YAY! New project!

Yeah, I've been working on watching that movie, Reign Over Me, and I've finally got around to it. And I've realized how good of a story it is to use with Sonic and Tails, however AU it might be.

Anyway, this is another brotherly oneshot, one I intend to enjoy writing, although this first chapter was kinda annoying, except at the ending. It will get better. This is just the leading chapter.

Anyways, I hope this turns out good, and let me know if I should just give up this project. :)

Reign Over Me

Chapter 1

It had been a very long day.

After several landing-gear replacements, two wing repairs, and a couple gas tank replacements, just before closing, a total rebuild came in. Of course, he didn't need it back in forever, but it was still a little aggravating, and it would be for any plane repairer. He loved fixing and rebuilding planes, but considering it was the fourth time Mr. John Dotson had brought in his small, single passenger practice plane if four months. It took everything he had to simply smile at the man and tell him it would be finished within the month.

Miles 'Tails' Prower, sighed as he walked out of the shop, leaving all of the to-be-finished work inside. He was filthy and exhausted, and beginning to get tired of rebuilding planes. He locked the door behind him, his twin tails twitching gently behind him as he turned the key in the lock and turned to walk to his car. He stuck his keys in the pockets of his working shirt, sighing in relief at the finished day.

It was around four, and the sun was still far from setting. The streets of Station Square were full, people in cars and on the sidewalk, most of them heading home. Tails walked to his car parked along side of the road, unlocking the door and slipping inside. He pulled slowly into the traffic, almost immediately stopping once on the road. Great. He wanted to get home and relax the rest of the evening.

But now he was stuck in traffic.

Sighing, Tails rested his head in his hand, his elbow resting on the window, staring out of the glass. People were walking down the sidewalk, grouped together. Tails scanned the throng of people, his eyes falling on someone that looked fairly familar. He lifted his head immediately, rolling down his window and sticking his head outside. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he knew the so-familar-looking hedgehog walking down the sidewalk.

Memories came back to him, of his childhood and his school life. Immediately, Tails knew who it was, just as the hedgehog looked up and his green eyes flashed in the sunlight.

"Sonic?!" Tails shouted outside the window, immediately getting looks from the people on the street. The blue hedgehog was now crossing the street nearby, and Tails opened the door slightly, hanging out the car and shouting again. "Sonic!" But ear-buds were shoved tightly into the hedgehogs ear, and he was unable to hear him. For a moment, Tails thought about following him, the best friend he hadn't seen in years, but decided against it. Still, he watched the blue hedgehog walk down the street before turning it and disappearing before he got back into his car.

In the next few minutes he waited in the traffic, Tails' mind raced, remembering the fond memories of his past with the familar blue hedgehog. Sonic had always been his best friend, his brother even, and the two had shared a close bond as they grew through the years. Tails always looked up to Sonic, and Sonic had always loved him like his own brother.

But after Tails went off to college, the two saw less and less of each other. The twin-tailed fox knew that his old friend had been married to Amy Rose, something neither of them could have seen in their past, and he had children. Tails couldn't recall the last time he had talked to his old friend. And seeing him had brung back so much.

As Tails made his way home, Sonic stayed on his mind, and the fox hoped he would see him again soon.

xxx

Tails made his way inside his home, sighing and plopping immediately on the couch. His apartment was small, not much, but not too little either, and he liked it that way. A TV sat in front of the couch, with a table between the two. One hallway to the right led to the kitchen, and from there, a hallway led into the bedroom and bathroom. A hallway in the back led to a small study, which Tails had made into his workshop for his at-home repairs. As he sat on the couch, Tails reached for the remote, flipping on the television. He flipped through the channels, but wasn't really watching anything.

He was still focused on seeing Sonic for the first time in years.

The last he had heard from the hedgehog was several years before, just after the tragic death of Sonic's family. All two of them - Amy and his single daughter - were killed when a semi had crossed the center line and struck their car head on. Sonic had been hysterical, crazy almost, but at the funeral, Tails didn't see him cry, simply staring at the bodies in horror and disbelief. Now, Tails wondered how everything was going for him, and hoped he had coped well.

