Right To Your Heart
Love is weird, love is strange
sometimes even a little derranged.
But love is real, love is true...
Sonic grunted in frustration. Poetry was never his strongest point, but he was so bored. That was his excuse for staying in his room all day. Boredom. Running around, all the brawling, even becoming Super Sonic...it was just getting old.
But there was another excuse keeping him inside his room all day.
His room was on the fourth floor of the smashers' castle. He had his own private porch that overlooked the huge inground pool outside. From his small balcony, he could see and hear everything that went on in the pool area.
And one particular person interested him right now.
Sonic felt his curiousity get the best of him again and got up to go outside. He stood on his small balcony and looked down. Yup, she was still there, sunbathing in that purple and turquoise bathing suit. She had sunglasses on, so Sonic couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep. But she looked so peaceful, so beautiful in that bathing suit and Sonic realized he couldn't look away.
The blue hedgehog sighed. What was it about Princess Zelda that attracted him so much? Sonic had never been too fussy about girls...secretly, he blamed Amy for that. She had been so pushy and bossy and always demanding that he would marry her. But Amy is twelve and Sonic was fifteen...he just wasn't ready to make that sort of commitment to a kid who was hardly a teenager yet. Sonic really only tolerated Amy; he didn't have any feelings beyond that.
Zelda was different. She is a princess who had been kidnapped and put in danger many times and always emerged a stronger person. Amy had been kidnapped several times before, but most of the time she had walked right into it, like that time ZERO kidnapped her and took her to the Egg Carrier, or deliberately followed Sonic around and ended up getting taken by Eggman. Each time she came back, she was still the same old annoying Amy, who never learned from her mistakes.
Sonic respected Zelda. She was beautiful, strong, compassionate and wise. She had always thought of her friends and people before herself, often having to make sacrifices in order to keep them safe. Her tales of the Twilight Realm covering Hyrule left Sonic speechless and he grew to admire her. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who did. Zelda had many suitors who were all competing for her attention and Sonic wasn't sure if he was fast enough to reach Zelda's heart first.
He weighed the names of all who were competing for her attention in his head. First there was Link, the very same hero who had saved her. Sonic suspected that gave Link a major advantage in winning Zelda's affection, but he didn't have much luck lately.
Next, there was Ike. The blue haired swordsman could wield a two handed sword with one hand. That kind of strength never went unnoticed by the other two ladies in the mansion, especially Peach. She was always flirting with Ike, giving him small presents of food or even sharpening stones for his sword. Sonic was slightly reminded of him and Amy...the colours just HAD to be a coincidence (pink and blue, anyone?)...but Ike seemed to enjoy it. It didn't stop him from trying to impress Zelda everytime she was nearby the training arena and he always shouted at her to watch his next swordmove.
Then there was Marth, although Zelda didn't seem to have any interest in him at all. Sonic felt a bit relieved in remembering the time Marth asked Zelda on a date and she politely turned him down. When Marth had walked away, she whispered that she would never date someone who looked more feminine then her and Sonic had almost died laughing that day.
Finally, there was Pit, who was a captain of his own army. Sonic knew that Pit had a massive crush on Zelda and he'd be more then happy to be the one to date her. He had been trying to get Zelda's attention ever since he came to the Brawl tournament. Sonic wasn't sure if she felt the same way or not, but it added to his own worries in hoping he could be the one to hold Zelda's hand and not anyone else.
Something else was adding to his worries. Zelda is a hylian. And he...is a hedgehog. He wasn't sure how Zelda would react if he had told her how he felt. Would she be disgusted? Freaked out? It was for that reason he was so afraid to admit his feelings.
"Sonic! Hey Sonic!"
Sonic snapped out of his thoughts and looked down. Zelda was waving at him from her beach chair, her sunglasses off. He regained his composture and waved back.
"Hey Princess Zelda! What's up?" Sonic called down, trying to pretend everything was cool.
"You, by the looks of it! How about coming down here and keeping me company? Getting some sun is better then staying cooped up in your room all day!" Zelda called back, smiling. Sonic felt his heart flutter in excitement.
