Chapter 8


NEWS!

In case you guys got confused, I have changed my earlier user name from Rick Benn to Ivory Apple. I have been using the former one for a very long time, and so I decided a change will do wonders!

I won't change my user name again in the near future, so don't worry :)

Also, thank you for your reviews gatorgirl123 and roccodannysol! You guys have made me want to post this chapter quicker than I had intended. ^_^


Amy couldn't tell what was happening, but she knew it was something serious. She could hear muffled voices around her - voices that expressed panic, confusion, and fear; and she vaguely made out whom they belonged to.

Her ear twitched slightly. Is that...Shadow?

She was not entirely awake, but she knew it would be long before she could open her eyes since the pain that was within her was still so excruciating. She didn't know how long it would last, but she had to endure for deep inside, she had faith - faith that she would be all alright.

Faith - what a wonderful word. It was faith that had helped her get through the past few months, faith that woke her up each day looking forward to another day at work and visiting families, faith that made her look up at the sky and listen to a soft whisper telling her that everything was going to be okay. And so she knew - she knew it would be just fine, and that she would be healthy again, and visiting families again. Faith always remained in the end.

Amy then felt strong hands lift her up to a seated position. She let out a soft, painful whimper at that.

'Amy!' she heard her blue hero arrive at her side instantly.

Sonic...?

'Sonic, step back! I know what I'm doing.' It was Shadow, and never before had Amy heard him sound so determined ever since that day he had agreed to fight the Bio Lizard with Sonic all those years ago. In a moment, she felt his hands on her arms heat up, and she could feel a strong flow of energy engulf her. Her pain, which had been so strong and unbearable in the past one hour, was slowly disappearing. It was no longer as painful as she had experienced earlier. It was as if it was working its way through her body starting from her stomach up to her heart. She felt the warmth, and she could feel her strength slowly returning back to her. Her tense shoulders relaxed, and her body began to ease more into the warmth.

Soon, the pain was gone, and she fell back into slumber.

- xxx -

'Nnngh!' Shadow let out a pained groan as he let go of her roughly and staggered back. Rouge was quick to catch him before he fell while Sonic caught Amy and lay her back down on the bed gently.

'Shadow!' Sonic heard Rouge cry out from behind him.

The blue hero, stunned beyond words over what had just occurred, turned and stared at him wide-eyed while Tails quickly went over to help Rouge seat Shadow on a chair in the room.

Shadow…

Sonic couldn't believe what he had just seen, but he wasn't entirely surprised by it all. The blue hero had always known Shadow to be a strong hedgehog capable of handling extreme forms of chaos energy all at once. He had seen it with his own eyes while they were fighting the Death Egg and had even heard from Rouge how he had once overpowered hundreds of Mephiles' clones using his chaos energy alone. Shadow had always been able to harness extreme forms of chaos energy - both positive and negative, and this was one of the many gifts of the dark hedgehog that amazed Sonic from the time they had first met many years ago. Ever since that fateful encounter back in Station Square, Sonic knew that Shadow wasn't anything less than extraordinary. His superhuman strength, speed, and chaos powers had always proved to be of value whenever he chose to assist Sonic and his friends.

But now, here he was...tired beyond measure, seated on a chair with his head held in his hands, panting and gasping for air as tiny droplets of sweat appeared on his forehead. Shadow - a once renowned hero of the world - was now vulnerable. Sonic had never seen him that way before, but then he recalled Rouge telling him about it once after the incident with Mephiles:

He could barely stand up. It had been too much for him...

And as Sonic stood there staring at him, Tails turned to look at him, his eyes full of worry and concern. They locked eyes, and Sonic knew what the young two-tail was thinking at that very moment.

If it had been you, Sonic...would you have made it?

Would he have made it? He was never so great at harnessing chaos energy like Shadow. If Sonic had been the one to provide even a feeble amount of chaos energy to Amy, he would have passed out...or worse, he would have never seen the light of day again. But yet, he knew he would have gone through the ordeal knowing that it would help save her. But the thought still stuck on his mind:

Am I not strong enough…?

