Sonic: 22
Amy: 20
Chapter One: Beautiful Goodbye
He probably wasn't thinking straight. Actually, he was sure he wasn't thinking straight. His conscious voice had been chiming thoughts of reconciliation to him ever since he ventured into the night but he still chose to go against it.
Had he been thinking logically. He would have told everyone his plans as soon as he was given the objective and allowed them to enjoy what could possibly be the final days with him. Instead, he kept it all to himself and left the good-byes til the very last day to be as quick and painless as possible. It also allowed him some time to come to terms with his destiny and spend his final days surrounded by all his friends.
It was selfish. He knew that. But it was hard enough having to leave. It was even harder to think of them getting all teary over his departure. Most of all, it was hard to accept his fate.
A week prior, he had been summoned by the mayor in regards to an urgent threat that had been unleashed into the world. Eggman had created the ultimate weapon. A creature he called Infinite. A creature with the power to destroy the planet. Said to kill anyone in its path.
At first, his attitude could not be shaken. His countless victories against the mad doctor gave him enough confidence that this would just be another ordinary battle. That's what he believed until he given the photographs of the massacre caused by this thing. Blood stained the streets along with the numerous dead bodies. Cities once renown for their thriving civilisations had been reduced to rubble and smoke. This creature, followed by an overwhelming amount of robots had laid waste to the land, leaving nothing but destruction and chaos.
And to make things more difficult for the blue hedgehog, he was given a message by the doctor. The message stating that he would have to face Infinite alone. Any assistance from his team and the blood of the people would be in his hands.
It was a death sentence. He alone versus Eggman's creation and, most probably, his entire robot army. No doubt he wouldn't survive that.
That's when he felt it. Like a tsunami of time crashing down on him and swallowing him whole. The suffocation from the waves of the abyss. This may very well have been his last days and for once, time was against him.
He had been so naive. Believing he would have all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted to do.
That's wasn't the case.
Now, he was forced to throw logic out the window and at least do something he felt was the right way to go.
The hedgehog let out a shaky breath filled with nerves. He stood in front of his close friend's door, second guessing his decision. His conscious still screamed at him to think his choices through rationally. His intentions were far too sudden. Irrational. Out of the blue. But if this was his last opportunity, were there really any repercussions to think about?
He convinced himself he was doing this for her. That the girl deserved to have her final moments with him after years of chasing him. He was likely to die during this mission so the least he could do is let off some steam with her.
No, let her have a final night with him.
Ah, who was he kidding? He was going there to vent. Vent his nerves and frustrations out in a more physical form.
Or at least, that was the surface reason. He knew he could have gone to a lot of women to do this with and yet, he was outside Amy's door. Maybe it was because he knew she would do it. Maybe because he knew it would mean a little more than meaningless sex if it was with her. Either way, he stood outside her door, hesitant to knock.
Was it right to go to her now, at dusk, dropping a massive bombshell on her and then expecting her to let him into her bed? Probably not. It was extremely selfish. More selfish than keeping the whole war thing to himself. This girl claimed to love him after all and only now was he willing to return any form of affection just as he had to leave for what may be the last time.
But she would probably hate him if he left her without anything to remember him by.
His hand slowly reached upwards and knocked on her door. Silently, he waited for her to open the door and allow him in. His heart pounded against his chest knowing he'd have to deal with the most heart wrenching scene with her crying, screaming, yelling at him. Begging him to not leave her and probably try to get him to reconsider going alone. Tails and Knuckles, though saddened by the news, had taken the news rather well. A few moments of stray tears and a couple of bro hugs but still rather chill than how he expected her to react.
Would he be able to handle her emotions? Enough to want to sleep with her? Ah, perhaps this was what rational thinking would have thought about. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
He shook his head, feeling stupid for even thinking about doing this to her. Spinning on his heel, he began to walk away from her house. He'd just come to her in the morning right before he had to leave. Keep it short.
The light within her home illuminated the ground around him, stopping him in his tracks. He tensed up, knowing she had opened the door and caught him on her pathway. "Sonic?" She asked, curious as to why he was outside her house so late.
Well. There was no going back now. He turned around slowly. Bashfully rubbing the tip of his nose. "Hey Amy..."
She rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."
He walked towards her slowly. His stomach churning with nerves. "Can I come in?"
