"Why did it have to be this way?" Sonic thought to himself as he walked back to his cell. "Why couldn't you just listen to me?"

"I'm sorry..."

The words rang in Sonic's ears. He looked around the deserted corridoor of the Zone Jail, wondering where it came from. He shook his head and kept walking to his cell.

He lay on the bed, serving a sentence on a larceny charge. He knew he had done wrong and was more than willing to cooperate. He wanted to do his time and go home without any problems. Well, that was the goal until he met Fleetway...

The blue hedgehog arrived at the No Zone's Zone Jail just a few months earlier, afraid for his life. Sonic was a good guy, a force to bring peace to the Multiverse. Every inmate wanted a shot at the former hero of Mobius since it was most likely his fault that they were there. He didn't know what else to expect from an interdimensional prison.

Sonic would limp into his cell every night full of bruises after a long day of being beaten by his former enemies and new ones alike. Even the Zone Cops, the guards of the prison as well as the main police force for the entire Multiverse, would take a shot at him. A month went by before it struck him that his cell mate was the only one who let him alone. One night, he asked why that was.

"Because I love you." was his answer. It was said so tenderly that it warmed his heart.

"Why?" Sonic asked. "Why do you love me, Fleetway?"

"Because I do. Can one truly explain his emotions?"

Sonic's cheeks burned as a heavy blush formed on his face. He had grown to love Fleetway as well. But that experience was over now. Sonic was alone because of Fleetway's hasty actions.

Flashback

"No! Leave me alone!" Sonic cried.

"Come on blue boy, I promise it won't hurt." Came the reply from a Zone Cop.

"No! I won't let you do it!"

The guard approached him, intent on having his way with the former hero.

Sonic backed away slowly in fear. "D-Don't do it! Fleetway won't be happy if you do!"

"Ha! Like I'm scared of him! Now shut your trap and just cooperate."

Sonic backed up against the wall. He cursed under his breath and shut his eyes. He waited for the Zone Cop to go after him, unable to escape.

He heard a scream and opened one eye to look at what happened. The Zone Cop was laying on the ground, his visor busted. A brick lay nearby. Sonic looked around and saw Fleetway on the other side of the room, a stern look on his face. He was tossing another brick in the air and catching it.

"Leave him be. He's not your personal play thing." the golden hedgehog said.

The Zone Cop stood up and glared at him. "What are you going to do if I decide to do something to this wimp anyway?"

He placed a hand on Sonic's cheek, causing him to cringe and shake again.

"I still have another brick. I will not miss my mark." Fleetway replied.

"Do it and you'll find yourself subject to our latest device. It'll keep you freaks from ever loving again!"

"No!" Sonic yelled. "Fleety, don't do it!"

"Stay out of it Sonic." Fleetway replied.

The Zone Cop grinned. "Well? What's it going to be, punk?"

He got real close to Sonic and licked his cheek. Sonic whimpered in disgust.

Fleetway growled. "Leave him alone!"

"Why don't you stop me? You know you're dieing to." The Zone Cop taunted.

"Fleety, just let him do it... It's not worth the consequences!" Sonic cried, becoming unstable. "I-I'll be okay..."

"Yeah punk, listen to what he says. Is this wuss really worth losing your freedom over?" the Zone Cop asked.

"What freedom? I have none now. So do your worst!" Fleetway retorted, throwing the brick at him as hard as he could.

Sonic shrieked, afraid of being hit. Prison was causing him to become more fearful of everything. The control collar around his neck causing him to have no speed or agility didn't help at all. Sonic was useless in his current state.

Fleetyway took his hand. "Come on Sonic, we have to go!"

The blue hedgehog nodded quickly and ran with him. "Wh-where are we going to go, Fleety?"

"Anywhere away from here. This place is gonna be crawling with guards soon."

Sonic looked behind them and gasped. "Fleety! Look out!"

Fleetway looked back to see a red beam coming straight for him. There wasn't time to react. It hit him square in the face, causing him to fall on the ground and slide several feet.

Sonic screamed and ran to him. He nudged the other gently, tears forming in his eyes. "F-Fleety...? Fleety, get up... Come on..."

