AN: Just a random idea I had once when I tried coming up with theories at how exactly Sonic could have gotten his hands on Tornado. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

—and done! With a big grin, Tails puffed his chest proudly, pleased with his work. The Tornado looked as if it were brand new, the new protective color-coat flawless and the whole bi-plane polished like never before—man, he could practically see his reflection in it!

A loud whistle sounded from behind him, the sound making Tails turn around on reflex and thus allowing him to see Sonic marveling his work from the garage entrance.

"Whoa! That looks amazing, bud!" Sonic complimented as he walked closer to him and the plane, laying one gloved hand on it to run it along the smooth surface. "You're really outdid yourself this time, Tails!"

"I did, hee hee." Tails rubbed the back of his neck, feeling warmth go to his cheeks at the other's compliment. "It was a ton of work though."

"I imagine." Sonic chuckled, still marveling at the sight.

Tails grinned, happy that his brother liked his work just as much as he did; it was the most precious gift Sonic had ever given to him and he loved it to bits.

Though there was one thing that had always interested him about it. He looked at Sonic, who still had his hand laid on the plane and was gazing at it with a faraway look, seemingly lost in thought. "Say, Sonic," Tails called softly, drawing the other from whatever thoughts he was having and making Sonic look back at him, "why did you decided to call your plane 'Tornado'?"

The speedster's hand drooped back to his side. "Well..." Sonic started somehow slowly, "it's what everybody used to call my mom."

"Your mom?" Tails repeated, surprised. "I though you didn't know your mom."

"Well, not personally," Sonic clarified, "I never met her; she died when giving birth to me." A flash of something—maybe sorrow, maybe guilt, Tails wasn't sure—crossed Sonic's face before something more thoughtful replaced it. "She was mute and, apparently, didn't know how to write. So, when she crash-landed on Christmas Island during a really bad storm, the villagers had no idea what to call her."

"Because she had arrived with a storm and had a wild, care-free personality just like me they thought it'd be fitting to call her 'Tornado'." Sonic ran his hand over the side of the plane, his eyes getting a bit far-away look to them, though there was a small smile on his face now. "After her death, they tried to trace her identity with what remained of her plane but they never found anything. As it seems, it's home-made—a great work for something made in garage, wouldn't you say?" Sonic said, glancing at Tails over his shoulder, before focusing back on the plane.

"The villagers had it repaired and repainted and gave it to me when I was eleven. An old pilot that lived in the village taught me how to operate it and I used it to leave the island and, well, the rest is history as they say! Heh," Sonic announced just as he let his arm fall back to his side, lightly shrugging his shoulders, a soft smile on his lips.

"But if it was your mom's," Tails started slowly, now confused very very much, "why would you give something like that to me?"

"Well, you love technology, so I knew you'd take a great care of it! Better than I ever could, surely!" Sonic laughed. "Like this, I know it's in good hands!" Sonic ruffled the fur of Tails' head playfully, the other immediately doing his best to bat the hand away.

"Sonic, stop!" He was laughing, still trying to fend off the other's hand.

"Alright, I'm done!" Sonic raised his hands in surrender, lips pulled into a wide grin. "What do you say about a lunch now? I'm starving!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Tails grinned, following the other to the door. However, apart from Sonic he stopped there and glanced once more at the plane, the history behind it now making him see it in a much different light; it wasn't a simple gift from Sonic but instead Sonic entrusting him with the only memento that he had of his mother—the most precious possession Sonic had ever owned.

An invisible weight settled on Tails' shoulders but he didn't mind it—the warmth that had settled in his chest made him determined to bear this responsibility he didn't even know he had until now.

The Tornado was his to care for and he will do his best at it. For Sonic and the memory of his mother.