The next few days went by peacefully. Under the watchful eye and encouragement of the Restoration both Silver and Venice recovered in no time, powers back as if they never had been exhausted in the first place. The psychic knew he and Silver would be leaving soon to an uncertain future, even though he did wish they could have stayed longer. It was for a good cause, he told himself. Besides, maybe the future really had been saved, and was now a wonderful paradise? They couldn't know that if they stayed in the past forever, though Silver seemed unhappy at every mention Venice made to the possibility. He couldn't tell what was on the other's mind, though he was determined to find out before they left.

Two people had come over a while back, who Silver had called Rouge and Omega. They had stayed for tea and chatted with Silver and Amy. Venice had also been there, leaning against Silver's side, though had been a bit too preoccupied with the ginormous murder robot that towered over him to pay attention to the conversation. The thing had behaved relatively well other than some disturbingly aggressive statements regarding Dr. Eggman and hadn't tried to go after him or Silver, to his great relief. With some convincing Amy had made the hedgehog hand over one of the shiny Emeralds to Rouge, whose eyes had shone just as much as she took it in her hands with a grin. "You really do look like Silver," she had told him cheerfully as Amy led them out, but he had had no idea know to respond and they had left him alone after that. He had made Silver cuddle with him extensively for the rest of the day to recover.

The other Emeralds had also found a place somewhere, one going to Tails' workshop and all the others being spread out over the world to whoever needed them until Silver had only one left on his person. Sonic and Tails had said something about how the Emeralds must have saved Silver's life when he and Venice got hit by the force of Eggman's hyper bomb, but Venice had only been listening with half an ear. The psychic couldn't really be bothered by the inner workings of Chaos energies and all the theories that Tails came up with; the Emeralds seemed much too powerful and dangerous to be near, especially if all seven were combined. It was fine with him this way, he decided on a lazy morning when groggily trying to fall back to sleep, though certain factors in his surroundings made that extensively difficult.

"Ve-enice," a playful voice whispered in his ear, as it had been doing without fail for the past few minutes already. "You really need to get up now, you already missed breakfast." The sings-song tone and the accompanying prodding in his sides made the hybrid frown annoyedly as his train of sleepy thought came to a grinding halt, though he tried to keep his face as straight as possible as to not show Silver he was awake. He wasn't particularly hungry and from what he could tell the world outside his heavy covers was cold and chilly; he'd get up later. Silver seemed to have different ideas, though, and Venice flew up with a yowl as his blanket was ripped away from his grip and his body got assaulted by a gust of cold. His lunge at Silver to give back his warm haven was unsuccessful, and his friend gracefully flew out of his path with a laugh as he telekinetically moved the covers away further.

"See! That wasn't so difficult!!" the hedgehog crooned victoriously as Venice clumsily landed himself on the ground with his powers. Puffing up his fur against the draft he grumbled as Silver smoothly placed the blankets back, snickering quietly to himself. Now that he was up and the bed most likely cold anyway, he might as well just face the day. Silver probably wouldn't let him go back to sleep if he wanted to, he decided as he watched the other psychic float over the bed with a grin on his face and his arms crossed. His few clothing articles were put on easily enough, and he stretched out extensively before making his way to the door. When noticing Silver made no attempts to follow him he paused. "Are you coming?"

The smile fell from Silver's as he grasped his arm with his hand, and Venice saw his good mood evaporate and be replaced by something more sombre and slightly tinted with guilt. "Actually... I would like to discuss something with you," he said awkwardly. Venice raised an eyebrow at his unexpected shift in tone, before walking back and settling himself on the bed once again. Silver slowly dropped down and joined him, hunched in on himself and not looking the hybrid in the eyes.

"I'm listening," Venice urged Silver as the other stayed quiet for a surprisingly long amount of time. With an odd cough Silver half-turned towards him, though he did nothing to sit up straighter. "I... was thinking of leaving the past. Right now, actually."

