Chapter 7
To Flydaze
If you're reading this, I would like to thank you for being patient. I assure you that I will complete this story. So, don't worry :)
Amy opened her eyes slowly and stared at the light grey ceiling above her. Her jade orbs glistened in the moonlight that shone in through the open window. The cool breeze had reduced to a gentle whisper a few minutes ago, and so she felt slightly warm. The pain that had been bothering her an hour ago was gone now, too.
She then felt something, or rather someone, next to her. When she turned to look, her delicate eye ridges rose to find that it was Tails.
Tails was fast asleep while seated next to her on a stool. He was resting his head on his arms on the side of her bed and was snoring softly. It touched her heart that he chose to stay by her side. She knew that it was Sonic who called the young two-tail to the hospital since Tails was her hero's best friend. Sonic must have probably needed some kind of moral support. She still didn't know what it was that was inside her; what it was that had caused her excruciating pain an hour ago. She was unaware of the kind of hurdles she would soon face over the next few weeks - both physical and emotional.
Amy reached out a hand and stroked Tails' head lovingly. She always had a brotherly affection towards Tails, and although the two had seldom spent time together in the past, she still felt connected to him. She felt she could talk to him, let him know what was on her mind. Although he was young, the advice he gave her always seemed to have a certain kind of reasoning to them that she was always left in awe. She knew everyone could rely on Tails, and that everyone could trust his intellect. She recalled that moment while she was on Tails' massive ship that he had built to fight the Death Egg. She had stayed close by his side once she had gotten back on the ship along with the others after Sonic gave his orders.
She had panicked, yelled, screamed, and had even cried; and the young fox had stayed calm and focused throughout the entire ordeal. When Sonic, Shadow, and Silver performed Chaos Control and vanished into space, she had held her breath. The tears had kept streaming down her muzzle; and, somewhere down to her side, she felt a certain kind of warmth. She felt a hand slowly take hold of hers and give it a gentle squeeze to reassure her that it was going to be okay.
It was Tails.
She smiled at the thought of that. Tails was such a dear kid. He was loving, innocent, and sweet. She knew she could rely on him just like how Sonic did. And that was why she stayed in touch with him over the past few months. It wasn't just because she knew that Tails would tell Sonic what she was up to, it was because she wanted someone to talk to as well. All the conversations she had with the young fox over the past few months had helped her cope. They had helped her pull through, and Tails was always ready to listen to her and offer advice. She had never told him what was troubling her, about the pain she felt every now and then, the constant feelings of loneliness and sadness. She didn't want to make him feel worried about her. She didn't want him telling Sonic who would then be forced to check in on her.
Sonic checking in on her.
Sonic...
Thoughts of him speeding by her apartment came back to her mind, and she felt deep sadness engulf her heart again. Amy knew Sonic would never fall in love with her. She had always known that; but, somewhere deep inside, she had always hoped for a difference. She always anticipated the day when he would walk in to declare his feelings for her; at the same time, she anticipated the day when he would introduce her to his girlfriend. She smiled and chuckled softly at that for she had always pictured someone beautiful, witty, and smart to fit Sonic.
He would never like me. I'm not witty and smart at all…I don't even know if I'm beautiful enough.
She felt Tails shift slightly. Her hand was still placed on his head and the young fox seemed to like that in his sleep. She smiled again. Once she got out of the hospital, she promised herself, she would make him his favorite pie and Sonic his chili dog to show them her gratitude. Amy smiled in contentment. Yes, she would certainly do that.
It was then that she realized it was just her and Tails in the ward. She squinted in the dark to make out any silhouette of a sleeping Sonic, but couldn't find any. Her mind raced with thoughts. Did he finally decide to go home? But he had said he would stay, and she knew deep inside that he meant what he said back then. And besides, she looked down at Tails who was still sound asleep, didn't Tails have his classes? Even though she felt grateful that he was there with her, she wondered why he was with her at the hospital when he should be at home resting peacefully instead. If Sonic indeed needed support, he wouldn't leave Tails at the hospital all by himself while he went back home and got rest. He would never do that.
