~Emerald Horizon~

Disclaimer: Do not own anything remotely in the vicinity of Sonic or any other of the other Sonic characters. Sonic Team is so lucky I tell you. This is a short, sweet fic ok people!

~*~*~

The full, harvest moon rose over the dark trees, casting shadows of all different shaped along the forest. The view was gazed upon by two, tearful ruby eyes.

Or what was left of them, that is.

~*~*~

I have been dead for, what was it? 2 days? It feels like 2 whole years! I still don't really understand why I'm still here though. Isn't there that place they call "heaven?"

I definitely know I'm not in heaven.

It's like I'm still here, but when I walk past or try to talk to people they don't notice me.

I am dead.

"Dead." That really isn't a nice word.

At first I thought I was still alive. I guess I first noticed I no longer was "living" when I saw him again.

It was only a day ago and yet it seemed like an eternity.

~*~*~

"Sonic! Sonic!" I yelled running towards him.

He wasn't stopping. He just kept walking.

"Hey buddy! Wait up!" I cried.

Why won't he stop walking?

"Sonic I-" I was cut off abruptly.

I had reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but my hand had gone right through.

"What?" I stared at my hands.

They looked like they were solid. I smiled.

'Probably my imagination,' I thought.

I reached for him again. The same thing happened. I was horrified.

Then I got really crazy. I faced him, ran straight towards him and.

I went right through him.

"I'm.I'm.a.ghost."

~*~*~

Yes. I was a ghost. Or what I thought to be one.

It was crazy. I should be anywhere but here! Anywhere I tell you!

It hurts too much.

Physically no, but mentally and emotionally. I was dying.

Yes, you probably are thinking I'm already dead. Well, apparently "somebody" thought I wasn't dead enough.

It hurts.

It hurts to see all these. people.

Especially them. Those people I thought to be my friends, so close to the end of my life.

Their names are hammered into my head. I could never forget them. even if I wanted to.

"Rouge, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, even Eggman!" I murmured to deaf ears.

'You're forgetting someone,' a voice in my head whispered.

How could I forget?

"Sonic." I sighed.

He was, and still is, so brave. No matter what he just keeps on fighting. I swear he was at the edge of death a couple of times.

Why?

Why did he do that?

Heck, why did he even help me? I didn't deserve it!

Man. but, I still wonder if he thinks about what happened. Does he remember all the details as I do? Or, has he just erased the whole thing from his mind?

What about me? Will he remember me?

It tore into what was left of my soul when he couldn't hear me.

Oh crap.

I'm starting to cry. again.

I don't know why this is affecting me so much.

Maybe that's why I'm still here. Maybe it's because I can't go on.

Boy the moon is really beautiful tonight. I wonder why I've never really noticed it before?

It sorta looks like him, in a way. Bright, tinted blue and.

I couldn't finish. I started to bawl. Tears streamed down my face, leaving the ghostly skin even colder than it already was.

I have to go somewhere.

I can't stay here.

I got up from the ground, turned around and stared at the house behind me.

It was as if I looked right through the walls, and straight at the face of the world's hero.

My hero.

I wasn't part of this world in life and even in death I feel as if I should be somewhere else.

But, I feel as if I am a part of him.

'Well, maybe you should go and say goodbye,' the little voice in my head encouraged.

"What good would that do?" Thank God nobody can actually hear or see me. They would think I was crazy, talking to myself like this.

'Maybe it would calm your soul. Shadow.'

Soul. right. I don't even have a soul anymore.

'Go!' The voice shouted.

I gave in. My feet began walking towards the house of the legendary hedgehog. I stepped (or did I float?) up to the door.

I reached for the doorknob, but then I remembered that I couldn't hold anything solid again. I disappeared through the door and into the entrance area.

It was a small bungalow, with this strewn all over the floor.

"Typical Sonic," I sighed.

I walked towards the main hallway, but then I heard a noise coming from the living room to the left of me.

"Shadow?" a voice said.

I froze.

"I'm sorry Shadow."

Huh? I leaned my head into the living room to see Sonic lying sprawled on his couch. He was talking in his sleep.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." His voice sounded so forlorn, so far away.

I tiptoed to the side of the couch.

"Shih," I whispered, "It's okay. I chose my own fate."

I reached out to him to wipe a tear from his cheek. I knelt down and held him in a comforting embrace.

And then, for a brief moment I was alive again. I was solid, but I knew it wouldn't last forever. I released him and lay him back on the couch.

I was free.

My heart was at peace.

It was time to go.

I rose and walked to the door. Once again I was able to just melt through to the other side.

The sun was rising. It was gorgeous, even more so than the moon.

"Looks like I better be leaving," I whispered.

I turned my face to the warmth of the dawn and felt myself rising from the ground.

"I guess this is it," I thought to myself.

Shining, white wings sprouted from my back as I rose even higher into the morning sky.

I turned to look back at the place where Sonic was still sleeping. I smiled.

"Goodbye Sonic the Hedgehog."

~*~*~

The End