Chapter 2: The Seedrian's Story

Warp was sitting in the living room on a wine red-colored chair, twiddling his thumbs together, eyes wide, and breathing deeply. Scott had got out the fire in his crops quickly, and he was still outside tending to his produce. E-1,000 Theta was hovering next to the mysterious girl, carefully making adjustments with his laser-sharp focus. The girl's head had bandages wrapped around part of it, and Warp could see her left arm was in a cast. The girl's breathing had became steady overnight, as Warp stayed up through the entire night keeping watch over her. The girl continued to sleep silently, as E-1,000 Theta nearly finished up his doctor's work.

"SUBJECT'S STABILITY IS IN FAIR CONDITION. HER LIFE IS SAVED," E-1,000 Theta informed Warp. Warp breathed a large sigh of relief.

"Theta…I don't know how to thank you…" Warp revealed. E-1,000 Theta just turned to Warp.

"MISSION COMPLETE. ANY NEW REQUESTS, WARP?" E-1,000 Theta asked. Warp just shook his head.

"No. Just keep yourself close-by in case she faints again," Warp explained.

"WILL DO, SIR," E-1,000 Theta acknowledged. E-1,000 Theta then hovered off back upstairs to continue his previous task, which is currently unknown. Warp looked down at the injured girl, and he noted her eyes twitching. The girl's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she began slowly blinking, adjusting her eyes to the light. Warp gasped slightly as he saw her eyes flutter open. She had dark brown eyes like ripe chestnuts, and her eyelashes were long. Her breathing was normal again, and she yawned a few seconds after waking up. Warp then realized how awkward he would look if she saw him gazing at her like this. Warp averted his gaze, face blushing slightly out of embarrassment. Warp looked back up, and he saw the girl in the midst of a yawn. When she was finished, she smacked her lips together, and she turned her head in Warp's direction. Upon her laying eyes on Warp, her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Who…who are you?" she asked. Warp couldn't answer immediately, as her soft and calming voice struck him down quickly.

"Wow…that voice…" Warp thought, before snapping back to reality.

"Um…I'm Warp. Warp the Hedgehog. Who are you?" Warp asked, trying his hardest not to stutter. The girl looked around the room, and then she noticed the cast on her left arm.

"Was I injured? What happened?" she asked. Warp just walked up next to her, now worried.

"You landed on the beachside on a meteorite during last night's meteor shower," Warp explained. The girl then gasped loudly.

"I…landed on a world? An inhabited one?" the girl asked, obviously enthralled with this knowledge. "I'm…I'm not alone anymore?"

"Alone…you mean…" Warp then realized what the girl meant by that. "You were living alone on that meteorite?"

"…Warp…thank you for rescuing me from my own demise. You didn't even know me, and yet you saved me. I don't know how to thank you," she acknowledged, her calm and soothing voice nearly making Warp faint.

"Um…can you tell me your name?" Warp asked. The girl just looked down at the blanket she was lying under.

"I…can't remember my true name…" she explained.

"Huh? Do you think its amnesia?" Warp asked. The girl looked at Warp, confused.

"Amn…esia?" she asked.

"You know: amnesia. You can't remember something, although it's on the tip of your tongue," Warp explained.

"Oh…that's what it's called…" the girl realized. "…I have another name you can call me by, until I find out my true name."

"Sure. Who are you?" Warp asked. The girl took a deep breath.

"I…think my name is Nebula. Yes, that's right. My name is Nebula the Seedrian," the girl explained. Warp just stared at her face.

"Nebula…" he thought, before snapping back to reality again.

"It's a cool and cute name, in my opinion," Warp complimented. Nebula tilted her head.

"Cool? Cute? Opinion?" Nebula asked, oblivious to the meanings of these words.

"Yeah: cool and cute are compliments that are supposed to make you feel better about yourself. Opinions are what other people think of any particular subject," Warp explained, smiling.

"…so, your opinion of me is cool and cute?" Nebula tried to grasp it, but she seemed confused. "Is that good?"

"Yeah! Definitely!" Warp reassured. Nebula then sat up, the blanket falling down to her waist. Looking down at herself, she saw her white dress was tarnished with dirt, her green hair was unnaturally stringy, and she was bandaged up in many places.

"I wasn't supposed to come across any planets…" Nebula thought out loud.

"What do you mean?" Warp asked. Before Nebula could answer, a VERY pissed-off Scott slammed open the front door.

"Okay, Warp! I just put out that fire! And you know how much damage those flames will cost me? FIVE GRAND, DAMN IT!" Scott screamed. Scott then noticed Nebula was awake, but she was staring at Scott, confused and scared. Warp just sighed, disgusted.

