A chill went up my spine when I looked up at the darkening skies. The once white, puffy clouds had morphed into a collaboration of purple and gray hues all swirling about like a cyclone. It looked like a massive black hole to me. Tails had called it something like "a hole in the space time continuum" or "an inter-dimensional tear" something along those lines. Not like it really mattered, all that I knew was that it meant trouble and that a certain someone was going to do everything within his power to fix it. I stared up at the swirling sky and shivered, I didn't know how long it had been going, I just knew that we were at our last resorts to stop it. Yes, off to save the world again, we were, willing to risk our lives to put an end to the latest schemes of Dr. Eggman. I don't know what kept me from panicking at that point, I was there when the plan was explained to seal the black hole, that tear or whatever you would call it. I knew the danger we were all in. Somehow, I also felt protected and calm about everything, something was telling me that we would be okay. That's when it struck me, it was him. As always, I trusted him to save us all. I knew he would, I never doubted him, so why would I now?
The winds became fierce as the tear grew, the time to act was at hand. I looked over at him, standing in a cleared circle with the Chaos Emeralds surrounding him. Each one shining a different color, glowing brightly as they circled around him. His deep shade of cobalt blue looked so amazing amongst the rainbow of light, it was almost magical. My heart raced when I saw that spark of determination fill his emerald green eyes, that same spark that always flickered to life whenever there was danger near. He loved adventure, I knew he always had, but it was obvious that things were different this time. Why isn't he smiling that cocky smile? I wondered. Why does his posture seem so stiff, lacking that confident stance that he always takes before going through with this?I watched him carefully, observing his every move, if any, as he looked up at the sky then slowly glanced over at me. A small grin crept across his face when he saw me, however, he couldn't hide the pain in his eyes, not from me anyway. Suddenly, I realized what it all meant. Everything added up and made sense to me, and I found myself losing control of my legs and on my knees the very next second. "No, no! NO! You can't do it, Sonic! I won't let you! What are you thinking!?" I sobbed uncontrollably. "You're insane! I don't know who came up with this stupid idea-- I don't care! You are NOT going through with it!" At this his grin disappeared and was replaced with a grim look of despair, something that I didn't recognize on Sonic's face. "Amy... you know we can't just sit back while the world is destroyed. What kind of hero would I be if I let that happen?" he said to me, trying to sound convincing.
I didn't say anything at that point. What could I say? He was right, and I knew it. That very fact pained me like a knife into my heart, so much that I could hardly breathe. The glowing gems circled around him faster and faster until they became nothing but a blur of bright light. A massive amount of light engulfed the area before it finally died down, revealing it's very source to be him. His beautiful blue was now gone and he was glowing a bright yellow-gold. His spines weren't resting off the back of his head anymore, but they had flared up like a golden crown. His green eyes sharpened and ignited into a fiery, jewel red color. And the light-- words couldn't possibly begin to describe the brilliance of it all! So many times I had seen Sonic in this form but it never, ever ceased to take my breath away. His gaze shifted back towards that growing black hole, and a new expression flushed over his face. His eyes narrowed as he frowned up at the threat, he threw his head back and seemed to scoff at it as he would soon be it's demise... as it would be to him.
Once Sonic goes through that hole he'll be gone forever! Never to come back again! That thought repeated itself in my mind over and over until it took control of me. I bolted towards him, tears running down my cheeks and my arms open wide. The light seemed to dim out as I approached him, I wondered for a moment if it was just me or if he had some control over it, either way it made it much easier to see him. I wrapped my arms around him, which he seemed to be expecting, and sobbed with my head leaning against his chest. There was so much I wanted to say at that point, but I could do nothing but cry. My voice seemed to match exactly what my heart was screaming, moaning so terribly that even I didn't recognize the sound. It hurt every time I had to stop and take a breath, that could've been that I was holding him so tightly that I wasn't giving myself any room. I was completely miserable then. My arms and legs tensed up and ached so badly but they were locked into position, not ready to release him from my grip or walk away. My stomach was in tight knots, it felt as though my insides were all dancing about in a very uncomfortable fashion. My throat became sore as I began to lose my voice from screaming and crying. It was total misery.
As soon as I was able to regain control of my voice I began to take notice of the warmth around me. It was obviously coming from Sonic. He was so warm! I could feel it as if it wrapped around me in a comforting embrace, almost gently squeezing one of those squeezes that would be given out for reassurance. I began to feel the pain leave my body, my muscles loosened, my insides untangled themselves, my throat cooled as I grew silent. Heaven forbid, I still didn't take my arms off of him! I wanted to keep him there, hold him forevermore, never letting this comforting light end. It was so hard to wrap my mind around it all. Sonic was a hero, my hero, a seemingly immortal being who would always be there to protect me. I wondered how he must have felt... Being able to travel faster than sound itself must have made everything else seem to move slowly. Perhaps even time seemed to pass by very slowly for him? Did he feel like he had been around for a long time-- did he feel immortal? I then began to think about how long I must have been standing there with him, not like it mattered, all that mattered was that I could keep him there for that much longer.
The winds roared around us as a sign that the tear had grown significantly in size, ready to suck up our world into the emptiness. Somehow it was quite easy for me to ignore it, I pulled myself closer to him until I could feel the steady, soothing rhythm of his breathing, and closed my eyes, then everything felt so serene. I listened closely, blocking out everything except him, and I could hear his heartbeat. As strange as it may sound, his very heart seemed to speak to me. It was... like a whisper, comforting me, telling me that all would end well. "Wow..." I can remember gasping breathlessly. I had never heard such a strong, confident beat before... Part of me wanted to shy away, as I had never been this close to him before. But something, besides my desire to keep him with me, didn't allow me to leave. I could've easily forgotten all my troubles right then and there, slip into a dream and rest peacefully for days. Then I felt his chest puff up as he took a breath to speak, "Amy..." he started but had no need to finish. We both knew what he was going to say anyway. That fear and pain began to creep into my heart once again as I was quickly reminded of the impending doom that awaited him. I could feel myself beginning to cry again, losing control of my emotions as I became overwhelmed by the heart-piercing thought of never seeing him again. Then I felt the warmth wrap around me again and I suddenly realized it was his arms around me.