"Sure! Watch this! I'm coming right down!" Sonic said, seeing the perfect opportunity to impress Zelda. He jumped on his balcony railing and built up some speed carefully, to avoid losing balance. He then jumped up and zoomed down the four floors of the castle walls and landed right next to Zelda. "Ta-daa!"
Zelda laughed and clapped her hands. "That was so cool! I never knew anyone who could run down a building before!"
"You've never known someone with my speed before!" Sonic retorted playfully. Zelda nodded in agreement and smiled.
"I've never known a hedgehog so personally before, either."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Sonic asked.
"Yup," Zelda replied, stretching out on her chair.
"Even...love..." Sonic muttered, thinking Zelda might not hear him. Unfortunately, she had.
"Love?" she asked.
"Umm..." Crap, how do I get out of this? "Well, I once went on a journey with a genie named Shahra, and she had told me that love is worth a chance. I...don't know if it's true, because the only one who has any remote feelings for me is obsessed and it's kinda creeping me out," Sonic said, feeling proud of himself because he evaded embarassment.
"Really?" Zelda didn't look at all pleased. "How so?"
"Well..." Sonic hesitated. "She...she keeps trying to get me to marry her and she's only twelve. She follows me everywhere and always gets herself taken hostage. Yet, she never learns from her mistakes and still gets taken everytime. She seems to mistaken every male hedgehog she meets for me, too. I really have no feelings for her, but I keep telling myself it would be hurtful to just tell her to her face."
"No, not really..." Zelda said, her look softening. "You have a right to happiness, do you not, Sonic?"
"Sure, why not?" Sonic replied, wondering where she was going with this.
"Then you should just tell her that you don't share the same feelings to her. You don't have to put up with her forever," Zelda assured him. "Obsession...it's a little disgusting. Okay, it's a lot disgusting. But you should just tell her. She'll probably hate you and get mad at you for a while, but maybe she'll get over it."
"I can handle that," Sonic said with his trademark grin.
"Well..." Zelda said, looking for conversation. "Is there anyone you've taken an interest ever since coming here to the Tournament?"
"Urk..." Crap, she caught me off guard with that. "Well, there's one...but I'm not sure it'll work out. How about you?"
"Yeah, there's one. I'm just not sure if he'll feel the same way, since I have too many Unwanted Suitors. I'm starting to get tired of Ike trying to show off to me, especially since Peach obviously likes him. The other day, Peach told me she wished I wasn't so pretty, just so she could have a chance with Ike. I told her she's welcomed to him, but I don't think she believed me," Zelda said with a sigh.
"And then there's Pit. I like him, but I don't think of him in that way...Link is like a brother to me and I can't see him as anymore then that. And Marth..."
"Just what you told me, Princess Zelda," Sonic cut in. "No dating someone who's more feminine," they said together and laughed.
"I feel like I can tell you anything..." Zelda said. "You're just so easy to talk to and so understandable."
"That's me. Just call me the Comfort Guru," Sonic replied, sticking his chest out and pointing his thumb at him. Zelda smiled happily.
"You're just what I look for in a guy..."
"Say, that reminds me," Sonic said, feeling even more flustered. "Who is it you like? I won't tell anyone."
"Curiousity killed the cat, Sonic..." Zelda said in a faking dark tone.
"But made the kittens, Zelda," Sonic retorted.
"Well, in this case, it's not going to make ANY kittens. So I won't tell," Zelda said, running her fingers past her lips, showing they were sealed. "But while we're on the subject, who's the lucky girl that you like, Sonic?"
"Ulp...sorry, but I won't tell you. What makes you think I'll tell you if you won't tell me?"
"You have a point..." Zelda sighed.
"Besides, it probably just won't work out...I'm a hedgehog. It would be interspecies dating, and people think that's disgusting...it would probably just cause her pain if I told her," Sonic said, sadly. Zelda looked slightly pained. "I just...I'd rather keep it to myself and watch her from afar."
"Is that why you were outside your room, watching me?" Zelda asked suddenly.
"Gah!" Sonic jumped in surprise at her question. "Y-You noticed?"
"I wasn't sleeping. I saw you watching me. Then you turned away and you looked like you were muttering or day dreaming. You looked so into it, but I got a little weirded out and curious. That's why I called to you," Zelda said. She narrowed her eyes at Sonic. "I'm the girl, right?"