She felt confused and lost. Somewhere at the back of her mind, she could remember seeing Knuckles and Tails burst into the ward she was in earlier. She could remember seeing their faces - they had a look of concern and worry in their eyes, even a look of fear. But she couldn't remember anything after that. What she did know was that Sonic had been there with her then.
So, where is he now...?
- xxx -
It was now around 2 AM and Sonic was running at the speed of sound. As he ran, he could feel the silence around him, except for the rapid scraping of his shoes on the ground. The birds that had seemed to be awake earlier were now finally asleep and it was a quiet, starlit night.
Sonic expertly avoided the tall trees that appeared on his path now and then, jumped across narrow streams, raced along small, steep hills, and throughout, he felt the wind of freedom blow through his long and slender sharp blue quills. Once he reached a clearing, he closed his eyes for a moment and took in the feeling. It was a feeling he always loved. He would never trade this feeling for anything else in the world; not even for love. He decided that if he were to fall in love, it would be with someone who would respect his choices, someone who would respect and appreciate his thirst for freedom, and secretly, he wanted it to be someone who would be willing to join him in his adventures as well; and also someone with whom he could share this feeling with – this exhilarating feeling that he loved so much.
And that was when he thought of Amy.
He frowned.
Why her? Why Amy? He had never seen her as anything more than as a friend. So why, ever since he had set foot on her doorstep and saw her standing there in front of him with her glistening jade orbs and lovely short quills, did his heart not stop beating a step faster each time he thought of her? Why did it all have to happen now? Why after all these years? He had seen her countless times and never before had he felt this way about her. So how was this any different?
He slowed down when he entered the forest again and stopped to look up at the night sky. The tall trees partially hid the sky from view, and so he could only make out a glimpse of the stars - it was like a starlit pathway running through the canopies.
Sonic closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of the fresh air to calm his heart. When he let it out slowly and opened his eyes, he felt more aware of everything around him. He became aware of his surroundings; he became even more aware of why he was there at that very moment.
He then placed a hand over his heart and felt the heartbeat. After a few seconds of listening to his slow heartbeats, he knew that it was never wrong. As he stood there in the silence of the night under the starlit night sky, and with the cool breeze blowing through his quills, he realized that everything he felt about Amy was real. There was no doubt about it. All he had to do now was figure it out. He had to place the pieces of the puzzle in their proper locations to make sense of what his heart was saying. He closed his hand into a fist and looked above.
All of that could wait. Right now, he had a purpose to fulfill. He felt needed again, more needed than he ever felt. It wasn't the world he was fighting for this time; it was for a dear friend's life. She needed him, and so he didn't want to let her down. He trusted his heart to let him understand everything in time. But for now, he was on a mission.
Sonic then looked ahead. With a deep sense of purpose, he took off once again into the night. His emerald green orbs had a certain sense of seriousness in them - a motive. He was out to help a friend. It was something he would never stop doing, even if he had to do it alone; for that was who he was.
Once he got out of the forest, he saw the red echidna high above, gliding gracefully. Seldom had the blue hero of Mobius seen his friendly nemesis glide. He recalled him doing so only a few times and each time, he had been awestruck. When Sonic looked up at him, he saw that Knuckles looked straight ahead. Just a few more kilometers and then they would arrive on Angel Island. Sonic hoped that they would find the emeralds there. They were the only hope to save Amy.
Amy…
It broke his heart when he thought of her – the thought of her lying prone and fragile on the hospital bed, that tired look in her eyes, that feeling of helplessness. He had never seen her that way before, and so it hurt him emotionally to see her in such a state now. He didn't want to leave her side back in the ward, but he knew he had no choice. He had to do this for her.
And so he ran with purpose and determination. He reached a stretch of land that led to the massive floating island. Above him, he could find Knuckles slowing down. He was just about to do the same when suddenly, he felt a noose fall around his neck which brought him to a stunned, screeching halt. The noose tightened slightly around his neck and he was pulled hard from behind which made him hit the rough ground, thereby scraping his elbows. He choked when he felt the noose tighten around his neck a little more.
Urk! What the-?
