a/n: So it was, so it is.


Galactic Shackles

02. Precipice


Amy opened her eyes a minute before the scheduled time. The boy was painfully punctual.

She heard the sharp knock on her door and slowly rolled out of bed to wash her face. Her eyes carried an ever increasing set of dark lines beneath them. The slow shuffle to the front door was surely taken into account by the visitor on the other side; he probably wouldn't bother to come out so often otherwise.

The door opened to reveal Tails, looking tired himself after three weeks of little sleep.

"You look tired."

"Huh." He looked at her dulled green eyes and noted that she hadn't slept last night either. Her pyjamas were crumpled and made her look dishevelled for some reason. "Nice that you noticed."

"You should sleep more. I know you've been working on things, but you need to take care of yourself. Come inside and I'll make you breakfast. Pancakes are okay, right?" Amy pulled him inside by the hand, her grip loose and quick to slacken. The smile on her face was weary, but genuine. She clearly didn't have the strength to fake it like in the weeks before.

Sonic's fate was still unknown, and that seemed like a blessing somehow. It meant that maybe there was a chance to change things.

Maybe.

Tails sat at the small table as Amy delivered a hot cup of cocoa with a trembling hand. She smiled and patted his head gently, trying her best to comfort him. She meant well. She had meant well for a while now.

But she was not well. Her body was weak and her skin pale. She lost weight with each passing day and mumbled to herself at various times of day. And worst of all, she couldn't manage any sleep after becoming an insomniac.

"I was diving into criminal law so that I could try and make sense of what was going on, but it's been tough. I have no idea what it is they're thinking. There's really no precedent for this type of case," he said out loud.

"It must be tough, definitely. But I know you're smart. A genius, even! Definitely! Are you getting anywhere?" Amy called back from the kitchen.

"Not really...I want to keep trying, though."

"For his sake, right? I get it. Be strong, okay? You can do it!" Amy hummed to herself as she cooked, and Tails sipped at his cocoa slowly.

"Here ya go! I made them into hearts for you, since I wanted to keep busy. Cute, eh?" Amy reappeared after a few minutes with a stack of heart-shaped pancakes. She set down a bottle of syrup and sat across from Tails with a cup in her hands.

He timidly ate and watched her as she stared down into her tea. As he looked, he noticed that the steam was wafting up in front of her unmoving form. Her eyes were lifeless.

"Amy?"

"Yeah? Everything okay?" Those weary eyes came back into focus at his question. "Were the hearts too much?"

"N-no. They're perfect. I'm just...are you okay, Amy?"

"I'm a little sad, but I'll be alright. I'm okay, Tails. Just thinking a lot lately. Thank you for looking after me, you're so sweet."

Her smile carried little substance. She meant it with all her heart, but that meaning was dwindling. She went silent and stared into her tea again, drifting away from the world. She tried to.

"Mmhm."

When Tails looked up again, she was spilling tears into her mug.

"Mmhm. It's so cruel. This world is so cruel. Pfft...haha...ahahaha...ahahahaha!"

"..."

"Hehe...heee...we can't disturb the neighbours...kehehe...hehe...it's not funny at all. Ah, Tails. When you're done, you should leave."

He gulped and nodded as a twisted smile appeared on her crying face.

"Good boys shouldn't be around girls like me. I'm fractured. You see? Broken."

"Amy-"

"There's nothing you can do, my little Miles. Please. Leave me be."

"...I understand. Sorry."

He finished eating quickly and left the table. Amy ushered him out and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm glad you came to see me. I love you."

He gathered his courage and looked her in the eyes. "I love you too, Amy."

Her smile was genuine and fleeting. It soon twisted into something else as she closed the door.

"..."

Tails gathered himself and left silently. He wasn't all himself either, that he knew.

All of the rage was building, and it was building faster than he could keep up with. The anger was for both of them...the two he had already lost.


"We are here to remind and reassure the citizens of Station Square, and the whole world, that nobody is above the law. No matter how great or grand their past deeds...we aim to..."

"Bloody fucking hell," Rouge cursed at the television. She was lounging in her silk robe and ready for an easy morning at home, but fate seemed to have other ideas.

"Something the matter?" Shadow asked as he stood at the entrance to the living room. He folded his arms and watched the screen intently.

"The fucking mayor is making a statement. He's putting his weight behind the prosecution, of all the goddamned things to do in this situation. They're making it about 'us' and 'them'."

"You didn't expect it to get this far?" he asked.

"Shit, of course not," she said as she stood up. "This is Sonic the Hedgehog we're talking about."

"You're wired up early."

"Shadow-"

"I'm not being flippant about this."

"I never was going to say that. I know how you handle things...damn, maybe I was a bit naive about the whole ordeal. You think so, right?"

"No...it's just as you said. There should be a limit to such things. Your instincts aren't wrong, Rouge."

"Reassuring to hear you say that."

"It's what you need right now."

"...yeah."

"As a result, we will take into account the accused's exemplary service to this city and to the entire world, but..."

"Did you see things like this for yourself, Shadow?" Rouge asked as she walked towards him. "Do you...even now?"

He unfolded his arms and looked at her. "My choices were my own. I do as Maria has asked of me...but things like this. I can't say I saw them. Not the things that he is experiencing right now. I was never called 'hero' by the humans. But he was almost worshipped in many places. It's never the fall that kills you."

"It's the landing," Rouge finished. "A bed of spikes waiting for him at the bottom, then."

"Yes, of sorts."

"Rather crude of you to use that example," Rouge said with a smirk.

"If it made things easier to understand, then my work is complete."

"Sheesh. Dramatic. You need your coffee before you go into diva mode."

"By all means."

"Of course. Is this the morning to try the 'almost naked' apron?"

"No."

"No fun." She smiled and hit him on the shoulder as she passed into the kitchen. "Shadow?"

"I know what you're going to ask. He's tougher than that. Tougher than me, who lost his way once before. If there is darkness, then he will be a constant light."

"...and the reason he has to wade through the darkness?"

"I'm in the same place you are. But we will find it. No matter how long it takes."

"For our friend."

Shadow nodded, a determined look appearing in his red eyes. "Yes. Our friend."