Sonic blushed and turned away. "...Maybe."
"Don't play games with me, Sonic..." Zelda whispered.
"Okay, fine. Yes, I like you. I like you a lot. I admire you for being a strong person, for being beautiful, for being wise. You're different from anyone else I had ever known back home in the Sega world. There's either a super obsessed girl, a jeweldigger, a super polite little kid of six years old or a princess who doesn't trust anyone but herself. Now can you see why I came to admire you so easily? You're everything that they're not and that's why I grew to like you so much. You're just..." Sonic's voice trailed off.
"...Just what?" Zelda asked.
"You're just perfect," Sonic finished and Zelda blushed a deep red.
"I'm not so perfect, Sonic. I...I have my faults, too," Zelda said. "When Zant invaded, I couldn't save my people from him. I had to let him invade with Twilight all over my kingdom, just so he wouldn't kill my people. While in the Twilight, all the people felt was fear. Then I made myself vulnerable when Midna was weakened. I had to give her all my power, but at the cost of my physical form and I was easily captured by Ganondorf. I was also easily used by him when he fought Link. He made me his puppet..." Zelda said, shuddering at the memories of Ganondorf inside her body.
"But you came out as a stronger person. Amy never does. She never learns to stop following me, so she gets herself kidnapped. She even mistakened Shadow and Silver for me. If she saw a cactus in my size, she'd probably think it was me, too," Sonic said, rolling his eyes. Zelda giggled. "What's so funny?"
"The thought of Amy mistaking a cactus for you. You're not even green!" the princess replied. Sonic smiled.
"That's funny and all, but now you know my secret...I suppose you're disgusted."
Zelda stopped laughing and looked at Sonic. "Why would I be disgusted?"
"Because you're a hylian...and I'm a hedgehog. Two species meant to never be together. From all angles of it, it just looks...wrong."
"Is that really what you think?" Zelda asked slowly.
"It's what others will think," Sonic quickly replied. "And it's usually the rules of society that break up most happy couples.
"Besides...I don't even know if you like me the same way." he added.
"Well, the truth is..." Zelda started to say, but Sonic cut her off.
"I mean, you're a princess. You're beautiful. You have so many admirers. You can have anyone you want..."
"Sonic..." Zelda tried to stop him.
"And I'm just a hedgehog with a lot of speed...I'm not a knight in shining armor or a Cavalier. There's no way I can make you happy." Sonic finally finished his rambling.
"You're done? Good, now I can say my piece," Zelda said. "Remember when I said I had feelings for someone?"
"Yeah. So you're going to tell me?" Sonic asked, slightly out of breath from his ranting.
"That someone is you. I've always liked your carefree spirit and laid back attitude. I never get that kind of luxery as a princess...I've sort of envied you for how easy you have it. But underneath all that carefree style, you show a lot of passion and heroism...Cavaliers and Knights are most princess's dreams...just not mine," Zelda said, her heart beating wildly. The truth was finally out. Sonic stared at her with a mix of shock and surprise. Silence settled between them.
"Say, Zelda?"
"Yeah, Sonic?"
"How'd you like to go out tonight?" Sonic asked. "We could go catch a movie over at the theater, eat dinner while watching the sun set, go stargazing..."
"I'd love that, Sonic," Zelda said with a happy look on her face.
"Heh...looks like I am fast enough after all..." Sonic muttered.
"You're muttering again, Sonic. What did you say?" Zelda asked.
"You know how I was up in my room, daydreaming? I was thinking about how fast I was but I thought I wasn't fast enough to reach your heart first. With all your suitors..."
"Unwanted Suitors," Zelda corrected.
"Right, unwanted suitors...anyway, like I said, I thought I wasn't fast enough to reach your heart first. Looks like I am," Sonic said, a triumphant look on his face.
"Yes...looks like you are," Zelda said, planing a kiss on his head.
Night after night the nightingale came to beg for divine love, but though the rose trembled at the sound of his voice, her petals remained closed to him...
Flower and bird, two species never meant to mate. Yet at length the rose overcame her fear and from that single, forbidden union was born the red rose that Allah never intended the world to know.
sometimes even a little derranged.
