Kinda late update, but at least it's up now! Not the best chapter, and the ending kinda sucked, but it's not horrible.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review. Review is like icing on my freaking cake. lol

Disclaimer: If I owned Sega, I probably wouldn't be writing a story. I would be creating it into a game that is actually GOOD! :D

The Terms of Brotherhood

Chapter 4
Terms of Sacrifice

Like I said earlier, brotherhood comes with a sense of responsibility.

You have to be there to protect each other no matter what happens. No matter what, you always have to give everything just to protect each other.

Even if it's from some unstoppable force, like death, you have to at least try.

Not all things can be prevented, but being the protector is mandatory.

And even when things look impossible, you always have to give it your all to protect the thing you care for most.

Even if it means your own death...

A sacrifice, of sorts...

xxx

It was far from a peaceful day in Station Square. It happened at least once a month, robots storming over the city, attacking people and causing chaos. Each and every time they grew a little stronger, causing more destruction. It was kinda like a progressive thing.

Practice makes perfect.

Heh, unless I'm on call.

Of course, I'm always the first to know about the attacks, the first to act even before the police.

Heh. I was just so totally freaking awesome like that.

So, of course, I knew about the newest attacks first thing. Another futile attempt to 'rule the world' from Eggy. I'll admit, though, defeating him just to see him come back just to defeat him again...Nah, it'll never get old. I'll always have fun kicking the round man's ass.

Speaking of which...

I turned away from the window, looking down the hallway. "Tails! Ya coming?" I shouted, already knowing the answer. "Eggy's got some new playtoys for us!" Immediately, the twin tailed fox bolted from the room, his namesake tails flowing behind him. He grinned up at me, and I led the way out of the house. Immediately, I glanced at Tails and started to race off. He caught up with me soon enough, using his tails as propellers. That strange look of detemination was set on his face. I grinned.

Another fun day of busting up robots for me and my little buddy...

I could hear the attacks from in where I was in the forest. I could hear people screaming, robots whirring with activity. And in the air, I saw Dr. Robotnik in his trademarked 'Egg Carrier', or whatever. He was obviously giving the robots orders.

No matter. I grinned. He would be going back home to his Egg Carton in a few moments.

Heh...Egg Carton.

I would have to remember that one.

It didn't take us long to reach the city, thanks to my super-sonic speed. I skidded to a stop near the city limits as a large beam of light cut through the nearest building, nearly catching me in it's fiery attack. The building literally disenegrated in front of me. I looked around in surprise just as Tails stopped next to me.

The city was a disaster area. Buildings had fallen, some completely obliterated. I didn't know how many people were dead, if any, although a few were lying still on the ground. Four or five robots were attacking the city, roaring and slicing, firing beams at anything and everything.

I heard Eggman's voice booming above me, laughing.

"So, you've decided to join us, have you, hedgehog?" the mad scientist laughed. I narrowed my eyes, turning them toward the voice, eyeing the large, round man floating in the sky. "Come to have fun with my new robots?" I simply smiled, tapping my foot on the ground.

"Actually, yeah, I have," I told him. "I think we'll have loads of fun today, right, Tails?" I turned to my comrade, who was grinning as well, and he nodded in response, his own blue eyes turned to Robotnik. I looked back, crossing my arms. "Bring it on, Eggy."

Despite the comment, Robotnik grinned. "Of course, if you insist." He must've pressed a button on that funny little carrier, because, all at once, every single robot turned to look at me, their eyes burning red. I uncrossed my arms, spreading my legs apart, preparing myself for battle. They immediately surrounded me, and we were suddenly locked in a battle.

The first robot leaped at me; a quick spinjump and the robot was gone. I grinned.

I was already having fun.

I could hear Tails spindashing his own share of robots, although I had most of them. I spindashed through two, slicing them in half. Another one leaped at me, but I quickly destroyed it with another spinjump to the head.

Heh. How easy.

Four more leaped at me at the same time. I jumped over their heads, spindashing them rather quickly, and leaping away from the rest, hoping they would follow me. They did, and began to attack me once more.

I kept destroying them, but they kept on coming. Several at a time would attack me at the same time, and I would destroy them. Still, it wasn't that hard, although it was beginning to get annoying.

I just hoped Tails was doing okay with his share.

Three more leaped at me, and, as I did many times before, I leaped into the air. But to my surprise, another leaped at the same time, tackling me. Crying out in surprise, I was sent sprawling to the ground, the robots suddenly on top of me. I growled, quickly spindashing the robot to a hunk of broken metal. They were all on top of me, and I did everything I could to get them off.

Finally, I broke through the throng of pesky bastards, leaping away from them and into the air. It was then that I heard a brief shout of pain, and I looked down to see Tails being ambushed by the robots.

"Tails!" I shouted, the fox backing against a broken building as the robots got closer. "Move!" But the fox kit was frozen in fear, bleeding from several cuts on his face. I growled, switching into protective-pissed-off-brother mode. I spindashed through the air toward Tails and the robots, and I heard them humming with the preparation of their lasers. I flew toward them, spindashing the first row. But I didn't have time to spindash the rest...and Tails wasn't moving.