He could see a figure coming up from behind him while holding the rope, smirking at him. He felt trapped, and he could feel his breath catch in his throat when the figure roughly pulled him closer, thereby tightening the noose further.
He then looked up at the sky with wide, panic-stricken eyes as he gasped for breath.
'KNUCKLES!'
-xxx-
Amy felt a sudden jolt of pain course through her stomach. It was pain much like the one she had experienced back in her apartment. She groaned softly since the pain was excruciating.
No…not again.
Another sharp jolt of pain shot through her side and she gasped out loud, to which Tails awoke with a start. When he laid his eyes on her, he panicked and quickly got off the stool to grab his bio-scanner.
'Amy, hold on!' he cried as he fumbled with the switch.
'T-Tails…I can't' she gasped as the pain rose considerably and she felt close to losing her consciousness. She felt her vision about to fade, to dim…to blur. She couldn't even bring herself to breathe normally or to even sit up straight. She was bent over, her arms clasped tightly around her stomach.
What was happening...?
'Amy!'
She got brought back into reality as Tails quickly scanned her. His eyes grew wide at the readings. 'No, no, no, no, NO!'
Tails quickly looked at her and placed both his hands on her shoulders. 'Amy, stay with me!'
She looked at him with a dazed expression as she felt her insides burn. She choked back tears. 'I-I can't, Tails...'
With that, she blacked out.
-xxx-
Sonic shot his eyes open with a gasp, struggling to breathe as he felt the noose still around his neck.
He never liked this feeling – this feeling of being restrained, contained, of not being able to move. It was something he always feared. He fears not being able to run or to feel the wind. He fears the day his freedom gets taken away from him if at all that day ever comes, and he hoped with all his heart that it wouldn't.
At that moment, he recalled the time when he got imprisoned by Eggman. It was during the resistance, and he had been so desperate to escape, to get his freedom back. And just when he thought things were about to get worse, he was free and running again, and fighting for everyone else's freedom like he always did.
Sonic then opened his eyes to look at his oppressor. Before him, stood a female cat with white, creamy fur and striking red orbs that seemed to glaze in the moonlight. She glared down at him with distaste.
'This one was easy, and you said he was the fastest thing alive? I expected him to be a hard catch.' She asked as she turned to look at her comrades who were all male cats dressed in black just like her. One of them snickered.
'Maybe not for you, chief.'
She chuckled softly in delight and pulled the rope up roughly, thereby bringing Sonic to his knees. He was struggling to breathe and shot daggers at her through gritted teeth.
'What a pity. It's a shame they call you the hero of this miserable planet.' she said and laughed. 'You're mine now, hedgehog.'
Suddenly, there were gasps and shouts of fright and surprise from behind her. She quickly turned to look while still holding onto the rope. She raised her eye ridges in surprise at the red echidna who stood in front of her while holding one of her comrades by his collar. The rest were knocked out.
Knuckles glared at her. 'You picked the wrong duo to mess with, lady.'
She glowered in anger. Sonic then quickly used the distraction to perform a spin dash. He cut through the rope easily and in the process, shot some of the sand onto her back as he sped over to Knuckles. He stood up beside him and rubbed his neck, regaining his breath again.
'Whew…talk about getting choked up at this hour!'
Knuckles didn't take his eyes off the cat. 'State your purpose before I do something that will make you regret ever coming here.'
She rolled her eyes. 'Please, you expect me to not have seen this coming? Of course, I knew you were a distraction to let that blue twerp escape.'
'Wait, what did you just call me?' Sonic asked in confusion and annoyance.
Knuckles sighed in exasperation and smacked his forehead. 'Sonic.'
The cat laughed and the two immediately took up a fighting stance. 'You see, just like how I knew you were a distraction, echidna, I've come prepared.'
She then snapped her fingers. Suddenly, more cats came out from the forest and were making their way over to them with speed and stealth.
Knuckles growled, 'Bring it on, cat brains!'
From behind, a cat threw a net over Sonic who quickly jumped up in the air to avoid it. He then performed an aerial spin dash and tore through the net and onto the cat who got thrown back from the impact. He then spotted a few other cats behind him and expertly performed his signature homing attack on them, bringing them all down instantly.
