Okay, here it is! The long (okay, short. ) awaited sequel, part two, of the To Say Goodbye trilogy. Yay! -claps- Well, I've had to force myself to take a break in fear I may suddenly hit writers block...well, block, and now, I'm finally, freakin' back! Oh, yeah! I'M BACK, DAMMIT! xD Anyway, thanks to my readers, and here is part...TWO!

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To Say Goodbye
Part 2
Salvation (title pending)

Chapter 1:
Discovery
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"...And all these lines fall short of what I had in mind
A failed attempt to capilize a feeling
So I just try
And fail and try and try again
And someday I swear I'm gonna get it
Cause I'm convinced that giving in is the worst thing there is..."
 Mistakes We Knew We Were Making by Straylight Run

The path stretched out under the thick canopys of the trees, disappearing into the darkness that stretched around, just outside of the tree trunks. It seemed to go on forever, never ending and no light to guide anyone along. It was completely silent, not even the wind was blowing, and in this forest, that was odd.

All alone standing under the trees, a figure stood, unmoving, just looking straight ahead. His green eyes were narrowed in confusion, his blue fur ruffled and unkempt. His fists were drawn at his sides, clenched hard together. The fur along his quills drooping behind him was bristling, standing almost straight up. To his alert ears, the silence was deafening, and his head pounded from it.

He had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten there. In fact, every thought was lost, as if a deep fog had settled on him, and he couldn't find his way to them. He simply knew he was there, alone, in the dark, unfamilar forest. A chill swept up his spine, and he shivered, as if cooled suddenly by the unmoving air. Something wasn't right; his instincts were screaming it. His ears were pricked his heart hammering in his throat as he scanned the forest around him.

Then a sudden noise from in front of him caught his attention, and he whipped around, his entire body braced to fight, his green eyes narrowed dangerously to warn the approaching figure. His eyes landed on the emerging creature, the figure encased in darkness. He squinted, but to no avail. The figure remained consumed by the darkness. His fist were instantly drawn tighter, his arms shaking from the effort. And the the darkness took shape slowly, forming first two feet, covered in red and white shoes. An orange body followed the feet, two arms limp at his side. Twin tails twitched behind him. His face was the last to be uncovered, his sapphire eyes dull and blank. But a smile was pasted on his lips, and he stared at the blue hedgehog, whose emerald eyes blinked in surprise and relief, and his fist unclenched.

"Tails?" he said, relieved that it was simply his best friend, a name he could grasp from the fog covering his memories. But still, something wasn't right. Something flipped in his stomach, and his mind whispered something to him, but he couldn't tell what it said. All he knew was that this was his best friend, smiling at him. He smiled back, and was confused at the tightness that tugged there. "It's only you." The kitsune said nothing, his twin tails simply twitching, his smile never wavering, his eyes blinking every now and again. Emerald eyes stared at blue in confusion. "Tails, what's wrong?" His mind was twitching in his head, annoying him as if he had forgotten something important, but he shoved it away with a quick thrust of his mental hand. He would deal with that later. But still, the kitsune didn't move. Now green eyes narrowed again, impatience and annoyance making them flash. "C'mon, Tails, what is it?" And at those words, the kitsune simply turned and started walking. Surprise glinting in his eyes, he watched as the twin tailed fox simply walked away, reamerging with the darkness.

"Tails?" he said again, and began following him, though his instincts screamed to avoid the darkness. His footsteps were slow and careful, his eyes widening as he got closer and closer. "Tails? Where are you?" He was finally to the point where it was impossible to see at all. He hesitated, but forced himself to keep going, just taking small steps. His heart quickened, his blood burning as his instincts protested, screaming for him to turn around and head the opposite direction. But he refused. Tails obviously wanted him to follow him. He continued walking, until the pitch blackness became a dim gray, then lighter, then lighter, until he was in a spot similar to the one before. He blinked in confusion, scratching the fur along his quills, before his eyes caught a gentle flash of orange. Tails.

"Hey, Tails, wait up!" he yelled, but the kitsune kept walking. Suddenly annoyed, he sped up, running this time, his feet flying effortlessly under him as he caught up quickly with the kitsune. He slowed down, walking right behind him, and raised his voice again, crossing his arms as he walked. "Tails, what was that about?" And the kitsune stopped suddenly, forcing the blue hedgehog to do the same. Something eerie shot up his spine, and his blood suddenly ran cold as the forest began to dim into darkness around him. And slowly, ever so slowly, the young kitsune began to turn around. Instinctly, white gloved hands clenched to form tight fists, his emerald gaze narrowing, something not quiet right about his best friend. After what seemed like forever, his face was visibly, and blue fur shot straight up in alarm and horror, his emerald eyes widening, his feet taking several steps back.

