Hello, all! I am here with my first ever oneshot! Unlike most of my stories, this just takes place in a generic world, but anyway... This story is dedicated to Siberian Forest, because he/she has been wanting some dark stuff from me, so while I was writing some lighter stuff in How to Be a Hero, I figured that I'd write some dark stuff in here. Enjoy!

Pain

~Tails' POV~

I'm in my room. Crying. Crying over the death of someone I loved. Someone I loved more dearly than anyone. It wasn't a romantic type of love. Not in the slightest. But he was like a brother to me. And now he's dead. Normally, he'd be here to comfort me. He's not coming. He can't. It's physically impossible. Because he'll be a pile of ashes soon. I wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish he could've stayed with me. He said he would. Why couldn't he? Why did he have to die? Why did Sonic the Hedgehog, my hero, have to die?

…Guess it had to happen sometime, though… He wasn't invincible. I know he wasn't invincible. But why doesn't this feel right, then? When someone goes, doesn't that mean it's their time? That's what Sonic always told me. Was it really Sonic's time, though? I don't think anyone deserves to die at seventeen. No matter what they've done to deserve death, it shouldn't come at that young of an age. Yet Sonic died. How could this happen? He killed Eggman, but somehow, Eggman managed to kill him… It all happened so fast, too. I barely got to say good-bye.

He was just doing his normal destructive stuff. Eggman was. Sonic was just doing his thing, like he normally did. It was a dully normal day. It quickly got exciting. I don't think exciting is the right word for it, though. Sonic had jumped up on Eggman's hovercraft thing. The two of them started talking, and I couldn't exactly hear their conversation, but I think Eggman said something that aggravated Sonic. I swear that his eyes were literally ablaze because of anger. Sonic took a sharp piece of stalactite from beside them and jammed it into the hovercraft.

Sonic jumped off, and Eggman got caught in the explosion of his own vehicle. Egghead was gone. I could tell even before the smoke cleared, but something terrible happened… A piece of steel flew from the explosion and toward Sonic, and unfortunately, I was looking when it hit him. It was as big as his torso, and it lodged itself directly into his body. He screamed from the unbearable pain and fell to the ground. I ran over to him, dodging the metallic rain coming from above me. As I stood over him, blood flowed freely from both his nose and mouth.

"T-Tai… Tails…" he muttered. "It… It hurts… I…" He started coughing, and what came up was blood. "Damn… This… This isn't… good… at all…" I wanted to hug him. I wanted so bad just to tear that piece of metal out of his body and tightly embrace him. But I couldn't. If I did, he would've just hurt more. He closed his eyes, but he was still breathing. "Tails… I've g-gotta… tell you… something…" I was listening. I was listening more than I ever had. "I know… I'm gonna… die…" His words hit me like a bullet to the chest.

"No! You're not gonna die!" I yelled. "You're gonna make it through this." But I was lying… I was lying to myself and to him. Tears were flowing down my cheeks, and Sonic weakly reached a hand up and wiped them away. "Don't cry… It's my time, buddy… I can't count… how many times… I was… supposed to die… but didn't… This time… it needs… to be permanent… I can't keep… coming back like this… Eggman's gone now… My job's done…" I couldn't accept that, though. I let loose every single one of my pent-up tears into his shoulder as my head fell onto it.

"Li'l bro… I said… not to cry… Please…" He stopped talking and let out a scream of pain for a few seconds. "If… if anything happens… After I'm… gone… I know you'll… be strong… enough to take care… of it…" He started tenderly stroking the back of my head. "Shh… It'll all… be all right… I need… to tell you something… and I need you… to look right… at me…" It took all of my willpower just to look him in the eye. His now-open emerald eyes were filled with sorrow and pain. He didn't want to die. But he knew he had to. He put his hand into mine.

"Don't grieve… too long for… me… Tell everyone… the same thing… And tell Amy… that I love her…" He closed his eyes once again and let out a long sigh. "I'm not long… Good-bye, Tails… I love ya, li'l bro…" Only a few seconds later, his hand slipped out of mine and fell to the ground. That's when I knew… that he was no longer in this world. I yelled the word "no" at the top of my lungs as I pulled the metal shard out of his body and threw the bloody scrap to the side.

More blood started to drip out of his body, but I didn't even care as I hugged him. I laid there on Sonic's corpse for… I lost track of time… before Knuckles found his way to us. I didn't even hear him come in, but I guess he had taken the time to let his anger go, because he knelt down next to me and started stroking the back of my head. How can he be so calm right now? I thought. He didn't like to show it, but I know Sonic was one of his best friends. How can he comfort me when something like this just happened?

