Disclaimer: Yeah I don't own.

A/N: I should read over this but eh... I'm surprised I even convinced myself to write it. I'll fix my mistakes later.

Chapter 6: Run Together

SONIC

He had thought it would never happen but his counterpart eventually fell asleep despite the constant motion of movement. This was only a few minutes before they came across a different child. The small rabbit rose slowly from her daze and Sonic stood by with a certain level of patience, leaning forward slightly to keep the smaller hedgehog from sliding off his back.

While Cream's eyes found him they didn't stay long, dropping to the chao cradled in her arms before she spoke up. "Mister Sonic." The small creature cooed and fluttered upwards in a joyful manner, putting its owner in better sorts. Obvious by the smile and the fact that her attention returned to Sonic, "I didn't know you had two little brothers."

Such a thought had never crossed his mind though he knew they bore a resemblance since they were the same person. "I don't. This is my younger self. He's visiting from the past." Cream made a small sound like 'oh' and that was all there was to it. What else could a person say to a comment like that? "You should go join the others." He added after a moment, nodding his head towards the distance specks of color. "It's probably going to be awhile before we can head back."

Once the rabbit had gone with a wave of farewell, Sonic continued on. The next place was just as familiar as all the others and he had to wonder how he kept getting thrust into these loosely constructed memories. The moment he stepped over the thresh hold he found himself tearing down a large hill on a metal board. With the extra weight it was more than a little complicated. His balance was off but his speed increased.

He wrapped one arm backwards around the smaller mobian as he tilted his body, narrowly missing a car that had just pulled around the corner with a shrilling honk of its horn. He chuckled nervously. "I wonder if its possible to die twice."

"Wha…" Seemed the noise had brought his counterpart back to awareness. Even if it was a sluggishly so. For a moment Sonic worried the kid was going to fall but in the end the action seemed to be on purpose. He felt feet pushing against his back as his younger self launched himself off. It was an action that nearly made him trip from his board but the next second he could hear the soles of shoes plodding after. He risked a glance backwards in time to see his counterpart closing in on him with a grin that could only mean that a race was in order.

There was no clear winner though there was a lot of people that stopped on the sidewalk to gawk and cars implying brakes in alarm. In the end Sonic kicked the board out from under him- sending it crashing into a nearby bush as he flipped over a picket fence. "Hungry kid?"

His counterpart had landed on top of one of the post, arms crossed over his chest with a scowl. "Aren't we suppose to be saving the rest of your friends?" What a downer, especially since he had just been so willing to race him and that was a distraction from their goal.

"Well I'm hungry." He started forward and knew the younger hedgehog followed because a moment later he could fell him yanking at his arm and he brushed him aside. "Chill, nothing bad is going to happen in the few seconds it takes us to eat." The bell to a small diner chimed faintly as he pushed the door open. It was sort of strange… he wondered if the people around here realized that they were misplaced or if they were just a part of the memory too and therefore unaware. Time travel was pretty confusing to him.

Walking up to the counter he order them two sandwiches each. To be fair he didn't have to ask himself what he wanted- that's be weird. Taking the plates he turned to tell the smaller mobian to find them a seat only to find he'd already parked his rear on the edge of the table top. "People eat off of that." Rising a brow at this the kid simply rubbed his butt against it in response. Sonic sighed, reaching past him and putting the plates on the table. With this done he made a sudden scoop at the hedgehog but only ended up squeezing his arm to his own stomach as the kid shot straight up, kicking off the back of his head so his nose slammed forward against the wood.

"They don't eat off the table, they eat off dishes." Even if that was the case Sonic hardly felt he deserved that sort of abuse over that matter. He rubbed at his snout and slid into the booth, leaving the kid looking baffled. "You're not going to come at me for doing that?"

"Uh…" Sonic picked up one of the sandwiches. "No. I will eat your meal if you don't get over here though." He announced in an easy manner as he took a few bites that devoured the first portion of his lunch, at this rate it would be only a few seconds before he started on the kid's but his younger self suddenly sprung into the seat across from him.

"You wouldn't." The small hedgehog said surely.

"I don't know, I'm pretty hungry. A few more sandwiches might really hit the spot." When he reached across to the kid's plate it was to earn a kick to the fingers as his counterpart flipped backwards to land low in the seat with his sandwiches- where Sonic couldn't reach. Not that it matter because he had devoured them so quick at that point that there was probably no one fast enough to interfere.

Sonic leaned back in his seat with a shake of his head and couldn't help but notice that the kid was staring up at something behind him but he wasn't too concerned because his counterpart didn't look to worried. "Hey, what'd you do to tick off GUN?"

"Nothing. They had me mistaken for someone else." Sonic decided to rest his eyes for a moment since he figured the kid must be watching the news on the tv in the corner and personally he'd been going nonstop since he came to from getting knocked out earlier. There'd be no harm in taking a break for a few seconds.

"Another blue hedgehog?"

"Nope… I'm pretty sure we are the only one."

"Are you falling asleep?"

He gave his head a shake and sat up straighter, rubbing at his eyes. "No." Sliding sideways out of the booth he looked at their empty plates and then stretched, turning for the door. "Let's get going."

They didn't get very far before some GUN bots showed up and Sonic plowed through them before the kid could move. Noticing the awed way he was looking at him he released a small snicker. "Homing attack. Took a lot of practice." He explained before speeding forward again. "I'd show you but I don't think now is the time, besides you'll learn it on your own soon enough."