Out of everything he could have said this particular bit Venice had not seem coming, and he gasped in surprise. "Really?" he asked enthusiastically, jumping up with a grin. Despite the hesitance Silver displayed every time the topic was brought up he had finally made up his mind! But then he faltered. "As in, right now right now?"

"Uh..." at the question Silver seemed to curl in on himself even more. "Well, not right now, but... soon. Today, preferably." He swallowed thickly, and Venice got the feeling he was grasping his arm so tightly the bone was about to snap. "I... actually already said my goodbyes to everyone. Uh, it's probably best you do too. Of course, if you... still want to..." He trailed off entirely, looking down at his knees.

"Silver!" Venice protested as he balled his fists and puffed up his quills. "I promised I'd go with you, and I stand by that!"

His declaration of loyalty did not seem to cheer Silver up as much as he had hoped it would. A tiny smile made its way on the psychic's face, and it was brimming with sadness. "I appreciate that," he sighed softly, before lifting himself off the bed as well and making his way to the door. "If you want to find the others, they're most likely either in the kitchen or the communication hub," he murmured as he grasped the door frame, still not looking at the psychic near the bed. "I'll be checking all the things we're gonna need one more time. Sonic will know where to find me." And with that he was gone, not giving Venice any time to respond.

Flabbergasted the hybrid stared at the entrance of the room. What in the world was going on with Silver, he wondered as he slowly walked out as well. Hopefully Sonic and his friends could tell him, because it was driving him crazy. He'd make his way to the kitchen first and grab something to eat, he decided as he picked up his pace, if only to leave behind the dreary hallways of the building.

Only Tails was present in the room, fervently typing on a Miles Electric as odd blue papers were strewn about on the table and metal tools were littered on chairs. There was a curious collection of colourful wrappers within his reach, some opened. His ear twitched as Venice pushed open the door, and he looked up with a grin. "Hey, Venice!"

"Hullo," the hybrid responded timidly. He still didn't know exactly what to make of the fox cub, but so far he had only ever been nice to him. It was probably safe to stay in the room together, even if Silver wasn't around to bail him out in case of trouble. Tails haphazardly shoved away some of the papers and metal objects to make space for him, gesturing at the chair standing next to his own. "Let's hang out! What's up?"

Very carefully Venice lowered himself into the chair, finger trailing over the teal mark on his hand as he pondered what to say. "We're going to leave," he blurted out.

Tails didn't seem surprised by the news in the slightest, sympathetically shrugging as he handed one of the coloured wrappers to Venice, who undid it at the edges. It contained a white, somewhat sticky rock of sorts with green stripes on it. "Silver was here some time ago, and he said as much. He's always trying so hard to save the future," the genius agreed with him as he opened a wrapper himself and popped its contents in his mouth. Venice copied the movement and pulled a face at the sharp taste that assaulted his tongue, though it wasn't necessarily gross.

"He keeps saying I'm free to stay here in the past, but I want to go with him," the psychic muttered between the mouthful of sticky pebble in his mouth. Tails nodded thoughtfully.

"We're always worried about Silver when he's away, so it's nice to know someone's keeping an eye on things," he pondered as he fiddled with the wrapper that was in his hands still. "He can be very reckless, especially when the fate of the world is at stake. It's wise to have someone who can keep him in check."

"And he could use the emotional support," a voice sounded behind them. Venice nearly flew out of his chair from the shock with a squeal, a single pulse of psychokinesis sending all the blue papers and wrappers flying. Sonic quickly zipped past him and snatched the paperwork out of the air, placing it back on the table in less than a second. "Sorry! I thought you'd heard me enter."

The sticky pebble had nearly ended up in his lungs as he had jumped up, and Venice coughed extensively to dislodge the thing. The hacking reminded him a bit too much of his plunge in the lake, which only made him gasp for breath more intensely. Tails slammed a hand on his back a couple of times and Sonic handed him a quickly-filled glass of water, which he gracefully took some sips from. "What do you mean?" he rasped once his heaving calmed down a little, getting pushed down in his chair again by Sonic.