After a couple minutes, he said to me, "C'mon, Tails. We've gotta get him outta here." For a few minutes, I refused to let go. I refused to get off… So Knuckles carried both me and Sonic's body out of the cave.

~Amy's POV~

Oh, Sonic… He went off to fight Eggman again, and he took Tails with him, too. I never get any company anymore. Watching TV by myself isn't exactly the kind of entertainment I want today. I want to go and get some fresh air with Sonic. He and I are supposed to be going on a date tonight, though, so I guess it's okay that he's not spending time with me now. I just hope he doesn't forget. It's very like him to forget stuff like that. I'm sure Tails will remind him, though. Tails knows how I'd react if Sonic didn't come.

*DING-DONG* Oh, there's the door! Is it Sonic? Oh, I really hope it is! I walk over to the door and open it, throwing my arms around Sonic. "Sonikku! You're here early!" I hear a low growling sound, though, and when I open my eyes, I'm not staring at beautiful emerald eyes, but rather piercing amethyst ones. I immediately let go. That's not Sonic. That's Knuckles! Of all people, though, why's he here? I let go of him, and I ask that very same question. "You have to prepare yourself for this," he replies. "I need to take you over to Sonic and Tails' workshop. There's something very important that you need to see."

His voice… It's solemn… That's something I don't hear very often. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him in a solemn mood. I nod, and he starts walking in the direction of the Mystic Ruins. I quickly slip my shoes on, lock the door to my house, and run after him. "What happened?" I ask him when I catch up. He sighs, and his breath is very shaky. "I have to show you. You won't get exactly what happened unless you see it with your own eyes. Hell, you probably won't believe it unless you see it."

Hell? Knuckles may have an attitude, but he doesn't swear. Shadow's the potty mouth. If Knuckles is swearing, then something really bad must've happened. "Really, Knuckles, what happened?" I ask once again. He sighs through his nose and responds, "It has to do with Sonic. That's all I'm gonna tell you. I don't want you crying all over me before we get there." I'm gonna cry about it? That's not a very good sign. Oh, I hope nothing too bad happened to you, Sonic! I don't know what I'd do! I hope it's just that you're sick or something… Please be okay.

Knuckles and I walk and ride the rest of the way to the Mystic Ruins in silence, and soon enough, we arrive at Tails' workshop. Instead of walking in the door, however, Knuckles stands by the garage door, and he looks as if he's having emotional troubles as he types the code in. I can tell he's definitely trying to hold tears back. The only time I could ever imagine him crying is if something bad happened to me, Sonic, Tails, Cream, or Rouge. Despite what he says, I know he's emotionally attached to us. The garage door opens, and amidst the clutter lies a gurney with a bloodstained sheet laying over it.

It pains me to think of who might be beneath the sheet, but I have to see for myself. I walk over to the gurney and stare at it for a second, trying to get myself under control. I pull the sheet down from the top end of the gurney, and under it… is Sonic. Despite my preparation, I find myself collapsing to my knees and crying. My boyfriend… is dead… My Sonic isn't here anymore… "How did this happen?" I ask. Knuckle's voice wavers as he answers, "I don't know."

I look at him pleadingly, hoping he'll say more than just that. "Tails won't say. He just keeps crying and crying. I can't snap him out of it. He won't even say one word to me. Maybe he'll tell you. The only thing that I know about it, though, is that it was Eggman's doing." Of course it was Eggman… Who else would've just killed him like that? I walk up to Tails' room, but the door's closed, and I hear sobbing noises coming from the other side. I knock, but what I get in reply isn't a polite "Who is it?" like he normally would've said.

"Who's there and what the hell do you want?" he shouts. His shouting… it… almost makes me want to start crying again. I've never heard him talk to anyone like that. So much rage shouldn't be coming from such a young voice. "Tails, it's Amy. Can I come in, please?" I hear him throw something at the door, but I don't know what it is. "No! Go away!" I sigh at Tails' obstinacy, but I decide to let him be for now. I start to walk back toward the stairs when Tails' voice grabs my attention again. "Wait, Amy!" I turn around, and the orange kit almost knocks me down to the floor as he hugs me tightly.

"I'm sorry! I don't know why I just wanted you to go away! I-I don't even know why I said that!" My God… He's more torn up than I am… He looks up at me, his blue eyes red and puffy from crying so much. He leans his face into my shoulder and starts crying again, but I don't feel any tears wetting down the small sleeve of my minidress. That's just terrible… He's been crying so much that no tears are coming! I rub his back as I walk back into his room with him. I'm not going to make him tell me about how Sonic died. Not right now.