The Zone Cop approached them, irritated. "Forget it wimp. This punk isn't getting up. Paralysis does wonders for dealing with unruly inmates."

Sonic rested his head on Fleetway's chest, listening to his calming heartbeat.

Three more Zone Cops arrived shortly. Sonic hadn't moved from his place next to Fleetway.

Two of the guards pulled him to his feet and cuffed him. Sonic didn't resist at all. He felt empty inside, worried about his lover.

The remaining guards did the same to Fleetway, knowing he'd awake soon.

The guards lead them to the warden's office. "Here are the unruly inmates, Sir." one of them spoke up.

"Thank you." replied the warden, Zobotnik. "You guys know what to do."

"Yes Warden Zobotnik."

"What are you going to do to us?!" Sonic demanded as they forced him into a chair, strapping his hands and feet to it.

"No action goes unpunished. You two have caused more trouble in this facility than any other, especially him." He pointed to Fleetway.

"He only did it because of your crooked staff!"

"Silence! In just a few minutes, I won't have to worry about that target-eyed rat ever again!"

The Zone Cops got the machine hooked up and turned it on. It whirred quietly. "It's ready Warden Zobotnik." they cheered.

"Excellent." He hissed in return. He looked at Sonic and Fleetway. "Any last words before we begin?"

Sonic looked at Fleetway who was strapped into a chair next to him.

Fleetway groaned and looked around after finally waking up, slightly dazed. "Wh-what's going on?..."

Sonic's ears lowered. "We got caught..." He teared up again. "A-and now they're going to get rid of you!"

Fleetway looked at him. "Sonic, don't cry... It's going to be all right."

"No it won't! They want to separate us! For good!"

Fleetway was going to say something, but Zobotnik hit the button on the machine to keep him quiet. He knew Fleetway was going to tell him exactly how that machine worked.

Both hedgehogs screamed and shut their eyes. The machine got louder. Sonic looked over at Fleetway and gasped, watching him vanish. He clenched his teeth as he got a splitting pain in his head. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

It wasn't long before it was over, but it felt like an eternity. Sonic hung his head sadly. "Wh-what did you do to him?!"

"We moved him to a new kind of prison. One he can't cause trouble in without hurting you. You see Sonic, love is forbidden in Zone Jail. You two broke the rule. Therefore, we had to deal with the matter differently than if you two just did something minor like sneaking in contraband."

Sonic cried quietly as his restraints were removed. He looked at Zobotnik, enraged. "You're a very sick and twisted individual! I'd take the Robotnik from my Zone over you any day!"

"In the Multiverse, are we really any different?"

Sonic looked at the floor sadly. He knew the other was right.

"That's what I thought. Now be a good little hedgehog and go back to your cell. Evening count will be shortly."

Sonic nodded in defeat. He wanted to retaliate, but knew he was too weak to do anything.

End Flashback

Sonic's thoughts were interrupted when the voice spoke again.

"I'm sorry Sonic..." it said.

Sonic looked around. No one was there. He was getting scared. "Wh-who said that??"

"It's me, Fleetway..." it replied.

"F-Fleetway?... But I thought you were gone..."

"No, I'm here... I was just moved into your head, confined to being within you. I'm sorry Sonic..."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Fleety..." he replied. He cried quietly. "Why did you have to do it? Why couldn't you listen to me?"

"I was only trying to protect you..."

"Well look where it got you! Away from me!"

"I'm still here..."

"Not the way I want you to be... I want to be in your arms where I belong. I want to cuddle up to you to keep warm like we always do."

"I know you do, but it's hard when we're one in the same now."

"Well it wouldn't be that way if you would've just listened to me!"

Fleetway jumped and looked down sadly. "..."

"What did I tell you to do?! Huh?? I told you not to retaliate. That I'd be fine. That it wasn't worth the consequences! If you would've just let him do what he wanted, we could be together now! But no, you just HAD to do what you wanted anyway! What was so hard that you had to ignore my pleas?"

"Shut up!!!" Fleetway shouted, causing Sonic to cringe. "Now keep quiet and listen to me. I wouldn't expect you to understand..."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Sonic, if we're going to have a committed relationship, you have to realize that I will do absolutely anything for you. I did what I did because you're mine. You're mine... Heart, mind and soul. And I would expect the same in return."