"I presume you've noticed how down Silver gets whenever you mention the future around him?" the blue hedgehog asked as he lowered himself in a chair as well, looking contemplative. Venice nodded timidly. "Silver can get quite disheartened about the future... Not because of himself, though. He puts in a lot of effort, let me tell you!" Sonic explained with a chuckle, before he grew more solemn. "It pains him that even after all this time, his efforts have been for naught. At least, that's how he sees it."

Venice glanced at his hands that he was nervously fiddling with. "But... that's not true, is it? He keeps subverting disasters... It can't be his fault that each time something else goes wrong in the past!"

"It's because there is no certainty when the world will truly be safe," Tails chimed in, meticulously rolling the wrapper between his fingers now. "He's done this dozens of times already, and every time one disaster is undone another takes its place. We can't really help him; it's up to him alone to clue together what happened and save us all yet another time. And then to find that each time it still wasn't enough... It would wear down anyone, even someone as spirited as Silver."

Venice's ears drooped as he thought back to the midnight conversation he and Silver had had. The psychic had vehemently objected to simply staying in the past and trying to make things better from there, and with Sonic's and Tails' explanation it made more sense to him now. He felt his heart bleed for Silver, who kept fighting tirelessly to finally truly save the world he loved so much, despite the lack of any form of payoff. And even if he did manage to create a perfect future, what then? No-one from that era would know it was him who gave them their happiness, and he had said he couldn't stay in the past out of fear of messing with timelines. Was Silver really doomed to live a life of unhappiness and unrecognition, no matter the final state of the world?

"Then I'll try even harder to be there for him!" he blurted out unexpectedly as he was taken over by a wave of determination. If he could make even the slightest difference for Silver, assure him that everything would turn out okay in the end and he belonged somewhere and with someone, he would do so with no hesitation. Maybe he could make himself useful for Silver in such a way? Balance out his lack of fighting skills and survival knowledge with moral support?

Both Sonic and Tails beamed at him as he said that. "We'd be very grateful if you did," Sonic assured him as he gently reached out to give his quills a ruffle, as he sometimes did with Silver too. Venice accepted the petting hand while pulling a face, though he didn't object. The motion felt very gentle on his forehead anyway.

Tails nodded vigorously as he handed Venice another one of the sticky pebbles. "Thank you, Venice. Really."

"Ah... 's No problem," he murmured in response, feeling unexpectedly bashful because of Sonic's and Tails' happy reaction. He quickly unwrapped the pebble and shoved it in his mouth to give himself something to do. A loud grumble of his stomach made his frown as he glanced down, and both the hedgehog and the fox giggled.

"We missed you at breakfast, no wonder you're hungry. Want me to make something for you?" Without waiting for an answer, the Blue Blur jumped up and began to rush through the kitchen like a whirlwind, haphazardly grabbing bowls and ingredients from the shelves. Venice sneezed as a white powder flew up from where Sonic enthusiastically poured it in one of the bowls, and Tails shook his head good-naturedly. "He's always like this, it's normal," the fox assured the psychic.

The three settled in silence, Sonic occasionally humming as he prepared the food and Venice peeking over Tails' shoulder as the genius wrote and drew things on his blue papers, though he had no idea what they could mean. Soon a delicious aroma spread through the kitchen, and the growling of Venice's stomach only intensified as his nose twitched and mouth watered. He had no idea what Sonic was making, but he couldn't wait to find out.

"Three portions of breakfast crepes for lunch, brought to life by yours truly!" With an elaborate bow Sonic held two plates out to them, and Tails chuckled as he placed one in front of Venice and the other in front of himself. Sonic raced towards his chair with a plate of his own, and with an "Enjoy!" the two friends began to eat. Studying them a little to see how he should tackle it Venice put a piece of the food in his mouth. His ears perked up and his eyes widened as the delicious flavour hit his tongue, and he happily cut off a bigger piece to shove in his mouth.

Sonic laughed at his enthusiastic reaction, munching away on his own portion. He and Tails chatted a little as their plates got more empty with every passing moment, though Venice was content to listen in peace. He'd miss them, he realised with a twinge of sadness in his heart. Sonic and Amy were always so kind, the former's teases notwithstanding, and despite his earlier apprehension Tails had turned out to be nothing but friendly as well. He hoped he would be able to convince Silver to visit often, no matter what risk to the timeline it could potentially pose. Both of them could use the support of their friends.