On the other side, Knuckles was busy pummeling a few cats with his large knuckle fist. Some of the cats tried to capture him with their nets, but he was able to tear through the nets easily with his two spiked knuckles.
They continue taking down more cats effortlessly. They almost got trapped in nets or attacked, but were quickly able to avoid the obstacles. With Sonic's speed and Knuckles' incredible strength, the two were unmatchable.
'Haha!' The short-tempered red Guardian laughed as he picked up a net and threw it over a few cats, trapping them on the spot. Most of the cats were down by then. When he turned to look for Sonic, he noticed a cat about to shoot a net over him from behind. His eyes went wide.
'Sonic, look OUT!'
Too late. The cat shot the net just when Sonic was about to side-step to avoid it. The net trapped the blue speedster and he fell down to the ground. Hard.
'No, dammit!' He tried to perform a spin dash, hoping to cut free, but he couldn't.
The cat that had trapped Sonic quickly spoke something into his walkie-talkie before being knocked out by Knuckles from behind who quickly made his way over to the blue hedgehog.
'Step away from him!'
A strong, deep voice from behind caused him to come to a halt. He turned to find a slightly built cat standing with a gun pointed at him. Knuckles raised his arms up over his head.
'What is it that you guys want?!' He demanded as he glared at him with anger and annoyance.
The cat smirked. 'We've already got what we wanted.' With that, he quickly shot a bullet. Knuckles leaped out of the way, barely missing the shot. The cat then leaped into the air. He leaped across the tall rock tops that led to the floating island. He then used a climbing rope and started climbing his way up to the top with incredible expertise and speed.
Knuckles stared at him in shock. 'What the!?'
He then scanned his surroundings quickly for the cat lady from earlier. When he saw that she was gone, he punched his fist into the ground in frustration.
'Dammit! It was a distraction!'
'Knuckles!' Sonic gasped as he struggled to sit up.
Knuckles quickly became aware of the trapped hedgehog and turned to cut him free from the net.
'Whew!' the blue speedster gasped as he tried to focus.
'You okay?' Knuckles asked with a tone of seriousness and impatience. Angel Island was going to be in danger. This night had taken a turn for the worst.
Just when Sonic was about to stand up to respond, he got a call from his communicator. It was Tails.
'Tails? What's wrong?'
'S-Sonic, it's Amy! She's passed out!'
His eyes went wide. Knuckles overheard what was said and looked concerned, yet determined. 'Go. I'll handle these canine idiots!'
Sonic turned to look at him with desperate eyes. He never liked doing this, but he had no choice. He knew Knuckles was more than capable to handle situations like these. All he had to do was trust him. And so he nodded. 'Stay safe, Knux. And get the emeralds.'
Knuckles nodded in consent and took off toward the floating island as Sonic ran back toward Emerald City at breakneck speed. This was the second time that his heart was hammering against his chest.
This time though, he was glad he wasn't carrying Amy.
-xxx-
Somewhere close to the Mystic Ruins, a dark, ebony hedgehog was resting his back on an ancient pillar. He had his eyes closed as he let the information he just gathered sink in. When he opened his eyes, ruby orbs shone in the moonlight.
'So, Rose is infected with negative Chaos energy.' he stated.
'Uh-huh.' Rouge nodded in response as she stood with her arms crossed. She had her hips tilted alluringly to one side as if to entice the handsome ebony hedgehog who stood in front of her.
Sure, she was with Knuckles. And she loved him deeply. But with Shadow, it was different. She always tried to capture his attention in a special way, but it never seemed to work. After the lovely bat had gotten together with Knuckles, she had moved past it all. But she still couldn't help it at times, especially when she was around him.
Rouge often thought about the countless times he had saved her and times when he had even shown his concern for her. She recalled the time he rescued her from Security Hall, and although he had claimed that he only did that to get the Chaos Emeralds, she always felt there was more to it than he let out. Although they both acted like allies, there were times when his gestures had touched her. It made her believe that even though he exhibited cold and edgy behavior, he did indeed have a heart. After all, he was just like them all.