Blood covered the young foxes face, his sapphire eyes were dull and empty, the ghost of a smile plastered on his cold face. A long, clean slash cut from the shoulder to the hip, and blood oozed from the wound, dripping onto the ground, forming a puddle around him. And yet the mutilated body still stood, steadily. Emerald eyes stared in horror, sweat forming suddenly on his head. The memories were no longer lost within the fog. They were as clear as day, and his mind screamed with terror. Tails was dead. Tails had been murdered. And yet here he stood, bleeding and broken, staring at him with sightless, lifeless blue eyes.

"You were supposed to save me..." he spoke, his voice accusing and lifeless. His mouth moved, even though his life poured from him, slipping farther away with every second. "I needed you...But you wasn't fast enough..." Emerald eyes didn't even dare to blink. He kept backing up slowly, one foot behind the other, images flashing before his eyes. His head was shaking ever so slightly, and all he wanted to do was put space between him and the ghost of his best friend. But another sound from behind him alerted him of another presence, and he whipped around, only to gasp for breath in horror, stopping in his tracks. Red fur barely stood out against the blood gushing from the severe stomach wound, which cut straight across. Lifeless violet eyes stared at him.

"K-Knuckles..." he whispered, suddenly finding his legs and backing away again, this time away from both. Tails still stared at him, Knuckles continuing as well, but now they were moving. And not like the zombies he had seen on T.V. They were moving like they had when they were alive, and they were coming toward him. He continued backing up, until his back smacked against an invisble wall, and he was forced to stop, and they got closer.

Tails was the first to reach him, and the little kitsune stopped in front of him, his eyes lifeless and dull. But his voice was dripping with accusation. His twin tails hung limp behind him, dragging the ground.

"Why didn't you save me?" he asked, and the blue hedgehog shuddered in horror, his eyes glowing with the fear that froze his blood. The young kitsune that had once been his best friend was now scaring the hell out of him. His foot instantly tried to backtrack again, but the invisible barrier stopped him from moving.

"I-I t-tried..." he choked out, pressing himself against the invisible wall as best as he could. "I...I didn't..." Tails continued to stare at him, unmoving. "I t-tried..." Then the kitsune stepped closer, and terror clutched his body again, breathing becoming harder with ever second. And then there was Knuckles, who was suddenly next to Tails, lifeless violet eyes staring at him.

"You wasn't there to save me..." Knuckles voice broke through the silence, and the hedgehog was forced to close his eyes and shake his head at the noise.

"I s-saved you..." he stuttered, shaking his head again. He reopened his eyes, emerald striking violet and blue with fear and guilt. "You didn't die..." The ghosts of Knuckles and Tails were getting closer.

"Maybe not yet..." And the ghost of Knuckles suddenly disappeared, turning into dark smoke that rose away and disappeared. Tails remained, looking at the blue hedgehog with lifeless eyes. White gloved hands shook and emerald eyes blurred with tears as the kitsune smiled again, before suddenly changing before his eyes. Orange fur became shining blue, hair became quills, lifeless blue eyes became glowing red eyes, and the blue hedgehog watched as the being curled into a ball and flew toward him, slashing through his body.

A piercing scream filled the air as everything faded to red...

"Sonic!"

Rouge hands were clutching his arm, shaking his roughly, and he jolted awake, his emerald eyes tiny slits, fear shining brightly in their depths. His breath came in large gasps as he whipped his eyes across the room, looking for the ghost, his attacker, anything. But he found himself sitting at a desk, papers scattered before him, white gloved hands clutching the desk as if it was his life.

"Sonic?"

He whipped around at the voice, his entire body tense and ready to attack. And when his eyes fell on the red fur of Knuckles, he widened his eyes even farther, but saw the life in his violet eyes and dropped his hands to his side. It took several minutes for him to catch his breath, and in those several minutes he held his head in his hands, eyes closed. Knuckles was silent, and he was grateful that his friend knew when he wanted to be left alone.

It was two months after the murder of Tails and the mysterious disappearance of Metal. Ever since they had realized the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald may be able to help them change what happened, they had been working nonstop, with Sonic hardly ever agreeing to rest. And even after two months of searching and studying, the two hadn't come any closer to finding out how to go back in time using the emeralds.

Sonic finally lifted his head from his hands and looked at Knuckles, who stood nearby, eyeing him closely. Sonic sighed, shaking his head again and closing his eyes. His head was pounding, his eyes were bloodshot. In the months following Tails's death, Sonic had hardly taken to taking care of himself again, and it showed. Once vibrant cobalt blue fur was duller, ruffled and unkempt. His glove was still stained with Tails's blood, a constant reminder of why he had to do this. He looked skinny and unwell, though he could still run a mile in a few signal seconds.

But to put it plainly, this wasn't Sonic. It was more of a shell of the old Sonic.

