The Tenderness Inside of You

Chapter 9: Uncovering the facade (Part 2)

The person who keeps shadowing me has never appeared. I wanted to turn around and I wanted to meet him. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that I have to. Fate had never given me the chance. The silence of the street with the path in the forest told me that I was alone. But I can feel that he has been at my side, always. 

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As the drowsy light goldenrod yellow hedgehog opens his eyes, a strong wave of chocolate overwhelming his nostril like there is no end of it, filled him with a slight feeling of nausea. Chocolate is never the type for the picky hedgehog, and he doesn't like most of the sweets after all. And here laying on the bed greeted by the overly sweet scent of chocolate as the first thing when he wakes up, the always docile hedgehog found his temper being incredibly irritating right now.

He needs to ventilate the room, he has to!

Getting dressed, the grumpy hedgehog bursts open the door, inhaling deeply as the fresh yet cold air calming and taking his annoyance away like a gentle blow of zephyr. Exhaling with relief, the closed golden crystal orb now opened again, glinting with delight and vitality under the dawn light.

Jerry had no idea why he always wakes up this early in the morning. He had thought that the effect of time lags should be gone already. Duh, at least he'd got rid of his sleep in issue. Well, still a bit impatient because of the weird chocolate coming from nowhere!

Startled by the muffled sound coming from his bedroom, the light goldenrod yellow hedgehog was perplexed that he founds the beige raccoon laying on his bed with much comfort. When did his older brother get in his bed like that? The little hedgehog wants to know, but when the heavy dense sweet stuffy air hit him, he decided to stay outside until the room was ventilated.

The morning of the Sira forest is peace and quiet as the light goldenrod yellow hedgehog appreciated for its help. There is too many stuff running through his head at the same time and there is no solution for it, not even the beige raccoon as the deflated hedgehog moaning in agony. Judging too early that his brother would not understand.

That he had a dream, a dream about two figure he could not put their name on. A dream that should belong to someone else instead of him, like a memory.

But mostly, he doesn't know how to face Ethan right now after what had happened yesterday.

The beige raccoon left out a rumble as he stretches his relaxed torso. Gosh! He had never slept this well in his life! Hazel eyes glance at the room, the beige raccoon quickly registered that he is in his brother's room. A familiar sweet scent quickly caught his attention, Ethan's gaze follows the sweet chocolate smell towards the bowl which placed on the nightstand and left out an audible sigh that his ice-cream had already melted. His attention then comes back at the opened door to the balcony, gotten the hint that he'll have a grumpy hedgehog coming right ahead.

"Hey..." Ethan started as he saw the long hair hedgehog standing at the balcony deep in thought. His elbow up to the railing, resting his chin on the back of his hand. The amber eyes of the thoughtful hedgehog gazed towards the far end of the forest without focus, not once did he turns to the beige raccoon.

A heavy sigh has broken the tense atmosphere between the silence. The light goldenrod yellow hedgehog turned his head towards his brother, a small smile showing on his face as he recognized the worry expression on Ethan's face. At least his brother is still here.

"Hi..." Although the tired hedgehog tried his best, he sounds stranded.

The beige raccoon wants to say something but then decided to keep his mouth shut. Yesterday was a down for both of them, in particular for the light goldenrod yellow hedgehog. Jerry is acting a bit bipolar lately. The beige raccoon was worried about his little brother but the stubborn Hedgely just wouldn't tell him. The elder raccoon knows that it is also his fault to use the one was innocent hedgehog as his atonement for Lucas. Ironically, both of them had used each other to filling the hole in their heart. If it is not the purple chameleon intervene with them, both of them might stick in the never ending loop forever.