Wasn't he? Was he not strong enough? Truth is, he is strong - stronger now than he had ever been. Ever since he was little, the blue hero had always been learning from the adults around him, knowing what was good and bad, asking curious questions, reading books, and most importantly, running. Sonic knew even back then that there was only so much he could do. After all, he was just a hedgehog - an immensely gifted hedgehog who was ready to lay down his life for his friends and loved ones since his first adventure many years ago when he was just a little hedgehog. But sometimes, he knew he needed help, and he knew that there was no shame in asking for it.

'Thank you, Shadow'. He said softly, almost to himself, and looked at the seated ebony hedgehog.

As though he heard it, Shadow looked up at him wearily, and the blue hero gave him a smile - a sincere, genuine smile, unlike the ones he had given him in the past. Shadow huffed and looked away, but even he couldn't hide the tiny trace of a smile that formed on his lips. He was glad that it worked even though he needed time to gather up his energy again.

Sonic then turned to look at Amy, and he couldn't help but feel his heart leap at her sight. She was no longer looking pale, but instead, she seemed to have come back to her normal self again. This time, she was breathing peacefully, and he could feel the strong positive chaos energy around her as she slept.

She was okay. For now.

- xxx -

Knuckles searched around the shrine, trying to look for any traces of those canines. He knew he had to find a clue, no matter how small, in order to have a lead on those thieves who stole the emeralds. He didn't want to let his friends down, and he certainly didn't want to let Sonic down. He had seen the look on his face when Tails had called to tell him about Amy - it was a look he would never forget. Only Sonic knew how much curing Amy mattered to him. Not that the pink hedgehog never mattered to Knuckles, but it was only Sonic who had ever been so close to her, second only to Tails.

Come on...

He wished that it was daytime, but of course, the canines wouldn't have done something like this during the day. And as he tried so hard to look for clues, he got the feeling that he wasn't going to get anything done like this. He needed help, and he had to tell the others what had happened, but how would he explain it? Who were those canines? Where did they come from? And what did they want with those emeralds? He knew that they belonged to the revolting group that wanted Eggman released, but he never thought they would go so far as to figure out a way to put both him and Sonic down. They were clever and had clearly been scheming for long in order to have pulled it off.

Knuckles let out an exasperated sigh as he stopped the search. He then turned to look at the massive emerald before him. It glowed brilliantly like it always did during the night, and he noticed that there were only a couple of hours left until daybreak. As he stood there, he wished Tikal would speak to him. He needed comfort, assurance, and someone telling him that it was going to be okay. He wanted to know what he had to do, and he knew that given the opportunity, he would try his best to set things right. He had to, and he would.

And as he stood there, gazing at the emerald, he got reminded of the past - of the countless times he had gotten tricked by Eggman, causing him to be looked down upon by the team. Deep inside, he always felt they never took him seriously. He felt there was a part of him that they didn't trust, and yet, they still entrusted the seven chaos emeralds to him, hoping that he would keep them safe...but he couldn't. Often times, he had wondered why they did trust him after everything he had done. Was it because he was forgiven? But yet...

He remembered the words Sonic had told him months ago when he and Tails had come to the island to hand over the emeralds. Knuckles had asked Sonic why he was choosing to do so even after all that took place between them in the past.

Let's keep looking ahead, Knux. The past has already happened, and I'm not going to let what happened then change what I think about you now.

The smile Sonic had given him after he had said that was a genuine one. It was a smile he got often, and so he had known then that it wasn't a joke. And he almost heard what Sonic had implied when he'd said that:

I trust you, Knuckles.

He lowered his head in shame as deep sorrow engulfed his heart. I'm so sorry...

- xxx -

Sonic was seated on a bench on the open terrace of the hospital, lost in his own thoughts as the cool breeze from earlier blew gently. He had decided to come up when Shadow had told him and Tails he was going to leave. Rouge had decided to go with him since she wanted to check on Knuckles. He wanted to thank them, especially Shadow, and so he had come up to the terrace with them.

