Author's note: my first Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction so maybe I'm a bit shaky on details and the characters, but it's a start. A Sonic/Sally fanfic of sorts ~ though it's more... the end rather than the beginning. I needed to finish this to bring back my writing spark. I hope you enjoy.

"I should have known you'd be selfish!"

I can still feel the sting, y'know Sal, but I'll get through it. Slap me, beat me, humiliate me… I'm Sonic the Hedgehog: I've gotten into a fair few scrapes in my time, gotten a nice ol' couple of cuts and bruises – they don't bother me! So a couple of words aren't gonna do any long term damage.

I've lost pretty much everything at some point in my life, so I'm used to it now, Sal.

Don't flatter yourself.

"I don't want you to do it anymore. Stay with me. Please, my love… Say you will…"

You asked too much of me, you know you did; I know that year was tough on you, I just didn't realise that it would change you so much.

I loved you, Sal. I would have done anything for you, but not that, not that. Fighting, being a hero, it's part of who I am; I'll never stop running, never stop being free… I'll never stop loving you. But I was born to run. For the first time in my life, I'm thinking things over, I'm not rushing into stuff; my answer to you was the only one I could have given.

Maybe one day you'll understand that.

But right now, we're strangers, two completely different Mobians with completely different responsibilities. You're the actin' ruler, fulfilling the role you will one day have to take on from your father; you're a princess after all, Sal, it's your duty.

Just like bein' a hero is my duty.

Once upon a time you were a freedom fighter, but that was a long time ago, so many things have changed since then. We only had each other to rely on in those days, we were young, we never imagined that anything would go wrong, never considered death or loss or pain. Sometimes I think we rushed into things – pretty ironic, right? Me thinkin' we went too fast! But sometimes, I don't think we put enough thought into the consequences of our relationship, y'know?

I loved you, o'course I loved you! But maybe we didn't do things right…

Still, no point in cryin' over the past, yeah? We're cool, I'm cool. Everythin's fine.

I hear your laughter sound through the trees, it floats on the breeze harmonising with the rustling of the leaves; my heart melts a little, I don't deny it. I scoot further along the branch, lean out from under the foliage that acts as my cover so that I can see through the window not far from me into your study.

You're at your desk, rummaging through files, or… photographs, I'm not too sure. I can't quite make out the expression on your face… it looks like happiness, but your laughter was a little… forced.

I'm curious.( Y'know me, Sal, my curiosity will me get me killed one day.)

I want to get closer, just to see you a little better; so I take a breath and leap as quietly as possibly onto your balcony, I don't make a sound I'm that good. You don't turn around, you carry on lookin' at the pictures in front o' you; I press myself upon the pane of glass, palms flattened against it. It's the closest me'n'you have been in a while, I guess – weird thought, that.

The pictures look familiar, they're old, I can guess that much; there's figures in 'em that I know, six in some, fewer in others. I can make out a rabbit with silver limbs, a coyote in a blue coat, a walrus in his workshop, a little fox playing with his gadgets… my buddies, my old buddies when all we had was each other. Those were the days. The days of the freedom fighters.

And then you lift the last photograph, and my heart does something weird in my chest, like it's swoopin' and breakin' at the same time. Oh I know that photo well…

I recognise you, your great body with the hazel fur and the sky blue eyes; and him, I recognise him too, a blue hedgehog with a cocky grin. You're holdin' his hand, he's got his other around your waist; you look happy, both of you do, like you're in love. Seems like such a long time ago, I hardly recognise myself… but I guess that's 'cause I know how different we were back then.

Something irritates my eyes, something damp and warm runs over my cheek; my fingers brush it away crossly. I'm not cryin', I'm not cryin' Sal. Sonic the Hedgehog does not do cryin'.

I put my hand back against the window pane, but I've lost concentration and I do it a bit too loudly. Ah crud, I can see you turnin' and my reflexes kick in.

They're just a bit too slow, I catch a glimpse of your bright blue eyes… stained with tears.

I'm happy that you're sad, it's nice to know I'm missed.

But I'm gone too quickly, I vanish in a flash; you move pretty fast yourself, you're out on that balcony in seconds, leaning over and staring into the trees in front of you.

I stay hidden, watchin' from a distance, not darin' to breathe.

"Sonic…"

You whisper the name, they float on the breeze and drift over me, bringin' a wave of crazy emotions. But it's not my name you're callin', you're callin' the name of your hero, the hero who didn't let you down, who vowed to stay beside you. You're callin' the name of your king, not a freedom fighter…

And as much as I want to answer you, I can't, 'cause it isn't me you want; not now, maybe one day, but not now. For now, we're strangers, leadin' different lives.

You wait for a while, eyes eagerly drawn to any movement in the branches, auburn tresses moving in the wind; you're dazzlin' Sal. I won't deny it. But then finally, you give up; I see the sadness come back to your face as you turn around and head back inside, not before throwing one last glance towards my hiding place… like you knew I was there all along.

Your cry still seems to linger in wind though, I hear it callin' as I drop from my perch onto the turf below me. But it falls on deaf ears. There is no Sonic here for you Sal', the one you loved – I think he died a long time ago – just like I left my Sally a long time ago.

I look up at your balcony one last time before I too turn away.

"Sonic… I'm sorry..."

We're all sorry Sal', but you shouldn't be.

All you did was break my heart, I got over it.