Konnichiwa minna! I was listening to my Vanessa Carlton cd again, and I couldn't help but write this songfic inspired by it. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy! Ja ne!

Ko

Disclaimer: Think hard, people. It's called FANfiction, not PRODUCERfiction. Is it that hard to understand:P (Sonic-tachi belong to sega. The song belongs to Vanessa Carlton. Thanks.)

Directions: insert the lyrics to "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton.

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Ordinary Day

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insert 1st stanza

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I walked past my jeering peers, keeping my head lowered, concentrating on my feet so as not to let their insults affect me. I hoped with all my heart that the age old saying was true, 'Ignore their taunts and they'll get bored sooner or later and leave you alone' or something like that... Still, it was beginning to seem as if it would be later, rather than sooner, much to my dismay. Why would they pick on me to begin with, you ask? Well, let's just say I'm... different from everyone else.

You see, thanks to that stupid jerk Eggman, I'm an orphan. But that's only half of it. I'm a fox, as was my mother and my father as well. However, unlike them, I was born... abnormal. What I mean is, well... I have 2 tails instead of one. My relatives were horribly embarrassed that their bloodline had produced such a being, but my parents never loved me any less. If possible, they loved me even more. They said I was special and not to care what others thought, and that was enough to keep me going then. But now, with them gone... I find myself losing faith in their words...

I sigh as I open the door to the small shelter I had managed to find after Eggman's attack on our village. It once belonged to a family of 3 badgers, but after hearing reports that Eggman had destroyed a few towns only 10 miles from here, they packed up and left... like Mom, Dad, and I should've, I suppose. But we refused to be intimidated by Eggman's power, and paid dearly for it, though I'm against him still. Just like my heroes...

The 'Freedom Fighters', as they called them, were the main resistance against Eggman. They were a small group of determined fighters and had already made a fair share of dents in Eggman's seemingly unstoppable fortress, and it was my greatest dream to fight alongside them; in fact, it was one of the few things keeping me going.

/Then again, who'd want to even be within 10 feet of someone like me/ I thought angrily, then decide to keep my mind off my feelings by taking a walk through the village.

I tied my tails together in a fashion that made it seem as if I only had one of them, then pulled on my gloves and shoes and exited the remains of the house.

As I walked aimlessly through the streets, I stopped to watch some of the villagers rebuild one of the houses. After a few minutes, I noticed someone standing next to me. I turned to the stranger, surprised at his unique coloration. He was a hedgehog, probably 4 or so years older, but instead of the normal brown colored quills hedgehogs are known to have, his quills were a shocking sapphire hue. That wasn't the strangest thing though.

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insert 2nd stanza

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I suppose I stared for a bit too long, as he turned to look at me, his eyes leaving the sky and fixating on me instead.

/Oops... Should've minded my own business... Now he'll probably tell me off.../ I thought, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

What happened next, though, surprised me thoroughly. He smiled at me and said the simplest of all phrases, one I hadn't heard in the longest time.

"Hi! I'm Sonic. What's your name?" he asked, his voice full of kindness.

"I-I'm Miles. M-Miles Prower." I managed to choke out.

Why was he being so nice? To a total stranger like me? Oh yeah- my tails were still tied together... He probably thought I was normal as anyone. But what if he knew the truth? Would he turn on me like the others did? Or would he be unaffected, because he understood? Because he was different like me...?

His laugh brought me out of my thoughts, and I blinked. Why was he laughing? Was he laughing at me? Did my tails come untied? I check while he isn't looking- nope. Then what was it? Then he unknowingly answered my unspoken question seconds after.

"Wh- why are you so apprehensive? It's not like I'm going to hurt you or anything! Why get so worked up over someone saying 'Hi'?" he questioned, making my face redden in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm not really used to people saying 'hello' out of the blue. Even a stranger." I reply timidly.

He stops laughing and looks at me seriously.

"What do you mean, 'even a stranger'? Why wouldn't your own neighbors talk to you? This village seems pretty closely-knit like one big family... Why wouldn't they include you?" he asks innocently, not knowing the effects of his words.

"I- I don't wanna talk about it..." I sigh, lowering my gaze.

He regards me with a searching look, then nods mysteriously and smiles again.

"I understand. Would you like to take a walk with me? I'd like to get to know you better, Miles." he said, extending his hand, and I ponder his offer for a moment.

He was a stranger, certainly, but he seemed nice enough, and didn't mind that I was a social outcast of sorts. I've never had a friend, or even someone to talk to since my parents passed away, and it was nice to have someone friendly to talk to... I've made up my mind.

"Okay." I reply, and take his outstretched hand.

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insert 3rd stanza

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We talked about our lives, our pasts, and our dreams. Soon enough, it was like we'd known each other all our lives. He didn't even mind when my tails came undone when strolling through the park and stood out in all their abnormal glory. He just shrugged and said he thought it was cool that I was so unique. I smiled and told him I liked his blue quills too. Then we both laughed, not to be hurtful or at anything funny, just for the sake of laughing. It felt good to be able to be so carefree.

Then he told me about his plans to join the Freedom Fighters in their battle against Eggman. I had told him my dream to help bring down the evil jerk, and he wanted me to come with him and join them together. I was worried though. After all, what good could I do? I didn't know how to fight at all! I couldn't plan ways to attack, or anything like that. I would just get in the way... I told Sonic this, and he shook his head.