"No, it's your turn to do the dishes today!" Tails' voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up with an eyebrow raised. He saw that Tails had fluffed himself up to appear bigger, though it didn't really succeed in making him look more threatening. Sonic for his part was grinning widely as he attempted to half-heartedly shove the three plates and cutlery into the fox's balled hands. "Aww, can't you do it just this once? Surely you can show some goodwill towards your favourite big brother?"

"This isn't just this once, and you know it!" Tails shot back, though he took the plates out of Sonic's hand with an eyeroll anyway. An indignant squeak followed as Sonic ruffled the tuft of fur on his forehead. "Thank, li'l bro! You're the best!" the Blue Blur laughed happily as he plopped down on his chair again. Tails just grumbled some things in response that were too soft to be caught, but Venice could see he was smiling also.

Brother... He had heard the word before, he realised. Sonic had said he was Silver's brother when they first met, though Silver had denied that. With the whole fuss the Blue Blur had raised about him and Silver looking so alike, brothers probably had to be pretty similar in appearance. But then why did Sonic and Tails look nothing like each other?

"May I ask something?" he asked Sonic, who had occupied himself with sunbathing in some rays of light coming in through the window. The speedster lazily hummed in response as he opened one of his eyes, which Venice took as a cue to continue. "What's a brother?"

"Basically, two or more children from the same parents are called siblings, or brothers and sisters," Tails piped up from the sink as he scrubbed the plates. "Together with their parents they form something called a family. Why are you asking?"

Venice stared at Sonic and slowly drifted his eyes over to Tails. No, they did not look alike in the slightest, not like he and Silver did. "Sonic thought Silver and I were brothers when we first met, though Silver said we aren't," he explained anyway, mulling over the new information. "Does that mean you and Sonic have the same parents, then?"

Sonic had to chuckle at that, and Venice tipped his head at the unexpected noise. "You don't always have to be related by blood to be brothers. Tails and I call each other that because we have a closer bond than best friends. Nothing can get between us, not even the darkest night or the most fearsome storm. Whenever the other needs us, we are there for him in a heartbeat."

Bashfully Tails swished his namesakes around, and despite the fact that his back was turned towards them Venice though he could see both a smile and a blush form on his cheeks. "Love you, Sonic," he mumbled as he meticulously dried the dishes. Sonic seemed entirely unfazed, grinning widely at his little brother's shy reaction. "And I love you too, Tails." Shaking his head a bit he turned towards Venice once more. "Did that answer your question?"

Venice murmured softly, though he was wracking his mind too much to really respond. Silver was always there for him when he needed him, fully prepared to drop everything and lend a hand no matter what he was doing prior or what time of day it was. If he needed his friend he'd only have to squeak, and the psychic would already be at his side to support him and care for him. He almost laughed out loud when thinking about how he had deemed it inevitable Silver would leave him behind in Frozen City. How silly he had been... And all the sacrifices Silver would make for him he would make back without hesitation, he knew. After everything the hedgehog had done for him he owed him that much, and... being around Silver, being there for Silver... it made him feel happy.

Planting his feet resolutely on the ground, Venice raised himself up from the chair. "It's time to leave," he announced, his words firmly echoing through the kitchen, though neither Sonic nor Tails seemed surprised by his unexpectedly strong demeanour.

"I'm working on a gadget that allows communication between time and space," the fox told him as he stepped over and held out a hand towards Venice. "I don't know yet when it will be finished, but rest assured that one day we'll be able to talk to each other freely no matter where you and Silver are."

The thoughtfulness of the genius made him smile, and he carefully shook the hand that was being held out to him. Not entirely sure what to say, he settled on a "Take care, Tails." The fox simply beamed as they let go, and he stepped out of the way for Sonic, who had gotten up and sauntered over as well.

