A/N: I'm really sorry about the wait! I've had a lot to do recently, but hopefully I'll have more coming soon.
:) Enjoy!
Sixth
I woke up and looked around me. It took a few customary blinks before I could recall where I was. I budged to sit up but felt heavy, then realised that Amy had her arms wrapped tightly around my torso. Leaning back onto the grass, I swirled my tongue around my teeth and absorbed the scenery. The sunlight was far brighter than I ever remembered it being and I wondered how I hadn't woken up earlier. A leaf fluttered to the ground, twirling in the wind currents around it, I picked it up and twirled it in my hands then let it fall to the ground beside me. The tree seemed indifferent without it.
I realised a moment later that I could be trapped here for quite some time. Amy didn't appear to be stirring so I stretched my legs out in the sunlight and began to play around with a few strands of Amy's hair. It was then that pieces of the night before flooded back to me and I realised why we had woken up on the grass field and why my head felt ten kilos heavier. There was a glass bottle about two metres ahead of us although I couldn't remember how it got there.
Unexpectedly, Amy began to stir and slowly opened her eyes before scrunching them shut again. She emitted a groan and rolled over, pressing her face between my side and the grass to hide from the sun above. Her hangover was most likely worse than mine, but that seemed valid. Every time I saw her last night she had a glass in her hand. She lifted her head slowly to look at me. Her eyes looked sore and red, as if she hadn't slept for weeks. She yawned and rubbed her forehead. I couldn't help but chuckle. For the ninetieth time in the last 24 hours, I swore never to drink again.
She tried sitting up and I supported her with my hand on her back. She seemed a little dizzy and it wouldn't help the situation to have vomit on my shoes. For a moment, it looked like she was using every ounce of effort to keep it all down, but then she adjusted herself.
"How'd we get out here?" she mumbled, blinking slowly.
"I don't have a clue," I said, standing up and offering her a hand. She stumbled so I picked her up and swung her arms around my shoulders. Carrying her on my back, I ran to her house.
One hour and two strong coffees later and we were both back to almost normal behaviour. We talked about what we could remember (which was nothing) and tried to sneak in an extra nap. It was around 12 o'clock when I finally left, still groaning about the intense headache that was lingering all day long.
"Uh, hey..." Amy called out just before I walked out the door. "Thanks for everything." She kissed me on the cheek and gave me a quick smile, out of character to her usual behaviour. Shaken by the sudden spurt of affection, I gave her a small smile and ran out the door.
*
When I arrived back home, I noticed three things. Firstly, there were four cars out the front, contrasting to the usual two. Secondly, Knuckles was passed out on our couch, surrounded by bottles and snoring like a chainsaw. Thirdly, one of the four cars was Shadow's. I was shocked, but concentrated on getting rid of Knuckles' snoring first.
I went into the kitchen and filled a bucket with water. Then, adding a few ice cubes, I carried it out to the lounge room. Knuckles had just readjusted his sleeping position. He was now snoring louder than ever so I did the only reasonable thing: I poured the water straight over his head.
For a split second I could've sworn he'd seen it coming. His eyes sprung open the moment the ice cold water contacted his deep red fur.
"Shiiiiiiiiiit!" he swore, sitting up. He was now covered in the water and I stood above him, bucket in my hands and smiling.
"Thought you might like a wake up call," I smirked. He jumped up in shock and looked at me with his dripping wet face with fury bursting through his skin.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" he shouted. I sprinted upstairs into my room, just inches away from his fists as he tore his way towards me. I ran into my room and crawled out the window onto a tree conveniently placed by it. Knuckles must've run right past because I could hear him shouting obscenities and searching around the house for a good ten minutes before he drove home. I was still roaring with laughter as I jumped down the tree.
When my feet hit the ground, I almost jumped in shock.
"Shads! What can I do for you this fine morning?" I said with restrained sarcasm. He gave me a trademark grunt and folded his arms.