She stared at him, dumbfounded. His visits to her house were rare. Legendary in the night. He could see her breathing becoming more rash, as if her heart was pounding as much as his. "Of course." She stepped aside, allowing him to walk in. She closed the door behind him and guided him to the sofa. Thanking her with a head nod, he sat down. She stood nearby, awkwardly bouncing with anxiety. "Did you want a drink?"
"Uh, I'm good." He insisted. She stood near the edge of the sofa, most likely contemplating what to do with herself. "You can sit next to me you know..." He told the girl.
"Oh, right. Sorry." She took a seat next to him, crossing her slender legs. He noticed how her leg bounced on her knee. Was she really that nervous? "So, what brings you here, Sonic?"
Ah right. He needed to tell her the news. Now he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Did he look her in the eye and just come out with it? Take her hand and then tell her?
"Sonic?"
He cleared his throat. "I have some news..." That was a good start at least. She nodded in response to him, not wanting to interrupt. He sighed heavily. Why was this so hard? It was so much easier telling the others. She looked so innocently inquisitive of his news. It hurt knowing he was about to unintentionally break her heart. "I..." He dared to look her in the eye, immediately regretting it. "I have to go away for awhile."
She blinked a few times. Processing what he was saying. "Like a trip?"
As much as he wanted to agree, he knew he couldn't lie to her now. Not with mere hours to spare. He gave her a weak smile. "To war."
The pink hedgehog looked away from him, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't understand. I mean it's quite short notice but I guess we can go. Did you tell the others?"
He grimaced as his felt pressure on his chest. "Amy..." He looked down at his shiny shoes. "I'm going to war. No one else. I have to do this alone."
It seemed as if she was in a state of denial. She quickly got up from her seat and walked towards the stairs. "Don't worry Sonic. I'll be ready to go with you soon. Just need to get dressed." She began to walk up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Amy." Sonic got up and followed her to the stairs. He grabbed her hand before she could get up the stairs. He stared at her, hoping she would come to her senses. Her eyes glazed with tears as she looked back at him. Slowly she began to breakdown as the realisation came to her. "I'm sorry." His voice was barely audible.
She pulled her hand away from his. "No. No, you can't go. Not on your own. We're supposed to be a team."
"I know but there's nothing I can do. Eggman's create this... thing and he's already taken over the other side of the world with it. He wants me to fight his creation one on one. Otherwise he's going to kill everybody. I can't allow that."
"That doesn't stop us from helping you."
"It does. He told me that if I bought anyone to help take him down, the blood of the people would be in my hands. I can't risk anymore lives. He's taken far too many."
"So what's going to happen? You're just gonna go there all alone and believe that he won't ambush you with an entire army of robots?" He remained silent, momentarily staring at her before looking down. She gasped, feeling her heart clench as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "You already think that, don't you? Y-you already expect him to double cross you and even kill you." He said nothing, knowing she was right. "Sonic!"
"Look. I'm sorry alright? If there was another way, I'd do it."
She looked away from him, harshly wiping the tears away from her eyes. "So you came to say goodbye." Tears gushed from her eyes once more. "Y-you can't" her voice broke. "Please don't leave me, Sonic." She fell to her to the step on the stairs, looking up at the blue hero. "I-I'll come with you. I'll stay out of the way. I'll do anything you want. Just don't leave me behind." She sobbed, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly.
His eyes remained closed. He couldn't bare to see her grovelling in front of him, begging him to stay. No amount of preparation helped him through this ordeal. Hearing her sobs made his heart pang and knowing he had to leave her in such a state was even more painful.
Though he had to be her hero. Just one more time. Kneeling in front of the bawling woman, he embraced her, allowing her to cry into his chest. "Hey now. It'll be alright." He soothed her.
"Then you'll come back." She pulled away slightly to see his face. "If everything is going to be alright, you'll come back to all of us. Won't you?" Her gaze was intense. Teary eyes refusing to blink as she awaited for him to feed her false promises.
Again, he gave her a weak smile. He really couldn't afford to make her such promises. The likelihood of surviving was at miracle level and the last thing he wanted was for her to waste her life waiting on him to return.
Oh wow. This was really his last time he was going to see her. See any one of his friends. He told himself so many times what was likely to happen and yet, it wasn't until now, in this moment, holding the distraught woman in his arms, he realised he would never see her or his friends again.
Tears fell down his cheeks despite the smile on his face. His hands gently caressed her arms, memorising the feel of her soft skin. "You." His breath was shaky. Holding back his emotions. "You are gonna have the most amazing life. You're gonna meet somebody who worships you. You'll have the cutest babies and you will be happy."