"You'll want to say goodbye to Amy too, I presume?" Venice nodded vigorously as he followed Sonic towards the door. "She's in the hub, as always. Really keeping herself busy, that one!" The Blue Blur smiled fondly at no-one in particular, and Venice had to suppress a giggle at Tails' exaggerated eye-roll.

With a final goodbye to the genius fox he trailed Sonic our of the door and through the hallways, having to run in an awkward half-jog to keep up with the speedster's fast pacing. Much quicker than it usually took him they were already in front of the automatically-moving door to the communication room. Also this time it slid open without any input, and he and Sonic stepped inside.

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question from Amy, more of a statement. He nodded timidly as she walked over to him from the table where she had been working, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. "I'll miss you two! Promise you'll be careful, and look after our Silver?"

"Of course," he responded as he wrapped his own arms around him as well. He'd miss her too, and her kindness and upbeat attitude. "Silver has your coat packed already, plus extra socks and gloves" she assured him as she quickly fidgeted a little with the cuffs around his wrists she had given to him, as if she didn't want to let go of him yet. His ears drooped as he realised both him and Silver would be exempt from little things like this too when going to the future, except those they could give to each other.

For a split second he wondered if maybe it would be possible to convince Silver to stay here after all, in this wonderful era surrounded by people who loved them and cared for them at their side. The hope faded away near-instantly, though. Silver had already made up his mind and he had promised to follow, and if he had to follow the hedgehog to the future then so be it. He knew that, if given the choice between the past and Silver, he would always choose Silver.

His goodbyes to Amy were said much too quickly as well, and before Venice knew it he and Sonic had already left the Restoration Headquarters and Sunset City. This time Sonic was walking too, instead of zipping ahead with the psychic unable to keep up. He was grateful for the slower pace, using it to take in everything just a bit more intensely than usual. It would be the last time he would walk here for a while, he realised with pain in his heart.

The day was positively gorgeous, the sunrays stroking his cheeks and clouds lazily drifting by as they trotted next to the lake's edge. The waters shimmered just as they had done the first time he had laid his eyes on them, a gentle breeze forming ripples in the pool of gold formed by the light. Despite the weather, the fields surrounding the town were surprisingly empty. Although being around too many people made him feel antsy, now the lack of them just made his heart hurt more. He thought he had known sadness when leaving behind their safe haven in Frozen City, but this felt a thousandfold worse. Sonic smiled at him sympathetically as he reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "You'll miss this place, won't you?"

"Yeah." That answer was unsatisfactory, and he mulled a little over how to continue. "Everything's so beautiful here, and you're all so nice... I just wish Silver would want to stay, too."

"Oh, but he does," Sonic assured him as they stared up into the light blue sky. "It's his sense of duty and justice that makes him throw himself over and over into the future and then the past again to subvert a disaster, without fail. It is... admirable, but as you can see it also has its drawbacks. Such as the heartache of having to leave behind those you care about, or not knowing where you truly belong."

Venice sighed sadly, realising that he hadn't really thought about what going back to the future would entail. If he had grown so fond of Silver's friends in such a short timespan, how would the hedgehog himself feel? Despite his sadness, he felt his determination to stay with Silver rise the more he thought about it. If there was anyone who did not deserve to be left alone it was Silver, so he'd make sure he could be there for his friend the best he could. He belonged with Silver, he had said, and he knew it to be nothing but truth. All he could hope for was that the psychic would one day know where he himself belonged, too. Until that day came, and after that too, he'd make sure to stay by his side.

Not wanted to leave his friend hanging for much longer, he nodded more resolutely as he extended his hand to the Blue Blur. "Goodbye for now, Sonic. It was a pleasure to meet you." His hand was grabbed firmly, and Sonic beamed as he gave him a thumbs-up. "We'll meet again soon, I'm sure. Take care of Silver for us. He needs you just as much as you need him."

"Do you know where he is?" Venice asked. If he wanted to stay by Silver's side, of course he'd have to actually be there in the first place!