'What are the odds against curing her?' he asked. He had a look of seriousness in his eyes. Anything related to Chaos energy always mattered to Shadow.
'Apart from the Chaos Emeralds not doing their job? I don't see anything else,' Rouge responded as a matter-of-fact.
'Hmph. I doubt the emeralds not functioning according to their purpose.' Shadow said as he looked away from her.
Even though he seldom spoke to the cheerful Amy, he still felt concerned for her. He wasn't the kind to exhibit any feelings openly. He never did, and so he preferred to keep them to himself. Shadow had always cringed silently whenever he saw Amy chase after Sonic in the past. He always thought he would get used to it, but each time, he always felt the same feeling of irritation when he saw the two.
What frustrated him, even more, was the fact that his blue rival never returned her feelings. What could possibly happen if he did, anyway? Would the world come to an end? Would the mad doctor finally seize victory? Would he be devoid of his freedom?
His freedom…
Shadow knew how much Sonic loved his freedom. Every now and then, he had caught the blue speedster running along green hills, the city, and even relaxing under meadows. That was what Sonic always adored - his freedom. He had been skeptical about Sonic at first when they met at Station Square all those years ago. Back then, he just saw him as pain and a waste of his time. But over the years, things had changed, and he grew to respect the blue hero of Mobius; especially since the events of the Death Egg.
That's what the faker wants most – freedom.
Shadow felt Amy suited Sonic well. She was a girl like none other Shadow has ever seen - resilient, graceful, talented, and determined. He often thought about that one time on the ARK when she had convinced him to save the world. He had been so firm on not saving it until her words had struck a chord in his memory: of Maria...Maria telling him to give people a chance to be happy. He had then made up his mind, and he had kept the promise he had made to Maria, and at that very moment, to Amy.
Amy might have gotten on his nerves more than just a couple of times since then, but he saw how she had started to change. He saw her slowly start becoming more independent, smart, and reliable. She was just like Sonic – someone who valued freedom. And so Shadow was certain that Sonic wouldn't feel constrained if he got together with her. After all, she loved him.
But that's Sonic's choice. Not mine.
'Shadow.'
He blinked and looked at Rouge as he came back to the present. 'What is it?'
'We should do something to help her.'
When he had called her earlier to meet him near the lake at Mystic Ruins, she had felt something was up. The ebony hedgehog had never asked her to meet him unless it was something too serious, especially if it was related to G.U.N. And sure enough, it was something serious.
Shadow, too, had been feeling an odd irritation at the back of his neck - a certain kind of energy that he wasn't too happy to feel. It was Chaos energy, and he knew it. What bothered him was how and from where it was coming. He had to talk to someone, and that someone had to be reliable and trustworthy. It had to be Rouge.
Now, after hearing the initial few minutes of explanation from her, he knew where the energy came from.
'Perhaps we should.' he said, more to himself than to her.
'We don't have much time.' There was a desperate tone to her voice, and her eyes had a look of worry in them.
'Time? I'm sure Sonic is doing his part as we-'
It was then that he felt it - the strong negative aura that he felt earlier course through his body. This time though, it was stronger. It made him tense up, and this was the reason why he had called Rouge. He had a feeling she would know, and she did.
'It's getting worse.' He muttered, and Rouge had to lean forward to hear what he had to say.
'What?'
'Rose is in danger. We have to stop it now.' And with that, he quickly took off into the night, not bothering to explain further to Rouge who gaped at him and shook her head. She then took off after him, unaware of what to expect.
-xxx-
Back in the city, Sonic ran at full speed. His heart was still hammering against his chest, and what was worse? He was running out of breath. He never ran out of his breath.
Ever.
This was a first. But he didn't have time to think over it. He had somewhere to be, and fast. He sighed in relief when he saw the hospital approach.
I'm coming, Amy!
-xxx-
Knuckles was quick to reach the top of Angel Island and he looked like he could pummel ten cats at once.
'Damn that canine brat!' he burst out when he saw that the island was uninhabited like always with no sign of that built cat from earlier, or that female one who had attacked Sonic.