"Scott, please. I'll pay off that debt; I was a bit tensed from Nebula's near-fatal condition," Warp explained. Scott was about to continue on his rant, until he heard Warp say her name.

"Oh, you know her name now? Heheheh…anything else you know?" Scott slyly asked. Warp's eyes began twitching. Nebula tilted her head, putting her index finger on her lower lip in a thinking position.

"What does he mean by that?" Nebula asked Warp. Warp just walked over to Nebula.

"He means nothing by that. Do you need anything?" Warp asked. Nebula looked at the various scratches on her body.

"Is there a place where I can get wet?" Nebula asked. Now, Warp knew she was asking for something like a shower. However, Scott took it the other way around and was about to make a very, VERY dirty suggestion until Warp shot him a death glare so intense it was almost tangible. Scott swallowed his unspoken words and backed off. Fortunately, Nebula hadn't noticed Warp's death glare.

"Yeah, there's a shower upstairs. Here, do you need help getting up?" Warp offered. Nebula just nodded her head, and she placed her hand in Warp's hand. Warp gasped quietly at how soft her skin felt, his own face turning red.

"Wow…Nebula…" was all Warp could think. Warp then realized this must be how Scott thinks, and he changed his priorities to helping Nebula walk up the wooden staircase that E-1,000 Theta climbed up earlier. Once at the top, Warp helped guide Nebula into the bathroom. Nebula gasped in amazement as she saw the linoleum tiled walls, the smoothened floor, and the shiny porcelain bathtub, sink, and clean toilet. Nebula slowly walked into the room, taking in the sights.

"What are these things?" Nebula asked, enthralled by the precious porcelain. Nebula began wiping her hand across the top of the sink, seeing her own reflection as she did so.

"Um…well…this is a bathroom," Warp explained. Nebula just tilted her head.

"This is going to be harder than I thought…" Warp thought. Warp took a slight breath, then continued.

"You know…um…whenever you have to…go to…the bathroom…erm…" Warp was now completely flushed…no pun intended. Nebula's facial expression turned into a confused one.

"I don't get it…" Nebula spoke. "Are you alright? Your face is all red…"

"Oh, well, uh…um…hm," Warp uttered, scratching his head. "Um…well, I can explain that all later. You said you needed a shower?"

Nebula tilted her head again. "A shower?"

"…yeah. You see the bathtub behind you. The large porcelain object right there," Warp pointed out. Nebula turned around and looked at the bathtub.

"Yes…what do I do?" Nebula asked.

"You step into the hollowed-out part of the bathtub. That big hole in the center," Warp again pointed out. Nebula balanced herself on Warp's shoulder as he gingerly stepped into the tub.

"There's no water…" Nebula noticed.

"Well, you'll first have to turn on the shower. The knobs here turn on the water," Warp explained, pointing to two glass knobs. One of them was branded with an "H," with the other branded with a "C."

"What are those strange symbols on the knobs?" Nebula asked.

"They're letters. You see, if you turn the one with the "H," hot water will come out. Turning the one with the "C" with make cold water come out," Warp explained, rubbing the back of his head as he did so.

"Okay, so far so good…" Warp thankfully thought, trying to keep his mind in check. Nebula then looked down at her ruined dress.

"What about this dress of mine? It's covering some parts of my own body that are injured," Nebula pointed out. Warp's face then drained of all color. Nebula didn't notice as she was looking down at her tarnished and ruined dress.

"Hey, Nebula? Can you give me a minute or two?" Warp nervously asked.

"What does that mean?" Nebula requested.

"Can you stay right here for a bit? I just need to get something…" Warp explained. Nebula nodded her head, still unsure of what Warp meant.

"Okay…" Nebula answered. Warp exited the bathroom, and when he was assured the door was shut, he grabbed his head, eyes widened. Warp mouthed the words "OH MY GOD" silently, while breathing heavily.

"She can't be serious! How long was she on that meteorite! Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god…" Warp nervously thought, pacing back and forth as he did so. Warp took a deep breath, then he opened a closet door and pulled out a soft, white towel. Heading back into the bathroom, he noticed Nebula bending over, poking her finger at the "H" and "C" on the knobs. She was obviously intrigued, as he eyes were lit up at everything she was seeing.

"Hey, Nebula?" Warp asked, his mouth dry. Nebula turned to Warp.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I brought you this towel for whenever you're finished in the shower," Warp explained, putting the folded towel atop the sink. Nebula just smiled.

