Something new! :D I don't want to say much. Again a story of Sonic and Tails. I just love these two :3 Have fun!

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Without my life

A bizarre groan escaped his open mouth. His breath was weak and his lungs were already crying for air. It hurt. Everything was burning. He was burning. One step after another. Over and over he forced himself thereto. Not to stop. He simply couldn't pass out!

His vision blurred. He could barely perceive his surroundings anymore. Everything was a swirling mix of dark colours. Just interrupted by the loud orange of the burning flames, which devoured the forest bit by bit. The acrid smell of burning wood was in the air, so that every little breath scratched in his throat.

Where he was, he didn't know for a long time now. The pain clouded his thoughts. His normally smart brain was totally useless.

There was something wrong with him. He already noticed this in the morning. But still he waved it off. He even fooled himself. He lied to himself.

This was the day of their picnic. They waited for this day for weeks! Everyone came. Everyone he loved. Finally he could spend more time with Sonic. His big brother.

Of course he didn't tell anyone, that he didn't feel well. He thought, that taking pills would be enough…

Another step forward and a dragging pain crawled through his whole body; got him to gasp. He groaned and touched automatically the raw wound on his upper leg. The dark blood at his glove he didn't notice anymore. The wound, it burned. Just like him.

Why did all of this happen? Why did Eggman want to attack them just today? He destroyed everything. They all were hurt. Where were they now? And where was he?

He did another, shaky step, but this time his body won over his will. A leg twisted under his weight and in slow-motion the fox saw how the destroyed floor approached to him. Unable to do something against it. His head hit the hard earth and the impact took his consciousness for a few seconds.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Even for that he was too weak. He was already too close to loose his consciousness permanently.

With every second he lay motionless on the floor it became clearer to him: He failed. Both as a fighter and as a friend. Likely the fight with Eggman was going on somewhere and what was he doing? The fox had to surrender to his weak body. He couldn't help. He never could.

It was quiet. Not even the crackle of the flames could be heard by him. Was he already in the middle of the firestorm? Or did he somehow escape the deadly inferno? He didn't know.

The burning inside his body was everything he could feel. He gasped. He felt the cold sweat, which ran over his face like rain. Cold, fresh water. He wished for it. It would ease the fire inside him. Extinguish him.

But he couldn't do something against it. It grew inside of him. Took his whole body. Mixed with the pain of his numerous wounds. His whole self seemed to burn.

"So-nic…", he gasped, as a new wave of pain hit him. He squirmed; his muscles trembled uncontrollably, as he retired further and further into himself. Away from the pain, the fire, away from the thought of the friends, he disappointed.

The darkness he fell into seemed to be a true blessing. The more it embraced him, the more he got numb. His head, his body. Himself.

.

"Hey, lil bro! You were really good today! I'm really amazed!" Tails grinned. Even if he was fully out of breath and every muscle in his body trembled because of the effort, he rarely felt better than in this moment.

"Thanks, Sonic!" he smiled and let his exhausted body fall on the soft grass. The little grass stalks were tickling his sensitive ears, as he looked at the clear, blue sky. Still fighting for air. Quiet the opposite to his best friend. Tails knew Sonic could run like this forever without even have to catch his breath once. Even if he knew that it was impossible for him to gain his condition, he was annoyed that he have to accept it. He wanted to be better to run with Sonic! He wanted to share his hobby, his passion with his big brother! He was the only one who could do it!

But still he was just a drag for him.

"You don't worry about that again, do you, buddy?"

Tails jerked. An angry sigh sounded. Were his thoughts really that obvious? Why could Sonic read him like an open book? Sometimes their close bond was quiet impractical. With one hand he wiped the sweat drops off his forehead, as he admitted his inner defeat. He didn't want to lie to him. His brother didn't deserve this.

"But Sonic! Just this short distance and I'm totally out of breath and you…!" He didn't finish his sentence and stared ahead again. He squirmed under the gaze of his best friend.

"Hey, bro. Are you still worried about this? I told you before, but I say it once more for you: I'm really glad I met you!" Sonic smiled. "Don't give it a second thought. Nobody is as fast as I am. And that's a good thing. You wouldn't like it either, if I suddenly tinkered on the Tornado and arrange it to only fly backwards, right?" Tails couldn't help but giggle. It was simply impossible to be sad, when Sonic was around.

"You still have Shadow! He would love to race with you" the little one said jokingly and Sonic groaned.

"Tails. I would rather race against a cactus! Or if it needs to, even with Knuckles."

They both burst into laughter. Small tears of joy gathered in Tails eyes, while he tied to calm himself down.

"And where is the difference between them?" the fox giggled.

"In sitting still, without doing something useful, they're both pretty good. And spiky are they, too. But the cactus got one big advantage: It doesn't speak" the blue one answered.

Tails took a deep breath to prevent him from laughing out loud again.

"Thanks, Sonic."

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The love to whom, that saved his life. In so many ways, he couldn't count it anymore. The love to his big brother was everything, he ever needed.

He never wanted something else. Sonic was his life. Just because of him he got one after all. And therefore he would be thankful forever.

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"Sonic!" His own scream echoed in his head. The attack hit him directly! A big cloud of dust hovered over the place, his big brother was standing seconds ago. Unable to move. Something strong held him back, as he wanted to help his best friend. "Let me go!" he begged and braced himself against the grip.

"No, Tails! You can't help him now!" Knuckles voice sounded behind the fox, but he didn't pay attention to his words.

His head was empty. Even if he knew, that he could trust Sonic, the fear overwhelmed him. Panic suffocated him. What if he just couldn' t do it this time? If Eggman had lured him into a hopeless trap? Was it really possible, that Sonic…?