Sighing Tails stood from his couch, turning the TV off and heading into the bathroom. He showered quickly, walking into his bedroom once finished. As he passed by the phone, Tails paused, thinking a second. He wanted to get in touch with Sonic, and for a moment he wondered if anyone knew of his whereabouts. But Tails decided against it, instead crawling into his bed. He did a little reading in his book, but found himself unable to concentrate, so instead, he decided to go to sleep, glad that tomorrow was Saturday.

xxx

The next morning, Tails climbed into his car, decided to do a little shopping before getting started on some projects. He was coming out of the store, just getting ready to climb into his car, when he noticed the same familiar blue hedgehog, walking down the street quickly. Immediately, Tails dropped the groceries in his car before beginning to shout again.

"Sonic!" he shouted, heading toward him. "Sonic the Hedgehog!" If Sonic had heard him, he gave no notion, and kept walking with the crowd. "Sonic!" Tails shouted louder, pushing through the crowd toward him. The blue hedgehog lifted his head slightly, twisting his ears as if hearing something. "Sonic! Stop!"

Immediately, the hedgehog stopped, the crowd, unfazed, passing by him without caring. Sonic turned around, his green eyes blinking in slightly confusion as Tails pushed through the crowd toward him, panting slightly when he finally reached him, smiling in greeting.

"Sonic!" he said, offering his hand to shake, which Sonic took, muttering a brief "Hey" as the two shook hands. "Hey, Sonic. It's Tails." After a second of silence, Sonic simply staring at him, he nodded.

"Hey. How you doing?" he said, as the two released hands, his eyes blinking slightly in confusion at Tails. But the twin-tailed fox didn't notice as he beamed happily at his old friend, someone he hadn't seen in forever.

"I'm doing good," Tails replied, hand dropping to his side. "How have you been? I saw you yesterday, walking down the street. I tried to get your attention, but you must've not heard me or something." A moments pause. "So how are you doing?"

Sonic simply watched Tails again, his eyes flickering in brief confusion. "You...You say we know each other?" he asked quietly, something familiar twinkling in his eyes. The smile fell from Tails's face, slight hurt rising in his chest. How could he forget all those years? Concern flooded Tails's heart, and immediately, he assumed something was wrong. Had he not coped well with his family's deaths?

"What...Are you...Sonic, it's me. Tails? Miles Prower?" Sonic simply blinked, but Tails could see he was struggling to remember. Shock entered the kitsunes eyes. "We lived together. You found me? Remember? You practically adopted me, for God's sake, and you don't remember me?" Sonic simply nodded, but Tails could still see the confusion in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah...Um, Miles, right?" Tails felt his heart drop, his eyes narrowing in hurt and confusion.

"Yes, Sonic...But you don't remember me, do you?" The hedgehog said nothing, simply staring at the twin-tailed fox before him. "How can you not remember me?"

Sonic's eyes twinkled, but still, no realization sparkled in them. "I...I remember..." He paused, squinting. "Tails...Lil' bro...?" A brief spark of hope came alive in the kitsunes chest, and he smiled, nodding carefully.

"Thats right..." he told the hedgehog, who was still studying him closely. "It's...uh...It's good to finally see you again." He paused. "You want to get something to drink?" For a moment, Sonic just stood there, shaking his head.

"No, I can't...I can't get a drink..." He said quietly, muttering it over and over under his breath. Concern again rushed over Tails, and he stared at the hedgehog in confusion before he spoke again.

"Okay...how about something to eat then?" Sonic blinked again, as if he wasn't sure. "I know a little place, just across the street?" Sonic blinked again, and he nodded.

"Oh...Okay..." the hedgehog said, and Tails smiled, nodding for the hedgehog to follow him across the street to the diner.

xxx

Tails sat down at the end of the diner, motioning for Sonic to join him. Again, the hedgehog had ear-buds stuck in his ears, but he removed them as he come closer, the small headphones hanging around his neck. The two were silent until they ordered their food, and Tails was the first to speak.

