Orcinus's One-Shots! *Whoo*

Easter Egg (Sonic Fanfic)

My Easter entry for a challenge on the Sonic Amino. Enjoy!

C:C:

Three months. It had been three months since the liberation of Mobius. Since the residents of the planet had been liberated from the grasp of Eggman. The victory had been long overdue and wholeheartedly welcomed by the oppressed. There had been much celebration when the news of the battle being won was finally out. Flags were burned and robots destroyed, it was a day to go down in history some would say.

Eggman was now locked behind bars, under the careful watch of GUN. The Resistance was hard at work to help rebuild what the destruction had destroyed, but their progress was finally beginning to show results. Cities were being rebuilt, families reunited and placed into safe homes, and free will was once more restored.

Though, something that didn't sit well with anyone was the absence of a certain someone...Eggman and his robot lackeys were accounted for, that much could be confirmed. But a certain entity, one who had killed many men, was still MIA. They had sent out search parties to find the jackal, but all had come back empty-handed. After five weeks of these designated search parties, the hunt for the criminal came to a reluctant end. The jackal was deemed dead, a rumor of Eggman doing something horrible to the Mobian during that final battle against Sonic. With the knowledge of both beings no longer being a threat, the people were able to relax and focus more on rebuilding the life that had been stolen from them.

But death could not be farther from the truth, for this person was very much alive. Wounded, but alive. Zero, or rather Infinite as he was more commonly known as nowadays, had been on the run ever since Eggman's defeat. In his wounded state, it was truly a miracle that he hadn't been caught by those parties. But one does not simply forget all that they have learned from the past. Especially when that past involves killing and being on the run for a living.

It had been difficult, yes, but a want to live with freedom kept him going. True freedom would never be there for him, he knew that much. He had murdered people without a bat of an eye. He was a monster to those people, nothing but a liability that needed to be locked away in a cage. It was the life he had made for himself and one that had no true escape.

Ever since his defeat, he had rid himself of that mask that had struck so much fear into the hearts of his enemies. It was of no use to him anymore, not when he no longer had the Phantom Ruby in his possession. He was now nothing. He had no power and was starting to run out of a will to live. He had so foolishly left his squad for this chance of revenge. A chance that had so horribly backfired and leaving the only broken man he had become today. The Jackal Squad would never accept him back...not when he was so weak.

The jackal shuddered at the thought. The one thing he had tried to prove he was not had in the end been proven true. He was weak. He had lost to a child and lost everything. He could do nothing anymore but limp on his wounded leg and hope no one would recognize the disorganized white and black fur that was his fur. Though the mask had been discarded, it did little to change his outward appearance. He was still Infinite...he always would be to these people. A curse he had placed himself.

His stomach grumbled and he knew this was the time to get food. This meant he would have to walk into one of the cities and pray that Lady Luck had some sympathy left for him. He altered his grip on the stick that had become his support since the defeat and began to limp towards the nearest town. It was a small town, one with not very many people, but quite a selection in fruits. He would simply grab what he could without being noticed and get out of there. It felt like a routine at this point, having done this too many times over. But if he wanted any hope of living he had to take these actions.

He entered the village from the side, as he usually would. It was less noticeable and this village was surrounded by mostly forest. It was an easy way to get in and get out, this place apparently not at all worried about attacks. It confused him but it only made it easier so he couldn't complain.

As he walked through the forest he was trying to think of a way that would work easiest for him. His left leg was still hurting, it would probably never be the same again he was sure of. He sometimes wondered if maybe that this leg would be his downfall. He couldn't run like he used to, make the acrobatic jumps he was so proud of. All because he couldn't suck it up and get over one battle he had lost. It was at these times that he remembered that he was the reason for his state. He couldn't help but grin bitterly. How ironic fate could be...

He was broken away from his thoughts when a loud crunch was heard and he froze. His ears stood at attention as his eye darted around, trying to find where that noise could have come from. Though the forest floor wasn't the quietest, it had rather been the sound of the crunch. It had been a sort of plastic-y crunch with a strange squeak to it. There had been something else to the crunch but he couldn't quite place it. When he looked down at his own feet, he found his own question answered.

On the ground, at his feet, was what once had been a plastic pink egg with bunny stickers decorating its outside. Inside would have been brown little chocolates molded into the shape of bunnies. But their shape had been deformed, the chocolate now smashed into the ground and the pink egg now cracked and damaged.

The jackal got down on a knee, gingerly taking the egg into his hand and examining it over. His good eye creased in confusion as he tried to understand what this thing was meant to do when once more there was a crunch. More of a crack really, but it made the jackal snap his attention to the side to meet eyes with a little girl. The two froze in their places, one yellow eye trained on the light brown eyes of the rabbit girl who stood only five feet away from him. In her hands was a pink basket, filled to the brim with multicolored eggs with stickers decorating their exterior. She was in a pretty pink dress with playful chicks embroidered into its fabric.

The little rabbit couldn't have been older than six, her long ears falling to her waist. She was alone, that much the jackal was for sure of, but that did nothing to ease his worries. If he spooked her she would no doubt go screaming and he did not have the bodily strength to go chasing her or even run fast enough to escape. With a slight hint of worry, he held out his hand, the crushed pink egg resting in the center of his palm.

The girl hesitated, looking at the egg with a suspicious gaze. The Jackal could hardly blame her, even if she didn't know who he was, he was still a stranger. He had heard rumors that there were still people out there trying to keep the Eggman Empire standing, as futile as that sounded to him.

So when the girl actually began to approach him he was quite shocked. So much that he didn't move an inch as the girl came over and set her basket down to be able to take the egg and cradle it in her hands. She brought it to her chest, holding it as if it were a small infant. She didn't seem at all disturbed that the egg had been broken and the little chocolate left could no longer be considered edible. When she smiled up to him he was even more so taken aback and began to glance around, thoughts of this being an ambush coming to mind.

His hand was grabbed, making him jump and pull his attention back to the girl. She was still holding the egg, but when she released his hand she bent down and grabbed an egg from her own basket and placed it in the still open palm. The jackal's eye went wide at the gesture. The egg itself was a bright blue with little pink hearts and bunnies decorating its shell. It was also heavy, no doubt meaning that this egg held the same treat that had been within the broken egg.

The jackal stared at the egg for an unnaturally long time, expecting it to be taken away or some sort of trick. The thought was dispelled when the girl picked up her basket and smiled sweetly at the jackal, taking an extra moment to curtsy.

"Happy Easter, Mr. Infinite," she said in a much to sweet voice before she turned on her heel and skipped off, the egg still being cradled in one arm. The jackal's body went rigid when he heard the name, his eyes snapping back to watch the girl's retreating form. She had known...and yet she had treated him with kindness.

A part of his mind told him to chase after her, to call for her, but he didn't. He was still too dumbfounded to respond. He looked back down at the egg and, after placing down his stick, popped the egg open. Instead was a small chocolate rabbit wrapped in a colorful wrapper. He picked the egg up and looked it over before a small smile grew on his face. He popped the egg back together and took his stick back into his hand. He wouldn't be going to this village, too much of a liability. But at least he had something sweet until he came to his next stop.