smiling in a way that exposed teeth this time, if only for a split second. I looked at some invisible particle on the ground with half-lidded eyes as she chortled at me.

 

I felt I had to say something.

 

“…No good?” I asked her, smiling only a little. She grinned cutely, looking me up and down twice.

 

“Well…You look cuter in it than I bet daddy does.” She admitted, with another little laugh. This girl filled me with reasons to smile, it seemed.

 

I saw the humor in that—seeing as ANYBODY would look cuter than HER daddy in ANY attire. I was too shy to laugh though, and I still felt a little frightened at the `coincidental' digits on my current outfit.

 

I frowned.

I could see her take a step closer out of the corner of my eye.

 

“Awww, I was just joking, Sable. I think you're really cute regardless of what you're wearing.” She said, misconceiving the reason I'd frowned.

 

Sitting on her bed, I looked up at her bashfully, folding my knees up to my chest again.

 

Did she really think I was… cute? She didn't think I was a hideous cat-thing?

 

I looked away for a moment, but found myself gazing inevitably back into the brassy, earthen ovals of her eyes. I found myself caring for this girl more than anything else in the world. All the things Josh had cared for were gone, and now the things that Sable cared for were starting to show themselves.

 

I hadn't known her for more than an hour or two, and already this girl was precious to me. She showed compassion for my broken, fallen spirit, and she was trying to save me, trying to mend my broken soul. And she was making progress… I felt warm and safe, and… at peace, every time I looked at her.

 

She held me when I shook, and told me it would be alright. I believed her.

 

She was going out of her way to help me, even though I'm a total stranger to her, a broken stranger.

 

How, I wondered, could anybody possibly be that beautiful inside?

 

I don't think I'd ever be able to figure that one out, broken or not. But that's alright. As long as nobody takes her away from me, I'd have something to live for. Something to hold onto.

 

She giggled, and looked away, her cheeks reddening a little. “Sable, you're staring at me…” She informed me.

 

I blinked once, then immediately looked away, my face getting hot again. A hot face meant you were blushing… fortunately I had night black fur, so there was almost no way I'd blush heavily enough for anyone to see…

 

“Hee… You're blushing…” She notified me. So I guess I was wrong about that… but… She was just…

 

Okay, so maybe I liked her a little that way, too… but I didn't feel like I could help it. She was so…

 

I want to say `perfect', but that would sound so stupid… So maybe there were no words for her. You've seen how speechless she renders me… it's like she's resilient to them or something. I couldn't bring myself to speak because I felt like I couldn't find any words worthy of her.

 

But of course as soon as she said that, I felt my face get that much hotter, and she giggled, seeming delighted at that.

 

She sat down next to me on the bed, and another moment dragged by. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. She did most of the talking, because I didn't really know what to say to her, or how to put it. What would she say to me next? I felt myself dying to hear her speak to me, no matter what we were talking about, I just wanted to hear her tell me something about herself, or just speak.

 

Her voice made me feel peaceful and comforted.

 

Finally the words came.

 

“Do you remember how old you are…?” She asked.

 

“17.” I replied, without thinking. It was almost reflex that time, and I felt like an idiot.

 

How old was Sable really? Did he or any humanoid animals age the same way humans did? These were questions I didn't know the answer to. And it wasn't because my mind was too broken, but because they were so hard.

 

But Cream giggled, poking my foot with hers lightly.

 

“I'm a year older than you.” She sang almost mockingly, but a cute sort of mocking.

 

Looking at her, I simply did not see how that was possible. I mean, she looked like a teenager, I suppose, but I had no way of telling how old she was…. but she was extremely petite, perhaps 2 or 3 inches shorter than me, and many more inches thinner. She had me guessing 15, tops… but here she tells me she's 18?

 

What's very odd is, strangely, I felt slightly more attracted to her than before. Older or not, we were close in age. We had something in common.

 

I blinked, looking at her blankly. She smirked more devilishly than she had before.

 

“What, you don't believe me? I know I've got a baby-face, but you know, you do, too.” She told me, poking my footpaw again with her socked toes.

 

I blinked again, wondering if what she said was true. When I saw what Sable had looked like before, I remembered only a watery, vague silhouette of an image. I hadn't seen my own face close enough to examine it for such details.

 

I looked at her, waiting for her to say something else.

 

“I thought you were maybe 15 or 16 a minute ago.” She admitted, looking me in the eye. When I felt her eyes penetrate mine like that, my mildly broken, slowly mending heart would jump into my throat, and do the fandango. I looked away, my face warming again. She let out a little, muffled laugh. She was full of laughter.

 

Another moment passed.

 

“Sable… It's no fun talking to myself.” She suddenly said. I looked up at her, eyes relaying my own question. She smiled almost sadly. “I mean I know you're listening and all that, but…” She trailed.

 

She bent forward, putting her face close to mine. I backed away, feeling my body temperature rise enough I'd swear I was sweating.

 

“You should talk more.” She told me.

 

For a moment, I just stared blankly, somewhat nervously at her. She smiled innocently.

 

“It's okay. You can trust me, Sabie. You can say anything to me, I'll listen.” She told me. She raised her huge, floppy ears effortlessly into the air. “I'm a good listener.”

 

I thought about it for a moment, and thought, and thought… what could I say that wouldn't sound stupid…?

 

I opened my mouth after a long minute, but I choked, and closed it. Cream frowned and it stung me like something beyond physical.

 

Emotional pain always hurt me more than anything of the physical world.

 

Another moment dragged by. I looked at her, ears drooping sadly because she couldn't get me to talk to her. I felt bad… like beyond broken bad. Beyond worthless… Beyond cold, wet, and miserable.

 

And I couldn't take it. It didn't matter what I said, I just had to tell her something… anything. I couldn't tolerate another second of seeing her sulk because I was a cat that had my own tongue.

 

So I said the first thing that came to my mind, without even thinking.

 

“…You're very pretty.”

 

End Chapter