Knuckles then ran toward the one thing that stands out the most on Angel Island - the Master Emerald Shrine. He had a close eye on his surroundings as he ran, ready for anyone or anything that could spring out from the dark forest that enveloped the island. He knew for sure that the cat was there on the island somewhere. He had seen him climb up. But before he could catch up to him, the cat had simply disappeared as though he had never been there. And that was what bothered him most.
Was this another form of distraction? Another set up to get what they really wanted by making him focus on something else? But what could be even more important on the island than the Master Emerald itself?
It then struck him like a flash of lightning.
The Chaos Emeralds!
After the war, the Chaos Emeralds had been entrusted to Knuckles; just like how the Master Emerald was entrusted to him many, many years ago. He had sworn to protect both the seven Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. Everyone relied on him to do so. And that was the reason why he didn't join Sonic, Tails, and Amy when they were out rebuilding. As much as he had wanted to help, he simply couldn't think of leaving the island unguarded in broad daylight when anyone could make an appearance to steal the giant mystical Emerald.
The Chaos Emeralds were kept in a hidden section of the shrine. It was deemed as the best location to keep the Emeralds - away from anyone who would use them for false intentions. That way, Knuckles would be able to guard them both easily without having to be at two places at once. And so he didn't want to fail at this duty.
He wouldn't.
As the red echidna guardian ran up the stairs leading up to the Emerald, he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Something was definitely distracting him; something was definitely wrong. He didn't know what it was, but he hoped so much that it wouldn't be something so bad for he was simply tired of letting everyone down with his foolishness.
How many times had he done it? How many times had he got fooled by Eggman so that he would act according to the Doctor's wishes and attack his friends? Mainly Sonic? He remembered how all those years ago before he first met Sonic, Eggman had tricked him into believing that Sonic was the enemy. It had led to a difficult start in their first meeting - with Knuckles constantly pulling tricks on him and Tails to a point where he even had to fight Sonic. But little did he know then that meeting the speedy blue hedgehog would lead to a life of adventure and heroism. It has been a life he had never thought he'd get. Up until then, he had always been lonely - always by himself with nothing much to do other than performing his duty as Guardian of the Master Emerald.
And although he never showed it, he always felt deeply disappointed in himself every time he got fooled. He never liked it since every time it happened, it had led to his friends doubting him. What he didn't like most was being a cause of pain to his friends; but, he was quick to overcome his feelings of guilt and anger by looking for a way to resolve the situation. And Sonic had always been kind enough to forgive him whenever he got tricked.
And so he had to do this right this time.
Once he reached the top of the shrine, he stared at the Master Emerald for a long moment, as if waiting for Tikal to talk to him, or brief him up on what took place while he was away. Although he felt glad to find the Emerald intact and unharmed, he still felt uneasy as a deep sense of foreboding settled in his mind.
Without any second thoughts, he quickly went towards the altar and started feeling on the brick base for that one loose brick behind which, in a box, were kept the seven Chaos Emeralds. When he placed his hand on a brick and gave it a push, it went in and he found that it was the one. He then carefully removed the brick and reached out into the opening to look for the box.
It was gone.
No...
He thrust his arm in deeper as it could go, desperately looking for the box, hoping that it was just kept somewhere deep inside, thinking that once he felt it, he would snap at Sonic for burying the box so deep inside the opening instead of placing it at a reachable location. But then he felt the tips of his hand touch the cold stone wall of the inner layer.
It was gone...
No!
He remained in that position - shocked and stunned into silence. He couldn't believe it.
Not this time...no!
They had been cautious when placing the Chaos Emeralds in there. They had made sure that no one was watching them. So how? How could those cats have known that it was being kept there? It didn't make any sense!
He let out an exasperated sigh as he slowly retrieved his hand from the opening.
Get the Emeralds, Knux!
We have to do this as quickly as possible. We need a Chaos Emerald!
Did he fail them? Again? What will happen to Amy now?
Frustrated, he brought his fist down hard on the stone floor with a growl.