"Thanks…do I use that…towel…to get any excessive water off of me?" Nebula asked.

"Yes. That's what they're for," Warp explained.

"Okay, then. As for my dress, I don't know what to do…" Nebula sighed. Warp swallowed, and sighed silently.

"Do you see that curtain attached to the bar above you?" Warp asked. Nebula looked upwards and saw a white bar stretching from one side of the room to the other. At one end was a curtain, folded up from being pushed over.

"Just pull that curtain so you can put it between us," Warp explained. Nebula then grabbed the curtain and pulled it so she couldn't see Warp.

"What was the point of that?" Nebula asked.

"Well…I need to respect your privacy," Warp explained.

"Privacy?" Nebula asked.

"Erm…yeah…now, about the dress…you have to…remove it," Warp tried to explain without sounding like Scott.

"Remove it? You mean…like take it off?" Nebula asked, confused. Warp was nearly banging his head off the wall out of pure stress and embarrassment.

"Um…yes. And because of the curtain, I can't see you, so…" Warp tried to explain.

"Oh. Well, when you put it that way…" Nebula realized. A few unzipping sounds were heard, followed by silence.

"Now what do I do?" Nebula asked.

"Um…just put your dress outside the tub," Warp pointed out. Warp's face was now a VERY deep scarlet.

"…but wouldn't you see me?" Nebula whimpered. Warp just turned around so his back was facing Nebula.

"I turned around, Nebula. Just put your dress out of the bathtub on top of the sink," Warp informed. Warp was secretly glad Nebula couldn't see his face right now, as she would've thought he was being burned on his face. A couple sounds of Nebula shifting around uncomfortably were heard.

"I…don't know…" Nebula whimpered.

"Just trust me. I'm not looking," Warp assured. A couple seconds of silence passed, followed by Nebula sticking her arm out of the curtain and placing her dress atop the sink. Her arm quickly withdrew, as if she was almost bitten by a snake.

"You didn't look…" Nebula gasped.

"And you trusted me…" Warp realized. A silence occurred for another 30 seconds, until the creaking sound of the knobs in the shower were heard turning. Warp could hear Nebula jump back a bit as the water hit her, but then she said nothing else.

"I'll go wash your dress for you, Nebula. If you want…" Warp informed. Nebula was silent, and Warp grabbed Nebula's dirty garments. A thoroughly-embarrassed Warp then opened the door, but before Warp shut the door, Nebula spoke up.

"Warp?" Nebula asked. Warp turned around to her voice.

"Yeah?" Warp answered.

"…thank you," Nebula thanked. Warp just gasped slightly, before smiling.

"You're welcome," Warp acknowledged, before closing the bathroom door.

Meanwhile, far off in the distance, a silhouette of a hedgehog was seen. The hedgehog appeared to be atop a dusty desert cliff, and he was looking over a large valley. The farmhouse everyone was at was barely visible from this height. The hedgehog grinned.

"To think I overlooked a place like this," the hedgehog grimaced, before jumping down the cliff and silently making his way towards the farmhouse.

It had been about a good half-hour since Nebula began her shower, and the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Scott was washing his hands in the kitchen sink, sweating a bit after his long day outside. Warp came downstairs as well, entering the kitchen and opening the refrigerator for any snacks.

"So, how's the crops?" Warp asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"They're alright," Scott replied. Scott's response was cold, but it was also calm. "What about Nebula?"

"She's taking a shower," Warp explained. Warp then realized the major mistake he just made by saying that. Scott turned to him, grinning.

"Really?" Scott asked. Warp and Scott stood there for several seconds, looking directly at each other. Scott then immediately tried to scramble to the living room so he could ascend the stairs. Warp just stood in his way and blocked the entrance. Scott smiled, then took a sharp turn and ran into the dining room, about to make a full circle around to the staircase. Warp realized this and blocked Scott's advance by jumping right in his path before he reached the stairs. Scott saw this coming, and he expertly swerved around Warp and began running up the stairs. Warp tried to grab Scott's foot, but he missed and instead tripped to the ground, smacking his face onto the steps. Scott's face was lit up with happiness as he got to the bathroom door…before it opened and smacked him right in the face. Nebula screamed a bit, jumping back with the towel wrapped around her. Scott was lying on the ground, dazed. Warp came up the steps after hearing Nebula's scream, and was readily prepared to ad-lib.

"Warp…what's wrong with…this guy?" Nebula asked, scared and confused.

"Oh, Scott's fine!" Warp explained. "He's just running around the house again! He's sometimes ecstatic like that!"