"Yep! Do you remember where you-" Sonic's voice dropped to a whisper, "-nearly drowned?" He returned to his normal volume as Venice pulled a face at him, though he could feel a smile forming at the edge of his mouth. "He said he'd wait for you there. It's straight in front of us, just follow the lakeside and you'll run into him in no time." With a final ruffle over Venice's quills and a wave he turned away from the hybrid and the lake. "My legs are itching for a run, so I'll be off! Be safe, alright?" Venice had barely given his assurance before Sonic blasted off, and all he could do was laugh and wave back at the disappearing streak of blue before he set off towards his friend.

-----

Venice found Silver sitting exactly where Sonic had said he would be, leaning against one of the willows as he overlooked the city and the lake. He was hunched over and appeared to be deeply lost in thought, his backpack uncaringly thrown away to the side. Venice cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly as to not startle the hedgehog, but Silver merely turned his ear towards him, then patted the ground next to him as to invite Venice to sit down as well. The mink hybrid did and waited patiently for his friend to start speaking.

"This world is beautiful, isn't it?" Silver murmured softly. His eyes were filled with sadness as he glanced out over the city, the red bridge in the distance, and the mountains, fields and forests beyond it. Venice thought back to what Sonic and Tails told him and how he had felt walking through the area for the last time, and he swallowed thickly.

"I have a question." Oops, perhaps that was a bit more firm than he wanted it to sound. Silver stared at the view a bit longer, before turning his attention towards Venice fully. "What is it?"

"Um." Venice probably could have prepared this better, he realised as he fumbled to find the words. "I- I was just wondering... we have been staying here for quite some time, even though both of us have recovered completely. Why are we only leaving now, and so unexpectedly?"

When Venice finished his stuttering Silver had turned towards the view once more, his gaze unreadable. Venice feared he had made his friend angry, but then Silver sighed deeply and his eyes were again filled with sadness.

"This will sound silly, but... I'm scared."

Venice felt his mouth fall open. Silver, actually scared? A few days ago Sonic had told him how frightened Silver was when he had been kidnapped, but he had laughed at the silly notion. Not in Frozen City, not in the Genesis portal, not when rescuing Venice from Eggman's clutches had the dark grey hedgehog shown anything resembling fright. Even when faced with the threat of a bomb blowing them to smithereens Silver had known exactly what to do, and he had handled accordingly. Venice had never seen him scared, he had deemed his friend fearless! "Scared? But why? You've worked so hard, the world simply has to be saved!"

With that exclamation Silver seemed to recoil even more. "We don't know that... Remember what I told you when we had just met? This isn't the first time I have changed the past. And every time I undo the first disaster there is a new one that strikes..." Venice could tell Silver started to get angry. "Every time, I get it wrong. My efforts are always for naught."

"Wha-! That's not true!" Venice jumped up, grabbing Silver's hands and hoisting the startled hedgehog up with him. He thought back to what he had discussed with Sonic and Tails. "Without you the world would have been left destroyed anyway, with no-one able to subvert anything! You're making progress! I just know that eventually you'll get it right!" He stopped shaking Silver's hands and arms and his gaze turned a bit softer, leaning closer into his friend. "You're a shining beacon of hope, Silver. Your friends know that you're here to help them, and they trust you with their lives to make things better. Please, don't talk about yourself and everything you do that way. You're the only one who could make such a difference."

Silver stared at Venice shockedly for a few long seconds. In the back of his mind, Venice hoped he had said the right things to make him feel better. Then, Silver glanced down and smiled bashfully, staring at his boots. "I suppose you're right..."

"You needn't suppose anything, you know I'm right." His smug exclamation made Silver laugh a little, and Venice inwardly celebrated his friend's improved mood. "Yes, yes, alright, I know you're right." The hedgehog's glance trailed back towards the city once more, before falling fully onto Venice again. "Thank you, Venice."

"Anytime." While Venice was glad that Silver had been cheered up, he had wished to ask him another thing as well. Now it was the mink's turn to glance bashfully at his shoes, fiddling with the grey bracelets on his wrists. "Actually... there is something else I wanted to ask you."