But love is real, love is true...
Sonic grunted in frustration. Poetry was never his strongest point, but he was so bored. That was his excuse for staying in his room all day. Boredom. Running around, all the brawling, even becoming Super Sonic...it was just getting old.
But there was another excuse keeping him inside his room all day.
His room was on the fourth floor of the smashers' castle. He had his own private porch that overlooked the huge inground pool outside. From his small balcony, he could see and hear everything that went on in the pool area.
And one particular person interested him right now.
Sonic felt his curiousity get the best of him again and got up to go outside. He stood on his small balcony and looked down. Yup, she was still there, sunbathing in that purple and turquoise bathing suit. She had sunglasses on, so Sonic couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep. But she looked so peaceful, so beautiful in that bathing suit and Sonic realized he couldn't look away.
The blue hedgehog sighed. What was it about Princess Zelda that attracted him so much? Sonic had never been too fussy about girls...secretly, he blamed Amy for that. She had been so pushy and bossy and always demanding that he would marry her. But Amy is twelve and Sonic was fifteen...he just wasn't ready to make that sort of commitment to a kid who was hardly a teenager yet. Sonic really only tolerated Amy; he didn't have any feelings beyond that.
Zelda was different. She is a princess who had been kidnapped and put in danger many times and always emerged a stronger person. Amy had been kidnapped several times before, but most of the time she had walked right into it, like that time ZERO kidnapped her and took her to the Egg Carrier, or deliberately followed Sonic around and ended up getting taken by Eggman. Each time she came back, she was still the same old annoying Amy, who never learned from her mistakes.
Sonic respected Zelda. She was beautiful, strong, compassionate and wise. She had always thought of her friends and people before herself, often having to make sacrifices in order to keep them safe. Her tales of the Twilight Realm covering Hyrule left Sonic speechless and he grew to admire her. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who did. Zelda had many suitors who were all competing for her attention and Sonic wasn't sure if he was fast enough to reach Zelda's heart first.
He weighed the names of all who were competing for her attention in his head. First there was Link, the very same hero who had saved her. Sonic suspected that gave Link a major advantage in winning Zelda's affection, but he didn't have much luck lately.
Next, there was Ike. The blue haired swordsman could wield a two handed sword with one hand. That kind of strength never went unnoticed by the other two ladies in the mansion, especially Peach. She was always flirting with Ike, giving him small presents of food or even sharpening stones for his sword. Sonic was slightly reminded of him and Amy...the colours just HAD to be a coincidence (pink and blue, anyone?)...but Ike seemed to enjoy it. It didn't stop him from trying to impress Zelda everytime she was nearby the training arena and he always shouted at her to watch his next swordmove.
Then there was Marth, although Zelda didn't seem to have any interest in him at all. Sonic felt a bit relieved in remembering the time Marth asked Zelda on a date and she politely turned him down. When Marth had walked away, she whispered that she would never date someone who looked more feminine then her and Sonic had almost died laughing that day.
Finally, there was Pit, who was a captain of his own army. Sonic knew that Pit had a massive crush on Zelda and he'd be more then happy to be the one to date her. He had been trying to get Zelda's attention ever since he came to the Brawl tournament. Sonic wasn't sure if she felt the same way or not, but it added to his own worries in hoping he could be the one to hold Zelda's hand and not anyone else.
Something else was adding to his worries. Zelda is a hylian. And he...is a hedgehog. He wasn't sure how Zelda would react if he had told her how he felt. Would she be disgusted? Freaked out? It was for that reason he was so afraid to admit his feelings.
"Sonic! Hey Sonic!"
Sonic snapped out of his thoughts and looked down. Zelda was waving at him from her beach chair, her sunglasses off. He regained his composture and waved back.
"Hey Princess Zelda! What's up?" Sonic called down, trying to pretend everything was cool.
"You, by the looks of it! How about coming down here and keeping me company? Getting some sun is better then staying cooped up in your room all day!" Zelda called back, smiling. Sonic felt his heart flutter in excitement.