"So, what have you been up to, Sonic?" the kitsune asked Sonic, who was sitting staring out the window at the cars packed in the street. For several moments, Sonic didn't answer, and Tails wondered if he heard him. Then the hedgehog spoke, his voice careful, guarded.

"I've, uh...nothing..." he told the kitsune, his green eyes not moving from the window. "Nothing at all." The two were silent until Sonic looked up, his green eyes suddenly looking a little more familiar to the kitsune, as a brief smile spread across his face. "My little brother," he said, shaking his head. "It's...It's been a long time, huh?" He took a sip of the soda he had bought, looking away from Tails, still nodding. The kitsune smiled, memories exploding in his head, and nodded.

Sonic was still nodding, his smile still spread across his face. "It's really good to see you again...Tails," the hedgehog told him, and Tails felt his smile grow as he watched his friend, the concern still remaining just slightly in his chest.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, nodding as well. "It's good to see you again too, Sonic." Sonic turned to him, something in his eyes Tails had never seen before. Something had changed about his friend, and whatever it was, Tails wasn't familiar with, nor comfortable. And Tails firmly believed his change was bad, something that had been caused from hopelessness after the death of his family...

"Why don't...Why don't you come over to my apartment?" the hedgehog offered, taking another sip of his drink. Tails smiled again, nodding.

"I would love to, Sonic," the kitsune said, and moments later, the two departed the diner.

xxx

The two walked to the hedgehog's apartment, which was just a few blocks away. He lived in a place similar to Tails's apartment, but the rooms were a little bigger, with more space. Tails entered Sonic's apartment behind him, removing his shoes at the door. He admired the brief collection of running trophies against the wall on a shelf, remembering his childhood with the speedy hedgehog. He walked into the main room, immediately spotting a large TV sitting in the middle of the room, with a Playstation plugged into it. Tails was quiet for a moment, looking around the apartment, as Sonic slowly sunk into the couch.

"I see you still kept your running trophies," the fox told him, motioning toward the trophies at the door. Sonic nodded, turning to him.

"Thats one thing I still love to do, run," he replied, leaning back against the couch. He closed his eyes as Tails walked around the apartment. "Do you still like to...What was it you did?..." Tails felt his heart drop a moment. "Repair and build stuff?" Grateful for the correct answer, Tails nodded.

"Yep," he replied, looking into the kitchen. "I opened my own plane repair shop across town. Been getting alot of business." Sonic nodded.

"Thats...thats good." The hedgehog reached for the Playstation controller, turning the TV on the with remote. Immediately, the screen came alive. Tails turned around, watching the TV as Sonic turned the Playstation on. The game came alive, and in moments, Sonic was playing the game, something that looked to Tails to be a war game.

He turned away from the TV, looking around the house at the sounds of shooting guns echoed through the house around him. There was junk lying in the corner of the living room, near the door, and Tails looked around, heading toward the next room without a noise. As the gunfire continued behind him, Tails glanced into the opposite room, seeing even more junk lying around. He saw a small cot lying on the ground, surrounded by more junk, with a pillow lying on top.

It was at that moment Tails knew that Sonic had not been doing well.

He turned away, heading down the opposite hallway and asking Sonic if he could use his bathroom. Sonic, after a moment of silence, motioned him toward the back, still shooting on his video game. Tails walked down the hallway, looking into the first doorway to see bunches of boxes stacked around, covered by white sheets. Ignoring the feeling rising in his chest and swallowing the lump in his throat, Tails turned away, looking into the next room. He found the same thing as in the last room, except there were less boxes. Without a sound, Tails continued and entered the next door which proved to be the bathroom. He glanced down the hallway again, back at Sonic, still playing the video game.

He wondered silently how much longer the hedgehog could live like this, alone and in such silence. The loss of his family had drove him close to becoming insane, if not over the border, and Tails knew the moment he met him that he had been changed in a bad way. Tails swallowed the lump again, shaking his head and closing the door.

End of Chapter