It still amazed him how his former rival had decided to step in and help. He knew that Shadow was slowly changing from who he used to be since they first met back at Station Square. He recalled all those bygone days when they had argued and fought countless times, but more than anything, the blue hero had never been against Shadow. He had been so thankful when Shadow had agreed to help fight the Bio-lizard and save the world many years ago, and when he had disappeared after that, Sonic had tried his best to mask his grief when he was in the presence of his friends. It had broken his heart then that someone had to pay with their life in order to save millions. It had been a great sacrifice, and Sonic respected it deeply. He was on the road to recovery over what had happened, knowing that he would never see him again, and that was when he had encountered the ebony hedgehog in Frog Forest.

Sonic had shaken hands with Shadow while they were on the terrace. He had smiled at him again, feeling so grateful. Deep inside, he had even wanted to give him a hug, but he knew what that would lead to, and so he had decided to stick with a formal handshake. He was thankful that they always put their differences aside at times like these. Sonic always believed that there was still good in Shadow. He knew he wasn't entirely selfish. If he was, would he have saved millions of lives years ago? Or even the life of someone he hardly knew?

'Hold tight, Sonic.' Shadow had said before he performed chaos control with Rouge and vanished, leaving Sonic alone on the terrace with the chill nightly breeze.

The blue hero sighed and rested his hands under his chin as he looked out into the city which was now completely dark, save for a few lights in some buildings. He had always wondered how some rose early in the morning. He found it hard to do so himself since he was never a morning person. He liked to sleep for long hours, but that didn't mean he slept through his daytime. Whenever he stayed over at Tails' home, he almost always woke up to find that his little brother had already left for his daily classes. It had often made him feel a tad guilty, and he had told himself that he would wake up more early, but he never did.

As he sat there, he realized that this was the first time since the war that he stayed up. He knew that all the other Mobians who woke up early had many things planned. They had places to go, people to meet, and things to do. It reminded him of all those times when he, too, was up early fighting for the lives and freedom of many. He had a purpose back then, and many had relied on him. He thought of Amy, and he knew she relied on him, too. He had seen the look in her eyes when she had seen him there earlier for the first time - they were full of hope and joy. He had wanted to embrace her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, he wanted to...

He once again shook his head from his thoughts, horrified. This was the second time he was having such thoughts toward Amy, and it still stunned him that he felt that way. He couldn't place a finger on any other day he could have possibly felt the same way as he did since he met her at her doorstep.

At her doorstep...

He looked up at the night sky sprinkled with stars. Dawn was close to approaching in a couple of hours' time, and he sighed softly. He wanted to admit that it was since he saw her for the first time in a month that he started feeling the way he did. Was it because of the month-long break? He saw a picture in his mind of how she had looked when he saw her - with her sparkling jade orbs and slender pink quills; and her smile...a smile he didn't deserve, and yet it was still there. A smile just for him.

He closed his eyes as a small smile formed on his lips. How he loved her smile. He wondered if he would get to see it again, and deep inside, he knew he would. He was slowly starting to accept his growing feelings for Amy Rose.

Feeling content and hopeful, he opened his eyes then and yawned. It had been hours since his afternoon nap and he hadn't been able to sleep. He had forced himself to stay awake for Amy and had refused to sleep. He had considered having some coffee to stay awake for longer, but the only vending machine on the floor Amy was in wasn't working, which meant that he had to stay up on his own.

When he stood up to go back to Amy and Tails, he got reminded of Knuckles. He was taking too long to get back. Concerned and worried, he decided to call him from the communicator. It rang for a long time, and this made Sonic feel worried even more. He knew what he was doing when he had decided to let Knuckles get the emeralds. Knuckles was strong and capable of doing a task like that on his own. He trusted him. After all, he was a powerful fighter. So then where was he...?

The call got cut and Sonic received a message. "I'm on my way". He stared at that message for a long while. Something didn't feel right about it, but he figured it was because Knuckles was probably gliding. Sonic hoped he had the emeralds with him. It was their only way of curing Amy. What could possibly go wrong? They had taken care while they had hidden them on the altar, but yet, he was feeling uneasy...

He sighed and wanted to hold onto hope.

Hope...