-xxx-
Sonic sped into the ward with his eyes having a look of panic in them. Was he too late?
'Tails!?'
'Sonic!'
Tails ran forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. He had been scared, panicked, and worried the past few minutes ever since Amy had passed out. He had tried everything he could to get her back, but nothing seemed to help. His only hope now was for a miracle, and he hoped that the miracle would be through Sonic.
Sonic stared at Amy lying motionless on the hospital bed. His heart stopped beating hard against his chest and he knew he shouldn't give up. Not then. He patted Tails on the back reassuringly and made his way over to the delicate rose in silence. Tails followed and stood behind him next to the bed, his face a teary mess.
The blue hero of Mobius gently placed a hand on her cheek and rubbed his thumb against it softly. He searched her face desperately, looking for any sign of consciousness.
'Amy...?' he hoped that she would open her eyes at the sound of his voice, just like how she always did many years ago. He recalled how her face always brightened up every time she saw him. It had always secretly touched him, although he never showed it.
'Ames...' he said softly and then sighed when he knew she wasn't going to respond.
'S-she won't wake up now, Sonic...and her pulse is weak.' Tails mentioned as he tried not to cry again. Only he saw the pain Amy showed on her face earlier. She had clearly been in so much pain.
Sonic didn't respond as he sat down on the edge of the bed and brought her close to his chest. He held her tenderly in his arms like she was made of something so precious.
He frowned. What could he do? Knuckles was still yet to return with the Chaos Emeralds, and he had got to the ward as fast as he could.
As he held her close, he felt something stir inside him - a certain kind of energy. And it made him feel slightly exhausted, but at the same time, relieved. At that very moment, he felt Amy whimper ever so softly in his arms.
'Ames?'
She didn't respond but lay there. Tails inched closer when he heard the whimper, hope slowly rising up in his heart.
Sonic was confused. What did that mean? It wasn't an ordinary feeling that he had just felt. It was subtle yet strong enough to give Amy a little bit of consciousness. He could still feel the strong negative aura in her. The very same negative Chaos energy that he never liked.
Wait...Chaos energy...?
That was it. Chaos energy.
'Tails?' Sonic said with a hopeful look on his face.
'Yes, Sonic?'
'I think I know a way to wake her up.' he replied as he looked back at her.
Tails stared at him in awe. 'Wha-what way is it?'
Sonic then looked at him again. 'I could try giving her my Chaos energy, I'm pretty sure it could help cure her for now.'
Tails stared at him with wide eyes, and then responded, 'But Sonic, that won't be enough to cure her completely. Besides, your Chaos energy isn't that strong.' he then added, 'It could...wear you out.'
We have no choice, Tails! Sonic almost snapped but was able to calm himself down by taking a deep breath. 'It'll be okay, buddy. I've got this.' He looked at Tails, his eyes pleading. He wanted to do this. He didn't know how much longer Knuckles would take to arrive with the emeralds. He wanted to make use of the one option they had in the meantime.
Tails gave him a pained expression but then nodded. 'Okay, Sonic...'
Sonic gave him a grateful smile and then turned to look at Amy. She looked so fragile and weak, and he didn't want to see her like this anymore. And so he shut his eyes tightly to focus on channeling his positive Chaos energy into her, but before he could release even a small bit of it, the door to the ward instantly flew open, thereby breaking him off from his concentration to look at who had come.
Both Sonic and Tails stared with wide eyes at the two figures who stood at the door.
Shadow the hedgehog took off the inhibitor ring from his left wrist as he looked intently at Sonic.
'Leave Rose to me, faker.'
-xxx-
I am so very sorry for this huge, huge delay. I know I should be quicker at posting, and I promise I'll try from the next chapter onwards.
Anyway, how are you all? These are difficult times. I sure hope you all are staying safe and protected. Don't venture out too much. The virus is getting worse in my country and everyone is hoping it'll die down quickly.
In the meantime, I hope you guys keep yourself entertained with activities of all sorts. Stay home and stay safe. Oh, and if you've read this chapter, would you submit a review? It would be of great help ^w^
Thank you, and until next time, see ya!