Sonic teared up and smiled meekly. "I would do anything for you too."

"Then why did you act the way you did?"

"I wanted what was best for both of us..."

"Well look on the bright side..."

"What 'bright side'? You're confined to my subconscious... We can't ever be together..."

"Quite the contrary really. We can never be apart."

"What good is that if we can't do what couples do?"

"Is your desire for passion really that great that you feel like you need it? Can't you be without it?"

"It felt so nice though..." Sonic said, looking at the floor guiltily, a deep blush on his face.

"Well you don't need me to get that..."

"It's better that way though..."

"Even so... You'll be fine."

"I guess..."

"On a different note, you'll never be alone ever again."

"It's still lonely when you're just the voice in my head."

Fleetway grinned in a rather sadistic manner and touched his heart gently. "Feel that?"

Sonic clutched his chest, holding back a scream. "Y-yeah... Wh-what is that??"

"It's me Sonic, don't worry. I'll always be here to warm your heart. Always..."

The blue hedgehog smiled again and relaxed. He could feel his face burning. "Thank you..."

"I love you Sonic, with every aspect of my being."

"Well that doesn't account for much now..."

"You're so naive Sonic. Appearance and form don't matter. It's what's in the heart that counts." Sonic could feel the warm touch of the other's lips on his cheek.

"I'm sorry Fleety... It's just so hard on me right now."

"I know, but you'll get used to it. With time, we'll both learn to adapt."

"I-I know... It's just so hard..."

"Would you rather be me? Forced to live through someone else, deep inside thier subconscious?"

"No, I guess not... But what if someone tries to mess with me again?"

"I'll take care of it."

"But how?"

"Go look in the mirror."

"What? Why?"

"Just go."

He got up and walked over to the small mirror fastened to the wall above the sink. He just saw his reflection.

"Yeah? And?" The blue hedgehog questioned, getting impatient.

"Do you see it?" Fleetway replied.

"See what?"

"Look closely."

"Fleety, I don't see anything..."

"Look closer."

"What am I looking for?"

"You'll know when you see it."

Sonic got real close to the mirror. He looked over himself in great detail, looking for whatever it could be that Fleetway was talking abut. Then he saw it. He jumped back as he saw his eye appear to pulse. He rubbed them in response to a gentle stinging sensation.

"Wh-What was that?!" he yelled.

"Don't fight it Sonic. It's only me."

"B-but it hurt..."

"You must endure the pain. It hurts me too."

"Then why are you doing it?..."

"For us... Just trust me."

"O-Okay..."

"Good. It won't take long, I promise."

"You promise?..." he questioned. His voice soft, innocent.

"Yes my love. Now try to remain calm."

"I-I'll try... For you..."

"For us... Now please, go back to the mirror."

Sonic did as he was asked and looked at his reflection again. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes to hold back his tears. It hurt, but he no longer cared. A warm feeling engulfed him and that made it all worth it becaue he knew that warmth was coming from Fleetway--the love of his life.

The blue hedgehog looked down for a moment, feeling like he was going to faint. He cried out, "How much longer?!"

"Just another minute, I promise!" Fleetway replied.

Sonic looked back up when the pain stopped. A malicous grin spread across his face.

"Well Sonic, what do you think?" Fleetway asked.

"I feel closer already."

"Excellent. Now look around for me."

Sonic did. What Fleetway saw was through Sonic's eyes. They were one in the same. Fleetway had merged with Sonic's being. They had their separate thoughts and identity, but his body they shared.

"Can't say I like this though..." Sonic commented, looking back into the mirror. His emerald green eyes were gone; replaced with red spirals that covered his sclera.

"You'll grow to love it, don't worry."

Sonic smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right. They don't look that bad, really."

Sonic felt complete this way. He enjoyed the thought of being one with Fleetway. He sat on the bed and looked out through the bars. An evil grin formed on his face.

From that day on, Sonic would be feared by all, with good reason. Fleetway possessed the ability to take control of Sonic's body at will and Sonic wouldn't resist. Two sides of the same being. This was how they chose to live and it was normal to them. They spoke in unison.

"Fear our forbidden love."

THE END