He then looked up and sped down towards the ward Amy was in.

-xxx-

Amy was seated upright with a teary-eyed Tails beside her. She had wondered what was wrong when she had seen him crying with his head on his arms when she woke up a few minutes after Sonic had left with Shadow and Rouge. It broke her heart to see the young fox that way, and she almost felt like crying too.

'Tails, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me.' she said as she stroked his little head with her hand, trying to comfort him.

'A-Amy...' Tails croaked before a fresh flow of tears left his eyes. She sighed sadly and pulled him in for a hug, kissing his head softly.

She was feeling much better now than she did since she arrived at the hospital. It was almost like the pain was never there, but she still felt fatigued due to lack of proper sleep. She gently tried moving her legs and was more than happy when they moved painlessly. She wanted to tell Sonic, but he was nowhere to be seen.

'Amy?' Tails lifted his head and looked at her sadly.

'Yes, Tails?' she asked gently with a smile.

'H-how do you feel now?' he asked slowly.

'I feel much better now than I did since I got here, Tails.' she replied gleefully, much to the young fox's relief.

Tails then pulled away from her hug gently to fetch his bio-scanner. He turned on the device and was amazed at the readings. The numbers were stable for the first time and it made his heart leap with hope. He knew then that the cure was confirmed. It was positive chaos energy, but he knew that they couldn't rely on Shadow or Sonic for it all the time. They had to have at least one chaos emerald to fully cure her. He hoped Knuckles would arrive soon. Sonic had filled him in with what had happened, and he trusted the echidna guardian to be strong enough to fend off those cats. He always was.

'Tails, what's wrong with me?'

The gentle voice broke off his thoughts and he looked at Amy. She had concern written on her face. She was still yet to know what was wrong with her. Tails wondered if he wanted to leave the explanation to Sonic, but he hesitated, wondering if his blue hero-cum-brother would be able to do so considering how worried he was about her.

As Tails looked at Amy, he knew he had to say something. She had been a dear friend to him throughout the years, and he had been more than amazed just like everybody else when she had started changing into a more mature female hedgehog from the one who used to get angry when he had tried to distract her from Sonic in the past. He saw her like he would an elder sister if he had one, and so he had always enjoyed staying in touch with her when no one else did. Little did the young fox know of how much those calls meant to Amy. Tails decided that Amy deserved to know what was happening to her. And so, after taking a deep breath and letting it out, he started telling her everything.

-xxx-

Knuckles glided slowly in the air above Emerald city. He could see Memorial Hospital in the far distance close to the shore. It was a hospital that was dedicated to a famous turtle who had sacrificed his life once to save those dear to him. Back then, it had touched the public deeply, and many had decided to name the newly built hospital after him. Knuckles often wondered if a building would be named after Sonic someday, but he didn't want his friendly nemesis sacrificing his life; however, he knew that was what a hero did when there was no other choice left. He recalled that one time when Shadow had nearly sacrificed his life. He hadn't known what to think about it back then, and he had never been on great terms with the ebony hedgehog. After he saw him in Frog Forest a year or so later, he hadn't been so surprised that he had survived, but he had still joked about it with Sonic and Tails later on.

Knuckles often wondered what it meant to be a true hero. In his mind, it would be someone who was smart, loyal, and trustworthy. Even though Sonic wasn't the smartest Mobian, he fitted every other aspect of a hero perfectly. He always admired that about him secretly and believed that Sonic would do so much more for his friends than he already has in the days and years to come. Meeting Sonic and Tails was one of the best things that have ever happened to him, and he always looked back on that day with gratitude. He loved fighting alongside him and for his friends. Like Sonic, he didn't want anything happening to those whom he loved and cared for, especially Amy, even though he was never as close to her as Sonic and Tails were.

Knuckles sighed. He wondered what he was about to say to Sonic and Tails. He knew he was going to let them down again. He wondered if he would be kicked out, disowned, or even forgotten. He had found his place in their team ever since they met back on Angel Island all those years ago, and despite his many faults, they still chose to forgive him...but would they do it again at such a crucial time as this?