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insert 4th stanza

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Sonic spent the next hour or so trying to convince me that I was, in fact, good for something. He said my heart was pure and my willpower strong, and that they could train me in no time at all. But when would they find the time to train a kid like me? They'd be way too busy to deal with someone of my... caliber... Who'd want to train someone as abnormal as me anyway? Sonic frowned when I pointed this out to him, and chided me for thinking so badly of myself. He said that it didn't matter at all that we were both different. As long as we were willing to help, they'd accept us no matter what. They needed all the help they could get in the war. He continued on, declaring that just because we were different, it didn't mean we were lower than anybody else, and we could do anything a normal person could do, and even some things that others couldn't, ect. And I found myself smiling, and I had never felt so good. He was right, we were just as much of a person as anyone else, and we deserved to be treated as such. As Sonic continued his tirade, I grinned up at him, and knew he was no stranger.

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insert 5th and 6th stanzas

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After his random outburst, he turned to me and asked if I would join him then. I showed mock reluctance, and he gave me an annoyed look.

"I just made a total ass outta myself saying all that in public, so you'd better not give me that 'I'm unworthy' crap." he stated flatly, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" he blinked, backing away from the park bench on which I sat.

I chuckled and managed to reply, "You are! That look on your face-"

I found myself laughing even harder for no apparent reason, and Sonic cracked a grin, then started laughing himself. And there we were- 2 'abnormal' people, standing in the middle of the park, laughing hysterically for absolutely no reason at all. We didn't even care that people stopped and stared at us, then shook their heads and muttered something about 'freaks disturbing the peace' and walked on. We only cared about how nice it was to be in each others' company, as good friends, strangers no longer. It was a good feeling, having a friend.

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insert 7th and 8th stanzas

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We parted ways soon after, as it was getting dark, and promised to meet again in the morning. I walked back to my small hut and flopped down on the bed, barely managing to pull off my gloves and shoes before I fell asleep, a warm, fuzzy feeling in my once empty heart. I was lonely no longer. I had a friend.

I woke the next morning, and idly wondered if yesterday had all been just a dream. Nothing seemed to have changed, other than the shattered window that looked as if it had been broken yesterday, seeing as how it would've woken me had it happened during the night or this morning. I set to work cleaning up the glass and threw the rock that had come through the window back out its now empty frame. As I placed a piece of tattered cloth over the hole, my thoughts drifted to Sonic. Was he real? Or had it all been a dream? A figment of my imagination?

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insert 9th stanza

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I picked up the glass shards and stepped out the door, placing them in the battered garbage can at the side of my house, then heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, expecting it to be one of the boys who taunted me or an adult who would suggest that I save this town from disgrace and leave, but I came face to face with none other than Sonic, who stood there smiling.

I saw that boy standing there with a deal, and he said...

I blinked, sure that my eyes must've been deceiving me, but even after I shook my head in disbelief, he was still standing there, in flesh and blood.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Y-you're really real! It wasn't just a dream!"

Sonic smiled even wider and, extending his hand, asked, "You ready to go yet?"

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insert 10th stanza

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I quickly packed up the few possessions I had, and turned back to Sonic, who was waiting patiently at the door. I smiled at him, noting that his hand was still outstretched, and took it in mine.

"All set! Freedom Fighters, here we come!" I declared cheerfully, and we started walking toward the village entrance.

After we had taken a few steps out of the town's boundaries, I turned to Sonic and asked him something that I had been wondering since we'd first left my hut.

"Umm... Sonic? Are we gonna walk the whole way?" I blinked up at him and he flashed me a grin.

"Of course not! I'm gonna teach you to run as fast as I can! That's a good skill to have when dealing with the Freedom Fighters, and maybe you can teach me some of that techno mumbo-jumbo you're so good at, k? How 'bout it?" he suggested, and I smiled and nodded.

He then stopped and stared at me for a second. As if assessing my overall physical shape. I overhead him mumbling something under his breath, but decided to calmly stand there until he finished.

"Hmm... Long legs- those'll be good for running... Good shoes- they'll be able to withstand the intense speed of on-foot travel... Those gloves'll be good for fighting without tearing up his knuckles... And those tails... Hmm..." Sonic mumbled, then continued in a regular voice. "You know, Miles, if you practiced hard enough, I bet you could get your tails to work like a helicopter's propellers and could even fly!"

This startled me. Me, fly? Using my tails? And all this time I'd only thought they made good brooms...

"Really!" I asked, excited.

"Yep!" he replied, then suggested I try it.

I did, closing my eyes and concentrating on making my tails twirl around, ever faster. Then, something happened. I opened my eyes and noticed I was hovering off the ground slightly, only a few inches, but enough to let my feet dangle above the ground. I slowed in surprise, plopping back to the ground, and exchanged an excited glance with Sonic.

"I really did it..." I breathed.

"That's so cool, Miles! Ya know, we should do something to commemorate this moment... I know! We should give you a nickname or something!" Sonic declared, simply ecstatic.

"A nickname?" I asked. "Well... Okay."

"Hmmm... How about... Tails?" Sonic suggested.

I mulled the name over in my head. It was simple, much better than Miles, anyway, and there was something about it that made it seem... right.

"Tails... I like it!" I cheered.

"Cool. Sonic and Tails- Freedom Fighters. I like the sound of that..." Sonic joked, and we slowly trekked down the long dirt road, ready to find our futures.

I smiled, it was amazing how things could change so drastically just because you met a stranger on the street.

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insert 11th stanza

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Owari

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So, did'ja like it? I think I did a pretty good job for something written in only 5 hours... Nice and realistic, when using gaming characters, anyway. I think I got into Tails' head and portrayed his character pretty well in the AU world he lives in, ne? Anyhoo, e-mail me and tell me how you liked it and if I should write more serious fics like this one, k? Ja ne!

Ko