"Of course, what is it?"

Silver's gentle tone made Venice even more shy. What if he thought his question was stupid? Venice took a deep breath, assured himself that Silver would never think or say such a thing, and decided to just go for it. "Um... I was hanging out with your friends just now. Sonic and Tails were just- just fooling around, and- and they said, um..." Could he even do this? But then he felt Silver grab his hand and give it a small squeeze, as to encourage him. Yes, he could. "They said that they were... brothers. They explained that it wasn't biologically, but because- because they had such a close bond that nothing could get between them, n- not even the darkest night or the most fearsome storm. It sounded really... I was wondering if you..."

Venice trailed off completely now, staring at the ground with a huge red blush on his face. A chuckle made him lose his train of thought, and he stared at Silver who was... laughing? But it wasn't a mocking laugh, it was a laugh filled with affection. Affection aimed at him.

"Are you asking if you want us to be brothers, Venice?" Silver's eyes were filled with such love and kindness that it nearly knocked Venice off his feet. He was sure that no-one in his life had ever looked at him that way.

"...Yes," he managed to squeak out.

Silver's smile broadened. "I think I would like that very much."

Venice stayed completely frozen for a few seconds, before launching himself into embracing the very surprised grey hedgehog. "Thank you, thank you!" He could feel a few tears form at the corners of his eyes, burying his face further into Silver's shoulder as to get rid of them.

"You're welcome, Ven. I... I love you." Silver wrapped his arms around him a bit more tightly and started rocking him. Venice could have sworn the hedgehog was crying as well.

"And I love you too, Silv." After some time the two let go of each other. Venice didn't move away entirely, but reached out to grab Silver's hand as he had done with him, looking him directly in the eye.

"Silver... this might sound corny, but I have no words to thank you for everything that you've done for me. I know that I often was a handful, or difficult to take care of, and that you could have easily left me in the future, but... thank you, for never giving up on me."

With a loving smile Silver carefully placing a hand on Venice's cheek and stroking it with his thumb. "No, thank you, Venice. I think without you I might just have lost my mind in yet another destroyed future. Besides, you were the one who truly saved the world in the end, not me. And... you were never a handful. I'm grateful for every moment I have spent in your company."

The two brothers shared another moment together, before letting go of each other completely. With a sigh, Venice's looked out over the world of Silver's past... although, it was his past now too, he realised. Silver's future would be his future, and whichever era Silver decided to stay in they would stay there together. "It's time to go back..." Silver murmured. Easily lifting his backpack on his back, he pulled out the Chaos Emerald he had kept and readied it in his hand. "Are you ready, Ven?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the hybrid responded calmly. Even though he knew Silver dreaded what the future would hold this time, and he himself could only hope for the best, they now both had a brother with them to support them through it all.

"Good, then watch this. Chaos.... Control!" At the hedgehog's command, a swirling blue portal opened. Venice stared at it, fully mesmerised by how unexpectedly beautiful it looked. Unlike the purple Genesis Portal this one radiated peace and love, the same love Silver held for the world and all its people, and for him. The psychic clutched the Chaos Emerald in his hand for a moment more, as to thank it, then gently let the gemstone float out of his palm. It disappeared in a flash, to Venice's surprise.

"Why did it do that?" he asked Silver as he watched a few sparks of Chaos Energy float away on the breeze.

Silver chuckled. "The Chaos Emeralds refuse to time-travel along with me. I think it's to maintain the balance of seven, so that there is not a timeline with only six and another with eight. I prefer to let them go in this way. When they are needed, they will come back to us once more."

Silver's gentle certainty filled Venice with confidence. "Let's go, then."

"Yes." Silver reached his hand out to him, which he grabbed instantly.

Not waiting a moment more, The two brothers jumped through the portal. It serenely closed behind them, the branches of the willows calmly flowing through the breeze as the lakeside was left empty. Even though it was unsure what the future had in store for them, Venice had found someone he belonged with... and perhaps, he realised as he and Silver soared through the insides of the blue portal in a moment that took forever and no time at all, Silver had too.