~Knuckles' POV~

I hear yelling upstairs. I don't know what the yelling's about. I am all the way down in the garage, after all. Staring at a dead body, though… *SHIVER* Man, that's not something I ever recommend. Especially if the corpse you're staring at is that of your best friend. Yeah, Sonic was my best friend. I don't want to admit to people that I'm emotionally attached to others, though, because otherwise, I'd seem all mushy and weak… but I can't help but cry right now! Nobody's here right now anyway! I collapse onto my knees and let all the pent-up tears escape…

"You goddamn idiot, Sonic…" I murmur as my voice wavers. I know I would definitely be sad if something like this were to happen to Amy or Rouge, but Sonic was my best friend. Dammit! I never told him that he was friend, let alone my best friend! All the time that I had known him, and I never said anything to him… Whenever someone would bring up the subject of us being friends, I would always shoot it down. I didn't want to have any friends. I wanted to seem stronger than that… but no matter what, everyone needs friends. He was my strongest rival but my closest pal at the same time. I really hope he knew how I felt.

I just wish he would pop right back to life, I wish his eyes would just be alight with determination, and most of all, I wish that cocky smile would spread across his muzzle just one more time. The way he would just take things on, free of any worry or care about it… It really made me admire him. I've admired few people in my lifetime, and Sonic is the only person that was younger than I that I admire. I've always wanted to be like him, but my want for that came off as jealousy and pigheadedness. Yeah, I admit that I'm pigheaded…

"Well, Knuckie, I don't think I've ever seen you cry before." Rouge… I have to stop crying now! But I can't! All these tears just keep coming! I don't want her to see me like this, though! I probably look so pathetic right now…! She lands and looks at me, and then looks over at Sonic, and for a second, I see despair wash over her face. However, like always, she recovers quickly, but instead of recovering to her normally playful and seductive mood, she transfers into a more comforting and maternal attitude as she walks over to me.

She consolingly runs her hand through my dreadlocks and plants a kiss on my cheek. "How can you stand to see me like this, Rouge?" I ask. She smiles and replies, "Because I knew that those tears were gonna come someday. I could tell Sonic was your best friend, whether you liked to admit it or not. The day he died would be the day the feelings that you were trying so hard to hide would reveal themselves." Being a teenager, my mind obviously wanders to a false and inappropriate meaning of her words, but I know that those feelings she's talking about are just feelings of friendship.

"I know how close you were to Sonic," she states. I sigh and respond, "I just wish I had told him that he was my friend; that he wasn't just my rival. I had the courage to tell you that I love you, but I didn't have the courage to admit having a friend… How ironic, huh?" She slightly shrugs. "Ironic, yes, but you're not alone. I had the same problem. Back when I was into Shadow, I would tell him that I romantically liked him, but it took me a lot longer to accept that he and Omega were my friends. Friendship, while it may make us seem weak, actually strengthens us."

She's right… Why didn't I realize this earlier… before he died? I wish I could've gotten this off my chest to him. It was through my own stubbornness that I didn't realize this. "Anyway, Knuckie, I'm gonna go tell Shadow, all right? I'm not sure how he'll react to the Blue Blur's death, but I'm sure he'll come to terms with it. Shadow may hate that hedgie on the outside, but on the inside, I can tell he doesn't think that he was half bad of a person. You need to start getting the funeral ready. Hopefully, I can convince that black hedgehog to come."

She kisses me on the forehead and flies off in the direction that I assume Shadow is in. Well, yeah, I guess I should be getting the funeral ready. First things first, though… I need to take his body and have it cremated…

~Shadow's POV~

Thank God… The GUN actually didn't call me on a mission today, although I assume differently for Omega. I haven't seen the red E-100-series robot today. They didn't call Rouge on a mission either. She went to visit her… boyfriend. Damn… I can't believe she fell for that blockheaded red echidna. I could tell she fancied me for a while. Why can't she fancy me now? I'm less emo… aren't I? Oh, well… I've gotta let her do what she wants. It's not like it'd be easy living with me. I am the Ultimate Lifeform, after all.

Speak of the devil, as none other than the white bat herself lands in front of me, but her face… I don't think I've seen that much solemnity on her face before. I don't think I've ever even seen solemnity showing on her face. Something terrible happened, but I can't tell to whom. Maybe Omega got hurt? No, that robot can take care of himself… So why? "Shadow, I have something to tell you, and I'm not sure how you're going to react to it." Why in the world is she nervous about telling me something? It's not like I'll burst into tears, no matter what she says to me.