When Sonic had called earlier, he was still on Angel Island, preparing to leave once again. He had been staring at the Master Emerald, asking for direction on what to do and say once he saw them. He didn't hear anything back as he had hoped, and that was when his communicator had started ringing. He couldn't bring himself to answer it. What would he say to Sonic? That he didn't have the emeralds with him? That he failed them yet another time? He had decided then he would stay quiet and send him a text instead.

As the guardian glided in the air above the city, he was too tired and upset to think any further. He wanted Rouge by his side. Where was she when he needed her most? He then shook his head. He had been doing well even before she came into his life, and so he decided to remain strong.

He braced himself for what was about to come.

-xxx-

Sonic walked into the ward to find Amy and Tails deep in conversation. They looked up when they saw him enter, and Sonic saw Amy's eyes well up with tears. Tails gave him a sad glance before looking away with his head lowered. It didn't take long for him to realize what had happened.

The blue hero then walked over to the bed, not taking his eyes off the delicate pink rose and former teammate who was beginning to have an effect on him ever since he had laid his eyes on her at her doorstep hours earlier; the female who was starting to make his heart race every time he looked at her. He saw the tears fall down her muzzle as she lifted her hands to wipe them away. He saw her shake lightly as she cried, and he knew that if Tails weren't there with them, he would have pulled her close in for an embrace and kissed her tears away. He wouldn't have felt embarrassed to do so. He would have done it to comfort her. His heart ached for her and he wanted to tell her that it was all going to be okay, but he didn't want to give her any false hope. They were still yet to have the emeralds, and yet to see if they would work, although he had a strong feeling they would. They had the power of chaos after all.

Sonic sat down gently on the edge of the bed and remained silent as he watched her. He let her cry it out, and he turned to look at Tails who looked like he was about to cry himself. He appreciated his brother's courage. He knew Amy had to know what was happening sooner rather than later, but he had doubted being able to do it himself. He had been shocked when he saw her collapse earlier, and he had seen the fear in her eyes. He had wondered even then if he would have to wait until they found a cure to tell her. After all, she would have had hope then, and so would they, but he knew that Tails had made the right choice to tell her now.

Sonic gave him a proud smile. It was the same smile that had left Tails in awe when he had first met Sonic all those years ago on West Side Island, and also what had sparked their friendship. When he saw that, Tails smiled hopefully with tear-filled eyes, and it broke the blue hero's heart. There was too much pain, too much sadness, but there was always hope. There was always a reason to hope. He had to stay strong for his loved ones.

Sonic took a deep, shaky breath and he placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. She looked up at him with her tear-streaked face as she cried. She had hoped the pain would have been something small, something that could have been taken care of with a few medications, but she was wrong. She wished now more than ever that she had paid attention to her pain when it had first appeared months ago. If she had, then maybe she wouldn't have had to worry Sonic and Tails as much. She cried again when she saw the look in her handsome hero's eyes. They were full of hope...and love. It broke her heart that he had to see her like this. She had been crying since she first arrived at the hospital and she doubted if she had ever cried as much before. She didn't want them worrying about her, but she was all the more grateful that they chose to stay with her through this ordeal. She had no idea how long it would take to get cured, but she had seen the hope Tails' eyes held when he had mentioned the chaos emeralds. Was that her only hope...? If so, she wanted to hold on to it.

She lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly, trying to control her steady flow of tears. Help me, God...

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking her tears away.

God...?

She didn't know how or why, but she felt a feeling of warmth flow through her. She felt her heart flutter lightly within her chest, and her chest rose with hope. She felt strengthened and determined. It was then that she made up her mind. She wasn't going to let this stop her. She wasn't going to let the pain get the better of her. She might have to experience excruciating pain over the next few days, but she knew she had to stay strong. She was going to get through this, and she wasn't alone. She had her friends with her. She had the doctor and nurses who would take care of her for as long as she stayed at the hospital. Most importantly, she now had God.

Amy Rose looked up with resolve at Sonic and Tails, who both blinked in surprise.

'I'm going to fight this.'