The smoke cloud cleared and Tails stopped struggling. His gaze was fixed on the crater. His heart cramped.

"So-nic?"

A bright light exploded out of the deep hole and a pleasant warmth surrounded his body. Seemed to wrap around him like a shielding cocoon. This feeling… A smile sneaked under his tears. How could he even have doubted him? His brother wasn't just someone ordinary.

He was Sonic the Hedgehog. The coolest hero ever.

"As if that is enough to defeat me. You can't win against me! Not as long as I have friends, which believe in me!"

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He was there. He was always there for him.

Thanks to him he got a life he never even dreamed of. Those were the best years of his whole life.

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Again he sighted and let himself sink deeper into the pillows. That silly dream! It wouldn't want to vanish from his head! The question, sticking into his mind like bubblegum, took his whole thinking. Just the sadness he felt since he stood up seemed to exist beside this thought. He knew the answer to his question, but that made him sadder, than everything else in his life had ever done.

"What's up, bro? Why this long face?" The voice made him jump and he almost fell off the couch.

"Ah, Sonic" the fox said quietly and lifted his body back on the furniture. "Back already?" Didn't he say yesterday he wanted to be away the whole day? But wasn't it only noon?

His friend shrugged his shoulders and fell on the couch beside his brother. "I got the feeling I should be here instead and as it looks like, I was right. And now tell me what you are worrying about!"

Again a sigh. Should he really tell him? The answer he would get, already send him a cold chill down his back. But he knew how tenacious Sonic could be, if it was something like that…

"Do you think we are going to separate soon? Going our own ways?"

The silence wrapped around the two of them was hard to take for the little fox. Even if Tails didn't look into Sonics direction, he could almost smell his confusion. In his head the fox already thought about the craziest scenarios how Sonic could react, but like always Sonic managed to surprise him.

"Yeah, that's quite likely." At this answer Tails core cramped uncomfortable. Inside his breast it stitched painfully and tears burned in his eyes. This was the answer he was afraid of. "You are totally different from me, Tails. You want to learn and change the world with your inventions. I, however, am looking for adventures and freedom. I only strain my head, if I absolutely have to." That was typical Sonic. Despite of his bad mood, Tails could suppress a smile only with great effort.

"Yeah, you're right." the fox said silently. But he didn't want that to happen! Sonic was the one, who gave him this life in first place! Without him he wouldn't have lived even one second! So what should he do without his big brother? Why had they to separate? Just because he was a little more intelligent than others? Was it his head again, that took everything from him, he loved?

"But I won't let that happen." Tails jumped, as an arm wrapped around his shoulders and draw him aside. Suddenly he felt the warm fur of his brother in his face, as he pressed the fox against himself. Like he did very often in the past. "I refuse to let the both of us separate. I'm way too selfish to let you go. Without my little brother I couldn't stand one day. I can't live without my heart."

Tails eyes widened. Hot tears run across his muzzle, as he understood his brother's words. Sonic, who never showed his emotions and more rarely spoke about them, poured out his heart to him.

"Sonic…" he whispered and wrapped his arms around Sonics neck. The hands that lay on his back, pressed him firmly against his big brother.

"Hehe, I'm not good with all these mush." The shame in his voice let the fox smile. "I just want you to know, that wherever you want to go, I'll be there."

Tails knew in this moment more than ever, that he couldn't escape his heart. And he didn't want to either. One can't live without his life.

"I won't go anywhere."

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Further and further he fell into the darkness. Even his thoughts and memories seemed suddenly to be far away. His gaze blurred. The swirling colours vanished. The fever took control.

He was about to loose his consciousness.

A jolt run through his body. He felt vague how his muscles moved. Something seemed to pull him to the surface again. Away from the numb darkness and at the first moment he fought against it. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to feel this pain and the heat again. To be at the mercy of his own feelings.

But still… Something let him fight against his own instincts. This voice, which called him…

"-ails!... Tails! Wake up! Tails!"

He slowly returned. He surfaced again. The hard push of the stony floor vanished and instead he felt something totally different. Something soft and pleasant. A warmth he knew for years… and loved.

He wanted to open his eyes; forced himself to do so and a small, almost unnoticeable smile scurried over his lips. Even, if he could only see him in a blurry shape, he knew immediately, that it could be only him. His touch, his voice, his warmth.

"Sonic…" he breathed, as he finally could look into his face. Emerald green eyes gazed at him. The shine, which normally was sparkling in them, had vanished. Now he could only see a worried expression. Numerous scratches were on his face and the parts of his body, which the fox was able to see. What had happened, when he wasn't around?

"Tails! Tails, buddy! Are you okay? What happened? You have a temperature!" His voice was dull and sorrowful. Even something like fear sneaked into his words.

"Sonic… is everyone… okay?" He skipped his questions and asked the one question that pressed hard against his heart: How much did he destroy?

Sonics eyes widened for a second, until he pulled himself together and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Do you really think we let Baldy McNosehair win?" he said jokingly, but Tails could see, that the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry. Nothing happened that we won't be able to get together again. But I…" he added quietly "won't be okay, until I know that you are safe, lil bro."

Tails nodded weakly. There was nothing he could say. Therefore he knew Sonic way too good.

He felt how his body was lifted in the air and in the next moment the warm fur of his brother stroked his face. He could hear his heartbeat.

The fire died away. It was much easier to forget it. The familiar wind, which drifted past him, dispelled his worries and the pain out of his body. Suddenly he wasn't afraid anymore. The person, he trusted the most, was right beside him. He was here in his arms.

At this moment he knew: he'll withstand everything. Nothing and no one will overcome him.

Not, as long as his brother was watching him. As long he loves him.