I nod my head to signal her to continue. "I never thought the day would come when I'd be telling you this, but Sonic… He's… dead, Shadow." Oh, my… Sonic the Hedgehog… The Sonic the Hedgehog… dead? That faker can't just be gone from this world. That's just too much, even for me. I try my best to hold back the inevitable tears. Even I'm not strong enough to not get the urge to cry. I keep myself from tearing up, but one stray tear escapes from the corner of my eye. I just can't believe that the Blue Blur is dead.

"I don't know when the funeral is," starts Rouge. "but I'd like for you to come. Please. I'm sure Sonic would have done the same for you… if you could die, that is." I know that the faker would have come to a funeral of mine, and even I'm not that cruel. I have to go to his. I nod at her once again, and she starts to fly away. "I'll leave you alone to think about it, though." It's good that she left, though, because I race home and slam the door behind me, locking it tightly.

Despite how out of character this seems for me, I slide to the floor and let some tears escape. Sonic the Hedgehog passed away… Everyone, even I to a certain extent, admired him, and now there's probably nothing left but a corpse to admire. I hated the cobalt hedgehog's cockiness and sarcasm, and yet I loved it at the same time. It was what made him Sonic. It was because of that reason that he was able to handle everything thrown at him. My greatest rival, probably my only rival, is nothing more than a pile of dead hedgehog. I know who's to blame, too. Damn that Doctor!

FIVE DAYS LATER

~Tails' POV~

Sonic's funeral was a couple days ago… I cried probably the whole time. Everyone was there: Amy, Rouge, Knuckles… Even Shadow had come. I don't know how Rouge had convinced him. I always thought those two hated each other, or at least that Shadow hated Sonic. Oh, well… Who he hated doesn't matter anymore, because he's dead, and there's nothing I can do to change it! I want to feel his hand stroking the back of my head. I want him to be right there, telling me that everything's going to be all right, but he's not there, and he won't be…

"SONIC!" I scream at the top of my lungs. Nobody's here right now, so no one can hear my cries of anguish. I bury my head in my pillow once again, letting the tears stain it all over again. "Why did you have to leave me?" I wonder if all of the Mystic Ruins can hear me right now. I honestly don't care, though… It's just been so painful living without Sonic. I don't know if I'll be able to make it, and I'm being completely honest here. He was the only one who would be able to encourage me to keep going. I know he said not to grieve for too long, but I can't help it!

The sorrow's just eating me up from the inside out! If I don't do something soon, it's gonna just tear me to shreds, and I won't be able to do anything about it. I just can't take it anymore! I pick up Sonic's shoes from the side of my bed and throw them at a picture of the two of us that sits on the wall. The glass on the frame shatters into a million tiny pieces, but the picture itself comes out unscathed. I growl at it and run up to it, glass crunching under the soles of my shoes. I grab the picture right from the frame and look at it for a few seconds, tears dripping on it.

We were so happy… Sonic's seventeenth birthday… I just can't take it! I rip the picture up, tearing it to shreds. I look for any and all pictures of Sonic, and I tear them right up. Paper scrap after paper scrap falls on the floor, and broken glass crunches under my shoes with each step I take. I somehow find my way to the bathroom in my rampage, and I look at myself. I look like a mess. I see Sonic in the mirror next to me. He's trying to comfort me, but he can't… Not when he's dead.

I punch the mirror right where I see Sonic, and the glass breaks all over my hand, drawing red blood from it as it cuts through my gloves and skin. "Damn you, Sonic!" I yell as I collapse to my knees, gripping my head. "Why did you have to leave me all alone here? I've gone insane, dammit!" I curl up into a ball and start crying again. "Why, Sonic? Why did you have to die? It's so lonely… I wish you were here… Oh, God, Sonic, I wish you were here right now…"

I don't know what washes over me at this point, but… I feel like I need to… That it would be best for everyone, including me, if I do this… I get a piece of paper and a pen and start writing down a message. When I'm done, I grab what I need and pin the message to the front door. Anyone who comes by is gonna know what I'm gonna do. I head toward Station Square, where I'm gonna finish this. Today. It's not worth it to live without Sonic…

~Knuckles' POV~

I'd better go check on Tails today… He's been so down. I can't even get him to talk to me most of the time, but I can tell he's thankful I'm there whenever I come. Honestly, when it comes to comforting a friend, the Master Emerald can remain unguarded. I not only have one duty to fulfill, but two, and the duty to my friends always comes first. I've learned my lesson about that from not being there when Sonic died. I refused to go with him because the stupid Master Emerald needed guarding. Now, I wish I would've made a different choice.

