You'd think I'd meet my end either in a final face-off against Eggman or thanks to old age. It wasn't either of those two. It was a disease that made me terminally ill.

It simply began with a small fainting spell while out on one of my usual runs. I had just celebrated my 36th birthday and I was quite the elated hedgehog. However, I distinctly remember a feeling of dizziness in my head and my vision going blurry. After that, everything faded to black. I eventually woke up at Cream's house, as she had found me while she was out collecting blueberries to make some pies. We talked a little bit, her two-year-old daughter babbling about birthday cakes. I decided to head to the doctor to find out what happened. Several long tests later and BAM! Smack in the face that I was going to very likely die within two years since they hadn't found a cure, not yet anyway.

Breaking the news to my friends was the worst thing I could've ever done. Amy cried for two hours straight, all the while being comforted by Cream. Rouge and Shadow simply shook their heads 'no.' I think it did hurt Shadow to a degree since his Maria had apparently been sick as well, though she died thanks to a gunshot instead. Knuckles…he punched through a wall. That's all I can really say.

I think the one who was hit hardest was Tails. I couldn't look him in the eye. My stomach twisted into loops and corkscrews, hurting me as much as it hurt him. At last, he looked up me, a weak smile on his face and tears dancing on the corners of his eyes.

"Let's try to do a lot of things before it ends, okay?"

We went to all our favorite places. Green Hill, Station Square, Seaside Hill, Spagonia. We had talks about all the good times we had, from our old adventures to the new ones we wished we'd had. The final place we went to was a hill overlooking a vast field under the stars, fireflies twinkling their lights.

Things slowly got worse over the course of my last year. I was feeling weak almost all the time, I was constantly throwing up, and fainting spells became more common. By the final few weeks, I was bedridden, and it almost drove me insane having to lie still in a single place, knowing I was going to die soon.

At last, it happened in July, about 1:23 in the morning. I passed away peacefully in my sleep. The nurse whom had taken care of me didn't find out until the following morning.

But I guess my soul wasn't ready to leave yet, because when I awoke, I was lying on the floor, right next to my still body. I was confused trying to figure out why I was in this state, watching as they took my body away to the morgue.

There was more sorrow among my friends than ever before. Even Blaze and Marine came over from the Sol Dimension to pay their respects on the day of the funeral. I honestly couldn't believe I was actually dead and now a spirit stuck in a sort of limbo. And worst yet, I had my back against the wall and I cried. I wanted to tell my friends I was still here, that I needed them. But I couldn't.

After that, there was a whole period of mourning that the world felt. The news was televised. Families and friends alike discussed it for weeks. Reporters constantly harassed my friends. I had never felt so worse in my life, or should I say afterlife.

I wanted to figure out how I could maybe reincarnate myself, because if I were to reincarnate myself, then maybe I could meet my friends again, alive and well, and then maybe everything would return to the way it was.

So I waited. I often followed Tails around like some lost puppy. He often sat on that hill at night, his five-year-old son Skye on his lap. The little kit was a carbon copy of his father, save for his cinnamon brown eyes that he inherited from his mother. Tails would tell him about me, how I was stubborn, cocky, friendly, and everything else that had made me, well, me. There was always in a lump in my throat when I listened to this. Tails had known me best. We had been inseparable since we first met back on Westside Island and we had vowed that only death would keep us apart. I guess it was true. I only wanted to place a hand on his shoulder again, but when I did, my hand would simply pass through him and I was reminded I was merely a spirit.

Things changed the day I met another wandering soul, like me. Her name was Gabrielle, and she had been around so long, despite she appeared as a sixteen-year-old human girl, her long hair had turned to pure white and her eyes a shade of yellow color.

We met while I was looking around in a music store, where Tails was shopping for a gift for Skye since he kept begging for a set of drums for his birthday. My eyes glanced around the store, and my eyes landed on a grandmaster piano. She was playing a song I had heard before. I believe it was called 'A Million Stars,' and it sounded beautiful while her fingers tapped at the ivory keys. She glanced over at me, her eyes unblinking.

"Another lost soul wanting to be reincarnated?" she asked softly. I nodded slowly. She gave me a soft smile. "Believe in what you can do, even here in this state. If you can do something great for your friend, maybe you'll meet again when you are both reborn anew."

I kept pondering what she said for a little while afterwards. I guess I had to will myself into a physical form so I could help Tails in some way, but with what? I tapped the tip of my shoe against the ground, trying to think about it.

I watched Tails and Skye walk along the sidewalk for a little while, Skye being careful not to step on any cracks. I guess that was his game and it was kind of cute, seeing father and son together like that. I smiled softly.

Skye looked across the road and saw a small stray kitten across the road. His brown eyes widened and he cheered happily "Kitty!" ignoring all signs of traffic.

"SKYE!" Tails shouted running after him. He grabbed him from behind to try and hold him in place. My eyes widened with horror. There was a truck coming right towards them and with the light shining green for the truck and the driver acting like a drunk idiot, there was no way he was stopping. Tails looked up and saw the truck, as it was mere meters from him. There was no hope of escape, and he let out a shrill cry.

"No…" I told myself curling into a ball. "I'm not letting you or your son get hurt!"

I spun right into the front of the truck, using all my might to shove it back. I made dents in the metal work and I could see out of the corner of my eye Tails staring wide-eyed, his expression full of shock. He could see me.

Finally, the truck came to a screeching halt. The driver had a blank stare on his face, and as I landed on my feet, a crowd gathered. They could see me too, me, the hero whom had died of illness.

I finally felt at ease, knowing I had been able to help Tails out. I could see that my body was slowly fading away, tiny lights floating all around me. Tails jumped up and ran over to me.

"Sonic!" He cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. "How…you're…don't…"

"I have to go now Tails," I softly. "We'll meet again in another lifetime, and I hope we can be as close as brothers again. Take care of your wife and Skye."

As my body finally faded away and I found myself floating into a white nothingness, I became immersed in my thoughts of meeting with all my friends again if they were reborn too. Shadow was immortal, so he'd always be there waiting, and who knows, maybe I'll be reborn in Silver's timeline. Gaia forbid if I decide to get married to Amy in another life.

But most importantly, I only want for Tails to find happiness again. Even if we don't remember the times we had together previously, our friendship will always transcend life and death.

That's all there is to it. That's why we're called the unbreakable bond. Forever and always…

A/N: And that's the end of it. I came up with the idea after watching an episode of Angel Beats. One of the best anime I've watched, and the opening makes me tear up. I absolutely love the brotherly relationship between Sonic and Tails, and I wanted to picture it here. Sorry if messed up with Sonic and Tails' characters, I suck. * facepalm *

What do you think? Should I write a sequel to this showing what happens afterwards? Please leave a review telling me what you think!