That was all she had to say for Tails to burst out crying with joy and hug her tightly, as the blue hero of Mobius stared at her in silent awe and wonder.

-xxx-

Rouge arrived on Angel Island after saying goodbye to Shadow. She was surprised to see that Knuckles wasn't there. She wondered where he was since she was there when Sonic had told Tails what had happened on their way to Angel Island. She had been worried, and she had wanted to call him then and there, but she felt it would be best to ask him in person. She trusted that he would make it out alright. He was always a strong echidna.

She landed gracefully in front of the giant mystical emerald and gazed up at it. She smiled. How often had she tried to steal the massive emerald in the past? Ever since she was young, she had always been fascinated by jewels of all sorts. She loved the way they glowed even in the dark, and also the fact that they came in many shapes and sizes. She had always hoped to have as much jewelry as she could, but over the years, she had stopped coveting them as much. She knew that they were only temporary, and the war had made her realize that there were far more things that mattered more than jewels.

Every time she thought back to her old ways, she couldn't help but chuckle. Her craze for valuable items had caused her to even consider stealing. She remembered that her first encounter with Knuckles was on a day she had decided to take the Master Emerald. Back then, she had been in awe of the giant emerald. She had wanted to have it all to herself, and she had been much too frustrated when there was someone to oppose her, but she had been fascinated by the fact that Knuckles wanted to protect it with all his strength and might. She had been jealous, and her weakness would have caused her to fall into hot lava during a later encounter if it hadn't been for Knuckles who had rescued her.

She blushed lightly even now at the thought of that day. They had gazed into each other's eyes, and she had been so captivated... She knew then that he wasn't all too bad as she had initially thought. Their later encounters had helped her understand and know him better, especially since the Resistance, but she had started developing feelings for the strong guardian way before that.

As Rouge stared up at the Master Emerald, she knew that the old her would have taken this opportunity to steal it, but this new her didn't feel that way anymore. She knew Knuckles trusted her now, and she knew he loved her. With a sigh, she turned her back on the emerald and sat down on the steps, waiting for Knuckles to come back so she could surprise him with the wait.

-xxx-

Knuckles arrived at the hospital with a troubled heart. He had never felt so nervous before. He was always known to be brave; well, at least that was what he thought of himself. He had gotten three missed calls while on his way to the hospital - two from Sonic and one from Tails. He had wanted to answer them, but he felt it would be better if he told them in person, and so here he was, standing in front of the hospital building. With a heavy sigh, he walked in.

The hospital was now empty and some of the rooms and hallways were dark still, but he noticed a few staff belonging to the early morning shift arriving promptly for their day's work. He then realized that he hadn't slept at all the entire night. He rubbed his eyes since he was starting to feel drowsy after the realization. He saw a vending machine on his way upstairs to Amy's ward, but he didn't have the stomach for coffee since he was still bothered about what was about to come.

He wondered how he would face Sonic. He wondered what he would say to him. He still remembered Sonic's expression when he had first stepped into the ward to see Amy a few hours ago. It had been one of anxiety mixed with fear. It hurt Knuckles to think about what losing the emeralds would mean for the blue hero. Sonic was always someone he had often fought or argued with in the past, especially if Knuckles got fooled by Dr. Eggman. He had always been embarrassed every time it happened, and as much as he had tried to hide it, Sonic was always able to spot it and tease him. But would his friend react the same way for this time as well? Would he let it slide and tease him?

He sighed and saw that the ward was only a few steps away. He was starting to have second thoughts, but he shook his head and knew he had to tell them. They were his friends. He was doing this for them, and for Amy. He didn't want to shy away now, not when the damage has already been done. They would work it out together. Sonic was never one to give up, especially when a friend's life was on the line.

And so, with a sigh of hope, he stepped over to the ward, opened the door, and saw the three familiar faces turn to look at him.

All he had to do now was let the words flow.


Thank you for reading guys :)
I am sorry for the long delay. I know I should have posted much sooner. I'm so very sorry...

For those of you who have been reading since I first posted, thank you for being patient. I appreciate it very much. As promised, I will complete this story ^^

Until next time, see you, and take care!