I glide down from Angel Island to the Mystic Ruins and jog toward Tails' workshop, but when I get there and open the door, I step on pieces of glass and ripped-up photo paper. What in the world happened here? "Tails!" I yell, but my voice only echoes through the empty house. "Where are you?" I search the whole house, looking frantically for the depressed little fox cub, but I can't find him, and that's when I notice a note pinned onto the front door written in Tails' messy cursive handwriting. I begin reading it:

Dear Knuckles,

I know you're going to be the first one to read this… I'm sorry I'm telling you this in a letter, but there was no other way… I knew you'd try to stop me otherwise, so please, don't try to stop me now… I'm going to Station Square, and at three o'clock today, I'm going to kill myself. Again, don't try to stop me. The sorrow's been eating me up, and I can't take it anymore. I have to make it stop. Tell Cream that I'm sorry I never told her this, but I love her. Tell Amy that she's been so helpful as a big sister whenever Sonic wasn't around to be my big brother. And Knuckles, it doesn't matter that you think otherwise, but you've been one of the best friends I could ever ask for. I really hope you and Rouge have a good life together. I wish I could've told you in person, but this is how it has to be. I'm sorry. Good-bye, Cream. Good-bye, Amy. Good-bye, Rouge. Good-bye, Shadow. Good-bye, Knuckles.

Love,
Tails

No… No, Tails can't just do this… He can't… Dammit, Tails, what's wrong with you? I have to stop him. I don't care that he doesn't want me to stop him. I just have to! "Tails, I'm coming!" I run up to the train station and don't even bother to get on the train. I just run right on the tracks, trying to get to Station Square as fast as I can. It's 2:53 now, and if I don't get there soon, Tails is gonna kill himself, and that just can't happen!

I swear that's the fastest I've ever run, because I get to Station Square in only three and a half minutes. I have that much more to find Tails. I look up at the tallest building here and… Oh, God, there he is! I see him right there! I immediately shove my way through the crowd accumulating at the base of the building and start running up the stairs. "Tails, don't you dare jump, you hear me?" He probably can't hear me, but still, he just can't jump! Within another three minutes, I've climbed the stairs, and there stands the orange fox. He's tied his tails together and wrapped the rope around them probably ten times.

"My God, Tails, are you insane?" He sniffles once and looks at me, but he doesn't turn his body away from the edge of the building. "Yes, I am insane! I've been driven insane by Sonic's death, goddammit, and I just want it to end! Didn't you see what I did to the house?" He turns his head back, but I can't let him kill himself. "That doesn't matter, Tails! We need you here!" He shakes his head, looks at his watch, and mutters, "Three, two, one… Good-bye, Knuckles." And he jumps…

I don't know why, but I can't move! I want so badly to go save him, but I feel like I'm paralyzed by something… by grief… By the time I'm able to move again, I hear a crunch and a disheartening scream from below. I look down and see a bruised and bleeding fox laying on the concrete with bones sticking out of places where there shouldn't be bones sticking out of. I quickly glide down to him, and I see that he's still alive, but that's not going to be true for longer than a few minutes.

"Oh, God, Knux…" he mumbles as tears stream down his face. "It hurts… It hurts so freakin' bad! I didn't want to do this, and yet I did it anyway… Goddammit! For having an IQ of three hundred… I sure am stupid…" Tears are threatening to fall out of my eyes as well, and I can't hold them back. "Why'd you do this, Tails? We could've helped you." He closes his eyes and lets out a scream of pain before answering, "Even I don't know… I had regrets as soon as I jumped, but that's why I tied my tails together. I thought it would be so much faster than this. I didn't think I'd be bleeding out…" I don't know why or how, but Sonic, Tails, and I have always been able to fall long distances without getting hurt, so that would explain why it didn't end right away for Tails.

I can tell he's leaving… The light that's always been so prominent in his eyes is fading. With the arm that I don't think he's broken anything in, he reaches up and pulls me into a hug. "Good-bye, Knuckles… You've been a good friend…" We stay that way for a minute, and when he doesn't move his arm, I know the inevitable has happened. Tails, that cute, happy fox boy, is no longer with us. At least his eyes were closed when he died, huh? I look at his lifeless face once, and that's all it takes for me to start crying.

Why didn't I stop this earlier…? I should've tried harder to talk to him earlier this week… And now, two of my best friends are gone…

Aww... Poor Tails... Anyway, I hope you all liked, and please review!

-Camobamo1