There was no arguing at that point at they just kept going- tearing across miles of cement. Most of the robots they simply went around since Sonic had explained they weren't really the enemy here. The military had just been doing their job of trying to subdue a dangerous threat. The fact they had the wrong hedgehog had nothing to do with their values. Since his counterpart had seemed interest in this tale he decided to tell him more.

He explained that the real problem had been the 'ultimate life form' though the younger mobian didn't seem to be very impressed by this title. To be honest he hadn't been either. He told him how he had been an experiment and that he was just doing what he believed was the last wishes of someone very important to him. It was only much later that he realized him mistake and by then it was almost too late. "What a jerk, was he trying to get everyone killed?"

Sonic didn't get to finish his story because the loud blare of a horn rattled the air right then. He noticed his counterpart pausing and turning his gaze out to the street below them as they were making their way over some construction work- nothing but frames set up at this point and still… they were several floors from the ground. "Hey!" Sonic jerked his head to the side. "Let's get going."

"What is that…?" The kid drew out slowly, leaning forward on his toes with one hand shielding his eyes from the sunlight as he squinted at the shape that just came around the corner. It was coming up on them pretty fast and by the time his counterpart decided to move the front bumper of the massive truck slammed into the support beams- sending all the piece flying as if they were simple building blocks..

The young hedgehog let out a cry of surprise and flung himself away from the ground collapsing beneath him. He somehow ended up grabbing a hold of Sonic's arm as he was shooting away at a much faster rate. Sonic could pick up speed a lot quicker which saved them from an unpleasant fate.

Not that they were home free just yet though, as soon as Sonic had made his way across the rooftops and down to the street once more- it was only to turn the corner and hear tires squealing to do the same. His counterpart had released his hold and was running alongside him once more, eyes darting backwards in alarm as the semi truck's back opened up and three giant buzz saws appeared over the top. "Are those blades?" Sonic couldn't say he remembered that from last time- maybe time was distorted after all.

"Sure looks that way." Sonic sprung sideways as the spinning blade came down above him, sawing into cement as they continued forward. "Watch your tail." He didn't remember this truck being so fast either… well he remembered feeling like everything was happening too quickly but not in a literal sense.

"Grab on." He hopped back a step, stretching his hand out for the kid as he began to lag behind. Before either of them could reach though one of the buzz saws forced them apart. His counterpart was losing ground quickly and the truck was gaining it. Then a sudden burst of speed on the truck's part rammed the smaller hedgehog in the back, sending him tumbling upwards over the vehicle as number of gold rings were sent scattering towards the sky.

Sonic tripped as a momentary pinch of darkness stabbed across his mind the moment the kid went flying. It was an issue he quickly recovered from and filed away for later as he suddenly picked up the pace, leaving the truck in the dust as he sped up the side of a building. Or at least he had thought that was the case before he noticed it doing the same. No doubt this memory was warped now.

He lead it towards a narrow gap, an explosion pushing heat at his back as he threw himself from the building and went flipping down into a small parking lot. By now he could see the exit from the city but knew he couldn't leave just yet. He had to find the kid before something else did.

Sonic

The ground had come up too quickly for him to fully recover from that last strike but he still managed a sloppy roll before skidding a couple feet across the cement, bouncing up into the grass as he hit the road's curb. He really had no idea how long he lie there at that point since he was feeling hazy and found himself admiring the blue of the sky for no real reason. It was only when the red shoes closed in on him that his awareness really started to come back to him but with it came the pain.

He winced faintly but gradually rolled himself over to all fours. Standing was a little more difficult, his legs unsteady beneath him. He glanced up at his older version. "The truck gone?" He wasn't sure he liked the way he was looking at him and so checked himself over for damage. The energy of the rings had shielded him from what would have been fatal otherwise and it was only the landing that left him scraped and bruised.

He rubbed at his side gingerly, coming away with a small amount of blood that he eyed with annoyance. "Yeah. I ran it into a wall." That was an interesting thought and he wondered how much of the building was left standing after that. "You want to rest a few minutes? Looking pretty beat there." He counterpart commented with a slight smile.

Sonic rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward before his wobbly legs gave up on him. He huffed to himself and made to get back up before he had been scooped into the larger hedgehog's arms. "Let me go! I'm not broken just sore." He shoved at his counterpart but it didn't look like he was getting free.

"Were almost out of here anyhow. You can get some rest once we reach the others."

He wasn't too happy with things being decided for him but that's the way it was. Everyone was just sort of sitting around from the looks of it, listening to the music that was chiming out of a nearby radio. When the pair of them approached Amy jumped up and tried to take him from his counterpart but he pushed the sole of his shoe against her cheek when she got to close, forcing her back a step. It was then he was set down on his feet.

Before he could think of doing anything else his brother crashed into him causing him to cringe as he landed on his back. "Hey bud. You're crushing me," He rolled him off of him and decided to just lay where he had fallen. Settling for being stared at by toddler.

"I'm going to keep going. Can you guys look after the younger me for a bit?"

"Of course." Amy smiled broadly.

Something that stood in contrast to Knuckles scowl. "Do I look like a babysitter to you?"

That comment appeared to be ignored by everyone as the older fox stepped up to his brother. "Don't want to take a break too Sonic?" It was a good question and personally he would have to say yes for his older self but was pretty sure that wasn't the word that was going to come out of his mouth. Not that it mattered, he planned on following his counterpart in a moment.

He was just waiting for him to get a head start so he was less likely to send him back here.

"Maybe later."

Sonic rolled his eyes and when the older mobian ran off he rolled over and took up chase before anyone could stop him. Though to be honest they probably knew better than to try.