"Sure! Watch this! I'm coming right down!" Sonic said, seeing the perfect opportunity to impress Zelda. He jumped on his balcony railing and built up some speed carefully, to avoid losing balance. He then jumped up and zoomed down the four floors of the castle walls and landed right next to Zelda. "Ta-daa!"
Zelda laughed and clapped her hands. "That was so cool! I never knew anyone who could run down a building before!"
"You've never known someone with my speed before!" Sonic retorted playfully. Zelda nodded in agreement and smiled.
"I've never known a hedgehog so personally before, either."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Sonic asked.
"Yup," Zelda replied, stretching out on her chair.
"Even...love..." Sonic muttered, thinking Zelda might not hear him. Unfortunately, she had.
"Love?" she asked.
"Umm..." Crap, how do I get out of this? "Well, I once went on a journey with a genie named Shahra, and she had told me that love is worth a chance. I...don't know if it's true, because the only one who has any remote feelings for me is obsessed and it's kinda creeping me out," Sonic said, feeling proud of himself because he evaded embarassment.
"Really?" Zelda didn't look at all pleased. "How so?"
"Well..." Sonic hesitated. "She...she keeps trying to get me to marry her and she's only twelve. She follows me everywhere and always gets herself taken hostage. Yet, she never learns from her mistakes and still gets taken everytime. She seems to mistaken every male hedgehog she meets for me, too. I really have no feelings for her, but I keep telling myself it would be hurtful to just tell her to her face."
"No, not really..." Zelda said, her look softening. "You have a right to happiness, do you not, Sonic?"
"Sure, why not?" Sonic replied, wondering where she was going with this.
"Then you should just tell her that you don't share the same feelings to her. You don't have to put up with her forever," Zelda assured him. "Obsession...it's a little disgusting. Okay, it's a lot disgusting. But you should just tell her. She'll probably hate you and get mad at you for a while, but maybe she'll get over it."
"I can handle that," Sonic said with his trademark grin.
"Well..." Zelda said, looking for conversation. "Is there anyone you've taken an interest ever since coming here to the Tournament?"
"Urk..." Crap, she caught me off guard with that. "Well, there's one...but I'm not sure it'll work out. How about you?"
"Yeah, there's one. I'm just not sure if he'll feel the same way, since I have too many Unwanted Suitors. I'm starting to get tired of Ike trying to show off to me, especially since Peach obviously likes him. The other day, Peach told me she wished I wasn't so pretty, just so she could have a chance with Ike. I told her she's welcomed to him, but I don't think she believed me," Zelda said with a sigh.
"And then there's Pit. I like him, but I don't think of him in that way...Link is like a brother to me and I can't see him as anymore then that. And Marth..."
"Just what you told me, Princess Zelda," Sonic cut in. "No dating someone who's more feminine," they said together and laughed.
"I feel like I can tell you anything..." Zelda said. "You're just so easy to talk to and so understandable."
"That's me. Just call me the Comfort Guru," Sonic replied, sticking his chest out and pointing his thumb at him. Zelda smiled happily.
"You're just what I look for in a guy..."
"Say, that reminds me," Sonic said, feeling even more flustered. "Who is it you like? I won't tell anyone."
"Curiousity killed the cat, Sonic..." Zelda said in a faking dark tone.
"But made the kittens, Zelda," Sonic retorted.
"Well, in this case, it's not going to make ANY kittens. So I won't tell," Zelda said, running her fingers past her lips, showing they were sealed. "But while we're on the subject, who's the lucky girl that you like, Sonic?"
"Ulp...sorry, but I won't tell you. What makes you think I'll tell you if you won't tell me?"
"You have a point..." Zelda sighed.
"Besides, it probably just won't work out...I'm a hedgehog. It would be interspecies dating, and people think that's disgusting...it would probably just cause her pain if I told her," Sonic said, sadly. Zelda looked slightly pained. "I just...I'd rather keep it to myself and watch her from afar."
"Is that why you were outside your room, watching me?" Zelda asked suddenly.
"Gah!" Sonic jumped in surprise at her question. "Y-You noticed?"
"I wasn't sleeping. I saw you watching me. Then you turned away and you looked like you were muttering or day dreaming. You looked so into it, but I got a little weirded out and curious. That's why I called to you," Zelda said. She narrowed her eyes at Sonic. "I'm the girl, right?"