Nebula calmed down at this, before looking down at Scott, who was trying to stand up. Scott stumbled over his own two feet and he fell flat on his butt. Nebula giggled slightly.

"You guys are funny," Nebula complimented. Warp's face went a light red again.

"Thanks, Nebula…" Warp breathlessly replied. "Um…I washed your dress while you were gone."

Warp held out a very clean and white dress. Nebula looked at it, amazed by its radiance.

"It's so clean and bright…brighter than I've ever remembered," Nebula breathlessly realized.

"Well, I guess OxyClean really DOES get the tough stains out," Warp joked, holding out Nebula's dress for her. Nebula, clutching her towel with her left hand, took her clean dress and examined it thoroughly.

"It looks so clean…all those years on the meteorite, and it seems like I just got it five minutes ago…" Nebula thought out loud. Warp's face turned surprised.

"Years? How long were you on that meteorite?" Warp asked. Nebula just looked down at the floor with a sad expression.

"…I don't know. My whole life, I guess," Nebula revealed. Nebula then walked back into the bathroom to change into her dress. Whenever she shut the door, both the dazed Scott and Warp had their jaws dropped.

"Her whole life?" Scott asked.

The sun had already set, and the stars were bright again tonight. Warp was standing on the same beach as before, next to the meteorite that nearly crushed him last night. Warp smiled, before turning to the night sky.

"Mom, Dad, Jack…I really don't know what to say. Did you guys sent that meteorite with Nebula on it for me? Probably not, but I find it strange…in the happy way of course," Warp began, smiling. "Apparently, Nebula's a species called a Seedrian. Never heard of them, so she must live on a different planet. Have you guys ever met a Seedrian before? Probably not, but I still wonder…"

"Who are you talking to, Warp?" Nebula asked. Warp jumped back in surprise, noticing a concerned Nebula walking up to him on the beachside.

"Oh, well…" Warp's face was lit up like a Christmas light. "It's nothing. You'd think it's stupid."

"Is your family gone too?" Nebula asked, turning and facing the seaside. Warp turned to her, gasping.

"How did you…?" Warp asked.

"I've been alone on that meteorite for as long as I can remember," Nebula began. "I must have a family somewhere: a mother and father, maybe even some siblings. But I'll never know."

"What do you mean?" Warp asked.

"Well…I'm not sure if they're dead or not. But I'm positive I'll never see them until I pass on to the next plane of life," Nebula explained.

"I guess we're the same in that aspect then," Warp pointed out. Nebula turned to Warp.

"You mean you don't know your parents?" Nebula asked. Warp's eyes began having tears form up at the base.

"No; I knew them. But they're gone. I can't change it," Warp sighed, a single tear drop falling from his eye.

"You're crying," Nebula pointed out. Warp turned to her.

"How do you know what crying is?" Warp asked.

"Because it was my first memory. Tears. Then came a crushing feeling inside of myself: sadness. I felt so alone. I was trapped on a meteor. No food or water," Nebula explained. Warp gasped.

"How did you survive?" Warp asked.

"My species, the Seedrians, thrive on light. Wherever there's light, we live. The light from the stars fed my bodies' need to live. But the mental torture was great. I felt like I was…desolate. Like I didn't exist," Nebula sadly stated.

"Nebula…" Warp thought, more tears forming.

"Through that sadness I gained knowledge. Basic knowledge, but still. The stars were my teachers, the meteor belts were my rocks to count. I know it sounds silly, but, for some reason, I could learn from just simply looking at something," Nebula explained. "I never thought I'd find a planet to live upon…until now."

"Nebula…I'm so sorry you had to suffer," Warp apologized.

"It's not your fault. I was born like this…and I endured it for 16 years. But…you saved me from myself," Nebula revealed. Warp gasped a bit.

"What?" Warp asked. Nebula then walked up to Warp, putting her head lightly on his chest and wrapping her arms around him. Warp's face was a deep red, and he was unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"You're a hero, Warp," Nebula commented. Warp then looked down at the sand, and a flash in his eyes appeared, showing what seemed to be a robotic version of himself for a split second.

"I'm no hero…" Warp sighed. Nebula just hugged tighter.

"You're MY hero," Nebula thanked. Warp stared down at her, before wrapping his own arms around her. They both embraced like this for a good 10 minutes. Nebula held on, as she had finally found someone she could trust and talk to. Warp held on, because he had found the thing he was missing.

"''Is this…love?" ''Warp thought. Warp just shut his eyes and smiled, keeping Nebula close to himself. The moon then rose over the horizon, setting a pale yet beautiful glow over themselves and the shining waters of the ocean.