"No. No don't say that. Don't prepare me for a life without you." Her hands reached up and touch his face, wiping away stray tears. "I don't need a husband. I don't even need children. I just need you, Sonic. Just please don't go." Her voice squeaked as her voice broke with emotion.
"We both know that's not what you want." He rested his forehead against hers. Her bangs tickling his head softly. "I don't want you wasting your life waiting for me."
"That's my choice."
"Amy..."
"No Sonic!" He unintentionally shouted at him, pulling away from his embrace. She took a moment to compose herself. "Ever since I was a child, I have loved you. For years, I have pronounced my adoration for you, my devotion. And even after all those times you ran away from me, I never lost hope in one day being your lover, your wife. The mother of your children. I still hold that same hope. No one. Not even you will make me loss my faith in that."
He was silent. Stunned into a state of awe and slight unease. Amy was the definition of determined. Years of dedication to him and him only and received little to nothing back in return. He bit his lip. If he had another chance, he would give her the attention she deserves. Resting his forehead against hers again, he hopelessly chuckled. "Geez Ames. I don't deserve you." A slight blush heated his cheeks. Those nerves that tormented him earlier had disappeared from his mind. He didn't have time to let his bashfulness or his ego take over. Raising his head slightly, he kissed her forehead lightly. He could feel her body jolt, as if surprised by the foreign affection from him.
She slowly looked up at him. Her eyes still glazed with her tears. She looked deep into his eyes, moving closer to him. She was probably looking for any protest from him. He returned her gaze, showing his lack of objection. She had waited so long for this. He had to be the one giving her what she needed. At least once, she could feel that her faith wasn't in vain. His hand rested on her face, gently rubbing his thumb against her tear stained cheek. Slowly, he leaned in and bridged the gap between their lips.
A simple kiss is how it could have been described. One without lust or uncontrollable passion. A tender kiss containing grief, acceptance and adoration. He took in the warmth of her lips, the minor high he was getting from the release of pleasure hormones and of course, the love that she held for him. Her hands clinged to his hand that was against her cheek, possibly fearing he would fade away any second.
He reluctantly broke the kiss. Slight disappointment brushed over him having the kiss end so soon. It had to be less than a minute. Those few seconds he knew he would treasure.
Her hands reached up into his quills, desperately yet gently pulling and playing with them. "Do you have to go now or do you still have time?" Her eyes were shifting from his lips to his eyes.
As if reading her mind, he rested his hands on her small hips, first mentally questioning himself like he should have before arriving. She was inviting him to stay the night with her. He could leave now and know she would be content with the kiss and the hope she held for his safe return. Or he could give her the final moments of affection she had yearned for all these years and leave with neither of them carrying regrets.
He knew what he wanted.
"I've got until dawn." He told her. She smiled bittersweet and removed her hands from his quills, allowing one of her hands to grasp his.
"Come with me." She whispered, leading him up the stairs to her bedroom. He was more than happy to oblige. Following the pink hedgehog, he closed the bedroom door behind him, sharing his final moments with her without any regret.
He watched the sun rise from her window sill. Sitting with one leg spread out and the other close to his chest. His arm resting against his knee. He sighed to himself. The beautiful arrival of the sun had always been such a moment he enjoyed. Now, it was his symbol for game over.
Looking over to the sleeping female in the bed, he couldn't help but smile. She looked so peaceful. The pain of the hours prior removed from her as she slept contently. He felt like he made the right choice to stay with her. She would never forget their last hours together.
He certainly wouldn't anyway.
Carefully, he got down from the window sill and collected his usual attire; gloves, sock and shoes, all scattered around her room in the midst of the blissful time together. Once dressed, he gave her a final smile, deciding it was best to leave her to sleep. He turned towards the door but stopped as he was about to open it. Maybe one final kiss on her forehead to say goodbye at least.
Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. Success, she didn't wake up. Satisfied, he slowly withdrew from the woman, only to be startled by her reaching up and stroking his cheek.
"Until I hear otherwise, I will wait for you. Sonic The Hedgehog." She whispered to him.
He was blushing, surprised by her waking up so abruptly and her words. He didn't say anything, knowing his own fate. Let the girl keep her faith. She would come to terms in her own time.
With a final peck on her soft lips, he made his way to the door again. He turned to her again, holding his bittersweet smile on his face as he slowly closed the door to the life he was leaving behind.