I did the only thing I could think of.

Threw myself in between the robots and Tails.

Immediately upon landing, the robots unleased their attack, their lasers firing straight at me. When they struck, I could feel the lasers tearing at my skin, burning my flesh brutally. I cried out in pain, unable to move away from the lasers that attacked me. I heard Tails shout my name somewhere behind me, but all sense of direction was lost when I was struck in the side, away from the lasers, and, instead, crashing into the debris of a building.

I felt like I was on fire. I couldn't stop the pain. I knew I had to get up, though, get up and face what robots remained.

Tails needs me...

Every muscles on my body protested against moving, but I managed to pick myself up off the ground.

Tails needs me...Must move...Must...get...up...

I opened one eye, scanning the area frantically for Tails. The kitsune was still cornered by the robots, and they were ready to attack again. I quickly shot forward, taking the laserbeams once more for Tails.

My flesh was burning, my fur on fire.

I felt like I was dying...or actually, maybe I wished I felt like I was dying.

Finally, they stopped, and I fell to the ground, my entire body screaming with pain. Panting loudly, I struggled to pick myself up again, looking at the robots with one eye opened. I coughed as they hummed again, preparing for another attack.

"Tails, go home!" I demanded, looking at the kitsune from over my shoulder. His blue eyes met my hard greens one. "Go home, now!" He simply stared at me, not moving, and just as the lasers set off again, I shoved him away with my feet, being attacked once more, just as bad as the last times.

When the onslaught was over, I couldn't move. I knew I was defeated, beaten by Robotnik after all those years of fighting. But I knew Tails was safe, and that was enough for me. I struggled to lift myself using my arms, and heard the humming of the robots once more. I winched, bracing for another attack.

But instead, I heard the crashing and twisting of metal, and the humming was suddenly gone. Lifting my head - which felt like freaking lead, mind you - I saw Tails, swaying slightly, standing over the robots broken bodies. I couldn't help but smile before I struggled to my feet, hardly able to stand. Tails looked at me, and I looked back, grinning at him. Above us, Robotnik had disappeared.

xxx

"...Sonic?"

Most of the trip home had been quiet. Tails was helping me walk, my entire body burnt from the heat of the lasers. I was leaning on him, my arm wrapped around his shoulder. And I was estatic that we were alive. That was the first word Tails had said to me since leaving the battle field.

"Yeah, lil bro?"

"Why...why did you do that?" he asked, not looking at me. I looked at him, confused.

"Do what?"

"Throw yourself in front of me like that," he answered, still not looking at me. "Why did you do that?" For a moment, I didn't reply, not knowing how to put it into words. I looked down at him, limping along next to him.

"Because I don't want you to die," I answered simply, and Tails finally looked up at me. "I'm protective of you, lil bro, and when someone threatens your saftey, thats my first instinct; to save you at all costs." He said nothing for awhile, looking away and straight ahead as we neared the Mystic Ruins.

"Well, I wish you wouldn't have that instinct," he said bitterly. "All I'm good for is freezing in the battle when things look bad." I sighed, stepping gingerly over a fallen log.

"What you're good for? Damn, I saw you spindash right through 5 robots at the same time! How can you tell me you're not good on the battlefield?" He said nothing, still looking bitter. "Look, it's natural to freeze when you're scared of something, just as it's natural for me to risk everything to save someone in danger. There's nothing bad about that." Tails was quiet for a moment before he looked up at me.

"But you never freeze...You're always fighting, not afraid." I tsked him, shaking my head.

"You're wrong there, bro. When I thought you were done for, I was scared to death." I remembered the moment of panic that struck me, and chills went up my spine. "Thats what being an older brother does." I grinned at him. "That why I was able to react so quickly. Fear sometimes fuels the adrenaline." We walked along a few more minutes, silent, just as the sun was beginning to go down.

"I still wish you wouldn't do that," Tails said suddenly, quietly, looking away. I looked back down at him, away from the sky. The wind ruffled our fur, and I smiled gently, squeezing his shoulder with my arm. He looked up at me, guilty tears swimming in his eyes.

"That's just something I can't stop, Tails," I told him, shaking my head. "I would sacrifice my life for yours in a heartbeat, and thats not something I'm going to lie about." He stared at me unhappily at my words, shaking his head.

"Well, I would do the same, Sonic," he told me, looking away stubbornly. "I would die just as quick for you." That currently didn't make me happy, and I felt an uneasy twinge in my lower stomach as the smile fell from my face. Tails looked at me and grinned. "Not something easy to accept, is it?" I was unable to say a thing, and instead, I looked away.

Finally, the kid had cornered me.

"Well, you're right, thats not as easy to accept as I thought," I told him, looking back at him. "But, that really doesn't change anything." I didn't say anything else, and I heard Tails scoff next to me.

"Then I guess it's a matter of who saves who first, right?" I chuckled slightly, shaking my head as we exited the forest.

"I guess so," I told him, looking down at my little brother who stumbled along next to me, practically carrying me home. As I watched him helping me home, I wondered briefly if the kitsune understood just how much I would be willing to sacrifice for him.

End of Chapter