"Sorry, Knux," he said, sighing as he opened his eyes back up. The echidna had concern glinting in his eyes. The echidna had slackened on his habits as well. His red fur was ruffled as well, but at least he had taken time to eat and sleep.

"You should be," Knuckles said, and Sonic narrowed his eyes, feeling surprise and anger rising in him. The echidna was staring at him with cool violet eyes, which only angered the hedgehog more.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the hedgehog demanded, his voice firm and loud.

"You should be sorry for not sleeping," he replied cooly, his own eyes narrowing. "Look, Sonic, you've not slept in days. If you don't have enough energy to carry out what we're going to have to do, then where will we be?" Emerald eyes narrowed and looked away from the red echidna, the words true to him. He said nothing, staring at the papers on the desk he had been working on before he fell asleep. His eyes softened slightly, and they closed as he sighed, slumping in his chair.

"Knuckles, I can't sleep," he said, shaking his head before he reopened his eyes. "And don't ask why, you just saw it." He saw the dead Tails in his minds eye, heard his voice blaming him for everything. The hedgehog shuddered slightly, looking down. "Every time I sleep, that happens." He looked at the bloodstain on the back of his glove, blinking.

For awhile, Knuckles said nothing, his gaze focused on the window as he looked out at the ocean, glittering in the evening sun. Sonic forced his eyes away from the stain, looking out at the water as well. Then, suddenly, the echidna looked at him. Sonic kept his gaze on the ocean as Knuckles spoke to him.

"Well, then," he said, tapping his foot against the ground. "Why don't you get yourself cleaned up then?" Emerald eyes twisted to red fur, and the echidna narrowed his violet eyes. "I'm serious, Sonic. I'm not gonna let you wither away like you are." Sonc crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

"And if I refuse...?" he started, letting the sentence trail off as a question. Knuckles took a threatening step closer.

"If you refuse, I beat you into the bathroom." His voice was serious, and Sonic's refusal withered. He sighed, standing up and stretching.

"Fine. I'll clean myself up. But after that, I'm getting back to work. We have to figure this out. Deal?" Sonic looked again at the echidna, who was leaning against the wall.

"Only if you eat too." Green eyes narrowed again, and Knuckles smiled slightly. "I'm serious, Sonic. I'll beat it down your throat too."

The hedgehog threw his arms up in defeat. "Fine. Clean up and eat. Is that it?" Knuckles nodded, his smile never wavering, and Sonic sighed, heading toward the bathroom.

-x-x-x-

It was a quick shower, but a good one none-the-less. His blue fur looked better as he looked himself over in the mirror, wiping the fog off with a gloveless hand. He took the towel in his hands and rubbed his quills quickly getting off the remaining water. Although it looked a little ruffled, Sonic had to admit it looked better than before. He threw the towel in a random place in the floor, and reached for his gloves lying on the sink. They were covered in dirt and blood stained one side of both. Cringing gently, the put the fabric under the sink and ran water over it, rubbing away the dirt and blood.

Once finished, they looked much better, white and cleaner, but a bloodstain remained on one side of the left one and Sonic didn't attempt to wash it away. Sighing and sliping them on, the hedgehog slipped on his shoes and walked out, feeling alot better physically, but only a little mentally.

When he walked into the living room, he saw Knuckles immediatly, sitting on the couch, his eyes closed. Sonic couldn't help but snort in amusement when a soft snore issued from Knuckles. Shaking his head and quietly walking past, Sonic headed toward the kitchen, remembering his promise and determined to go through with it so as to not get food beat into him.

When he entered the kitchen, he headed toward the fridge, a sigh issuing slightly from his lips. He opened the fridge, looking inside for anything to eat. Nothing. Now his stomach was growling. It was then he realized how hungry he was. With another sigh, he closed the door and headed toward the counter, opening the door and looking inside. The only thing there was a can of spagetti. He reached for the can, grasping it with his hand and pulling it out. With his other hand, he reached to close the door, and right then the can slipped from his fingers, crashing to the floor and rolling toward the counter until it smacked against it.

Cursing under his breath, Sonic closed the cabnet completely and bent down to pick up the can. But right then something caught his eye, something underneath the counter. Squinting slightly, he reached for it, and when he grabbed it, he realized it was a piece of paper, neatly folded. Quickly he removed the paper from underneath the counter, and looked it over. The paper was covered in dust. There were words written on the front, and Sonic had to blow the dust away to read them. Neatly written on the front was "Class. 043 Inter. CE". Curiousity getting the better of him, the blue hedgehog unfolded the paper, and before he even read the words, he was on his feet, his hunger instantly forgotten, and rushing into the living room.

"Knuckles, look at this!"

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End of Chapter
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Meh. xD Had fun with this one. I like having Sonic and Knuckles interact with each other. I hearts it.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and hope you enjoy the rest of the story, coming up!

Aiko-Chan SoT