Nothing long. Nothing special, just…I dunno. Something.

Haha.

This is kind of funny. No?

I don't know if I should be laughing.

I'm gonna die.

I got twisted up and didn't see that thing coming. Some kind of arrow going right through my chest.

Wow.

It didn't hurt until a few minutes after, and even now I just feel numb.

Teardrops on my face.

Oh…Amy…

Damn. I didn't even realize she carried me off. I can somehow hear everything. Feel everything. See everything.

Whoa.

Is this what it's like to die? Every sense being heightened like this?

So strange. Yet so wonderful.

"Amy…"

My voice is messed up, weak. I don't really like this at all, but I hate seeing her cry. I want to wipe the tears from her face.

Can't move my arms. Can't move anything.

Well, shit.

"I'm so sorry…"

She looks at me like I'm crazy.

"I…hate seeing you like this, you know?"

"God…Sonic, it's not your fault. You'll be okay. We'll beat Eggman, and you'll be okay."

You know how badly I want to believe you, Amy.

"It'll be okay."

I'm feeling choked up. Something in my throat, and I'm coughing it up. Red.

Blood.

"No…this is goodbye, Amy."

"Don't say that. It'll be okay," she repeats.

Her eyes are green and so pretty. I can see into them, into her soul. So beautiful. She wipes away the blood and I can feel her softness. Her hand on my cheek feels better than anything else. I can see into her, and I want to touch her, touch her essence somehow.

I wanna hug her so tight that I reach into her and she'll feel like she's warm forever.

I hate this, being helpless. I feel so much weaker now.

She wants to pull out the arrow and end it. Hell, I do, too.

Do I?

No, not yet. I want to stop her tears. Even if it's only for one second, I want them to stop.

I can hear my own heart, hear the sounds of battle just some distance away. Tails and Knuckles are giving it their all. Sounds like they're doing good.

I'm gonna die.

This sucks.

I don't want to go so soon.

I look up at Amy again. That sweet girl, always by my side even as my blood keeps leaking out all over her dress. She strokes my head, and I feel so good. Everything about the way she touches me…

"This is goodbye, Amy."

I'm trembling by now, I can feel it getting harder to breathe. She's looking down at me, and she looks spent. Emptied of everything she is, completely.

You can't die along with me, Amy.

Or…maybe I don't have to disappear after all. Maybe I can find a place with you.

Some part of me has to stay here, even as the blood keeps leaking out and it keeps getting colder and colder.

The ground's hard against my back. Shit…no strength left. No, that's not true.

I have to…give her my gift. My parting gift.

"Ames…c'mere…"

She leans closer to me, and I force my arm awake. I push it up and my hand touches her shoulder so I can pull her close to me.

I needed this.

"This is goodbye, Amy."

I can see the tears starting to well up, so I pull her closer until my lips meet hers.

It feels better than I thought. Kissing someone. Someone you love and care about.

It's so hard to explain what it feels like. Our tongues are touching, and it feels right somehow. She tastes sweet. Not sugary sweet, but the kind of sweetness that you can't get enough of, the kind you get addicted to quickly. And you feel like you'll disappear if you don't keep getting it from that person.

I don't know if it's good that I'm disappearing.

I'm not sure how to feel other than…light.

I feel something torn out of me, but it's distant.

Amy drops the steel arrow onto the ground. Oh…that thing.

This is really it, isn't it?

She holds my hand tight, and I can feel her heat again. She feels so warm, and the light's back in her eyes.

My light.

"I'll always be with you, Ames…"

"I know." And she smiles at me, the tears coming down.

I feel like I want to sleep. I know I shouldn't. I know I should just hold for a while longer…

"Sleep well…my love…"

She's letting me go.

And so I go.

I open my eyes. I'm on a street made of gold. No cars, just mansions in the distance. I can tell which one's mine.

Cheering. There's lots of cheering. People calling my name.

A voice telling me how good I did.

I turn around and see someone walking up to me.

It's her.

She looks more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

"Hey. How's it going?"

She's so casual about it that I can't help but laugh. "It's absolutely heavenly up here. No pun intended."

She raises a brow.

"Okay, maybe intended a little."

"I hope you had a good rest."

I nod. "Sure did."

"They're waiting for us. It's time to join the celebration."

The voices reach my ears, and I smile again. "My kind of party."

She takes my hand.

And we walk forward.