Sonic blushed and turned away. "...Maybe."
"Don't play games with me, Sonic..." Zelda whispered.
"Okay, fine. Yes, I like you. I like you a lot. I admire you for being a strong person, for being beautiful, for being wise. You're different from anyone else I had ever known back home in the Sega world. There's either a super obsessed girl, a jeweldigger, a super polite little kid of six years old or a princess who doesn't trust anyone but herself. Now can you see why I came to admire you so easily? You're everything that they're not and that's why I grew to like you so much. You're just..." Sonic's voice trailed off.
"...Just what?" Zelda asked.
"You're just perfect," Sonic finished and Zelda blushed a deep red.
"I'm not so perfect, Sonic. I...I have my faults, too," Zelda said. "When Zant invaded, I couldn't save my people from him. I had to let him invade with Twilight all over my kingdom, just so he wouldn't kill my people. While in the Twilight, all the people felt was fear. Then I made myself vulnerable when Midna was weakened. I had to give her all my power, but at the cost of my physical form and I was easily captured by Ganondorf. I was also easily used by him when he fought Link. He made me his puppet..." Zelda said, shuddering at the memories of Ganondorf inside her body.
"But you came out as a stronger person. Amy never does. She never learns to stop following me, so she gets herself kidnapped. She even mistakened Shadow and Silver for me. If she saw a cactus in my size, she'd probably think it was me, too," Sonic said, rolling his eyes. Zelda giggled. "What's so funny?"
"The thought of Amy mistaking a cactus for you. You're not even green!" the princess replied. Sonic smiled.
"That's funny and all, but now you know my secret...I suppose you're disgusted."
Zelda stopped laughing and looked at Sonic. "Why would I be disgusted?"
"Because you're a hylian...and I'm a hedgehog. Two species meant to never be together. From all angles of it, it just looks...wrong."
"Is that really what you think?" Zelda asked slowly.
"It's what others will think," Sonic quickly replied. "And it's usually the rules of society that break up most happy couples.
"Besides...I don't even know if you like me the same way." he added.
"Well, the truth is..." Zelda started to say, but Sonic cut her off.
"I mean, you're a princess. You're beautiful. You have so many admirers. You can have anyone you want..."
"Sonic..." Zelda tried to stop him.
"And I'm just a hedgehog with a lot of speed...I'm not a knight in shining armor or a Cavalier. There's no way I can make you happy." Sonic finally finished his rambling.
"You're done? Good, now I can say my piece," Zelda said. "Remember when I said I had feelings for someone?"
"Yeah. So you're going to tell me?" Sonic asked, slightly out of breath from his ranting.
"That someone is you. I've always liked your carefree spirit and laid back attitude. I never get that kind of luxery as a princess...I've sort of envied you for how easy you have it. But underneath all that carefree style, you show a lot of passion and heroism...Cavaliers and Knights are most princess's dreams...just not mine," Zelda said, her heart beating wildly. The truth was finally out. Sonic stared at her with a mix of shock and surprise. Silence settled between them.
"Say, Zelda?"
"Yeah, Sonic?"
"How'd you like to go out tonight?" Sonic asked. "We could go catch a movie over at the theater, eat dinner while watching the sun set, go stargazing..."
"I'd love that, Sonic," Zelda said with a happy look on her face.
"Heh...looks like I am fast enough after all..." Sonic muttered.
"You're muttering again, Sonic. What did you say?" Zelda asked.
"You know how I was up in my room, daydreaming? I was thinking about how fast I was but I thought I wasn't fast enough to reach your heart first. With all your suitors..."
"Unwanted Suitors," Zelda corrected.
"Right, unwanted suitors...anyway, like I said, I thought I wasn't fast enough to reach your heart first. Looks like I am," Sonic said, a triumphant look on his face.
"Yes...looks like you are," Zelda said, planing a kiss on his head.
Night after night the nightingale came to beg for divine love, but though the rose trembled at the sound of his voice, her petals remained closed to him...
Flower and bird, two species never meant to mate. Yet at length the rose overcame her fear and from that single, forbidden union was born the red rose that Allah never intended the world to know.