Is he aware of my emotions? I wondered for a brief moment before dismissing that thought. There probably wasn't anything that he wasn't aware of in that form. He seemed to know everything, or at least he acted like it. He acted as though he knew things would turn out okay, though there would be a lot of pain to go through. I started to find my actions to be selfish as I wondered about what he was feeling himself. If I would never see him again, what would I want to say to him now? I took a long, deep breath to speak... nothing came out. Just the sound of air passing through the gap I had opened. I took another breath, quicker this time; nothing. Then another and another until I found myself taking sharp, quick breaths while trying to talk. Again there was that warmth, and instantly my breathing slowed it's pace. "Sonic..." my voice broke at the very mention of his name as I whispered it once again, "Sonic... I-I-I'm so... so sorry." There. I finally managed one sentence. He didn't seem to react to it, but I knew his gaze had shifted, I could just feel his eyes looking down at me. It made sense to clarify what I meant so I attempted to speak again, "..I-I'm sorry... I'm-- I mean... I'm... sorry.." that was all I could possibly manage. My heart screamed so much more, though. I'm so sorry for getting in the way! I'm sorry for being so useless! I'm sorry that I was never good enough for you! That last one burned into my mind as I repeated it to myself silently. I'm sorry that I was never good enough for you, Sonic! I could hear it sneaking up from my heart to my throat as I opened my mouth once again only to let out a pathetic squeak. Suddenly, I felt a twitch in his muscles as he pulled me away, I went limp like a rag doll as I felt too weak to cling to him any tighter, but I still had my hands clutched onto his arms firmly. He placed both his hands on my shoulders and looked at me, straight in the eye. I gazed into those beautiful, ruby red pools as his expression became firm.
No Amy. Don't you ever tell yourself that. Ever. You are so much more than that. You need to believe in yourself... I believe in you.
I could hear his voice say it. I don't know where it came from, his mouth didn't move, he didn't speak... but yet, I heard it. I know I did. Finally, I decided to get a hold of myself and stand up straight. It was getting hard to see him as tears flooded my eyes and I let my hands slide down his arm until they reached his right hand. I moved it closer to my cheek and then I hugged it, feeling the warmth engulf my face as I closed my eyes, rocking back and forth slowly. I've tried to figure out how long I was standing like that, but it's been practically impossible. I couldn't feel anything at that point-- Nothing. Nothing but that warmth... That sweet and comforting warmth.
It must've been a while because I was awakened by the roar of the black hole as Sonic pulled his hand away. He looked up at the sky again, and I finally lifted my eyes again, too. It was completely black now. He looked over at me and whispered, "This is it." More tears filled my eyes as I sighed, "But... but what will I do without you?" I sobbed quietly. That's when he smiled, that same annoying, adorable smirk that he always gave when I was in doubt. He signaled a thumbs-up to me and winked, "You'll be okay, Amy! Take care of yourself now." he said with a little more enthusiasm. I started shaking as I clutched him tighter, "No! No!" I started crying again, but he pulled himself away.
He looked into my eyes as I could see what appeared to be my own grief and sorrow reflected back to me. It's difficult to explain, but I later figured it to have something to do with the bond that we shared with the Chaos Emeralds. I was well aware that the Emeralds were powered by our own emotions, "Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart." I never knew the extent of it until then. If Sonic used the Chaos Emeralds for power what if he could feel our emotions during that time? It makes sense to me, anyway. It was hard to see him look so sad, I wanted to help him, no matter what it took. "Sonic..." my voice broke again, "Wh-what can I do..? Let me help! ..I-I'll do anything!" He smiled, "Anything?" he asked out loud and I nodded quickly. Then his eyes narrowed and he spoke in a low, serious tone... "Let go." he said firmly.
NO! my heart screamed automatically. He said it again, "Let go." this time a little more urgent. I shook my head, trying to get the tears out of my eyes as my hands were still being used to hold him tight. "Amy," he continued, "Let go."
What happened next I'll always regret forever, but I knew it was what he truly wanted. I didn't want to see him leave, for him to never come back to save the world again. But it was selfish of me to keep him there for so long when the rest of the world needed him. That was Sonic's very purpose, to give everything that he was to save the world from evil. The way I see it, Sonic and evil cannot exist in the same world, one of them has to go. In this case, Sonic had to give himself for the evil to be gone as well. I took a deep breath as hundreds of memories shot through my mind, my heart ached and screamed in protest as I told myself I was doing the right thing.
And then, finally, I let him go. Just like I told myself I would never do.
Here I am now. Learning to live without him in a seemingly peaceful world. It's been hard for everybody, especially Tails, but to be honest I've never seen him so determined to take care of things himself. Even Knuckles, as much as he denies it, seems to grieve in his own way. Whether or not Eggman is still out there, I don't know, he hasn't shown his face since that incident. I personally don't feel as depressed as I thought I would. Maybe it's because I know something... I can still feel it-- feel him. That warmth... his arms wrapped around me, showing me that things will be okay. It never left me. I never let him go, I never will. I know we'll see each other again someday. Until then, Sonic the Hedgehog, I will wait. I will wait....
~Amy Rose
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are mine. Sonic the Hedgehog and all other related characters and material belong to SEGA. Besides, if he did belong to me his personality would shine a little more often.