"Is Amy alright?" he asked in a stern voice but I could see concern seeping through his scarlet eyes. It was difficult to explain, but the feeling was there.
"Why wouldn't she be? I take care of her." I leant back on the tree and popped an eye open to observe his reaction.
"There was a time when you didn't, faker," he spat. His eyes were almost glowing with rage but his body however, remained rigid. "And last time I saw her she didn't look okay."
"When-"
"Last night. I don't know if you noticed but she was drinking. I thought you had things under control." Losing my cool, I half yelled in response,
"I never said I was gonna be the perfect-"
"And yet you did nothing to prevent yourself from becoming so," he interrupted quickly. "I won't let you slip up like that again." His voice remained smooth. Folding his arms and snorting at my expression, he began to walk away.
"Look, I don't tell her how to live her life," I blurted out before I could stop myself. He turned around swiftly, his voice remained smooth but his gaze was severe.
"Keep making excuses faker, but the fact is that she was relying on you and you screwed up." The last two words were thick with disgust and he pronounced them slowly, making each letter burn through me. He saw the shock on my face before I could shake it away. His words cut through me like a spear, tearing away at any form of denial I held onto before. With one last grunt of disgust and a fierce stare, he disappeared.
I let her down that day.
I knew it.
We all knew it.
Shadow was just the only one who would say anything.
"Shit," I said to myself quietly, rubbing my forehead with my palm. I walked slowly back inside, the house silent as I moved upstairs. Without thinking about where I was going, I collapsed down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I closed my eyes, words and memories flicking through my head before I could stop them.
--
My legs were carrying me to the field, though I couldn't think why. I breathed in the fresh grass as I ran, sucking in the warm midday air as I went. The sun was glowing brightly above, creating a warm and refreshing heat. I soaked it in as much as possible. The sky was unusually clear with a light orange tint which gave everything around me a soft glow. This atmosphere was probably my imagination, but none the less, it left me in high spirits. I broke into a faster run, speeding between the trees and right past the lake.
When I reached my favourite spot however, I was not alone. I saw a small pink figure sitting under the tree, curled up with her face on her knees. Her hair hung over either side of her face, hiding her expression. At first I thought she was just resting her head but her shoulders suddenly moved up and down, making me much more curious. She looked up, her eyes were red and I realised she was crying.
"Amy!" I called, running over. She quickly put her head back down and pretended not to hear me. I called her name again but her head didn't move. Even as I sat beside her, her face remained on her knees. "What's wrong?" I muttered, pulling back a few strands of her hair to see her face.
"Leave me alone," she whispered, pushing my hand away and resting her head on her arms. I looked away, trying to avoid being intrusive. We both stared into the distance for a while and remained silent until I decided to try again.
"You can tell me, whatever it is Ames," I said quietly. She looked away and began to cry much harder.
"Please, just leave me alone Sonic," she muttered and stood to walk away.
--
I was outside Amy's door to visit her that evening like usual. This time however, I paced around at the door, thinking of a way to approach the way I had seen her before. I eventually decided to take things as they came and knocked three times. The door swung forward and had obviously been left open. I hesitated before slowly walking into the house, trying to remain unobtrusive. I heard a loud laugh from the lounge so I walked in.
The television was set on some kind of Japanese game show, with a small crowd cheering on a man crawling through a pile of hay. Around the TV was a strewn pile of magazines and papers, covering some of the floor and coffee table. The rest of the table was manned by empty glass bottles. Leaning on the bottom of the couch was Amy, another of the glass bottles in her hand, half full of a gold liquid. She did not stir as I walked in or when the loud claps of the television filled her small house. I ran over and tried to shake her awake.
"Amy... wake up, buddy." I turned her head to the side and checked her pulse. "Ames... c'mon, wake up," I begged. "Please..." Her body did not move.
--
I was in a white corridor with bright lights above me. It was a sterile looking building, with many others seated near me, looking scared or excited and sometimes a mix of the two. There were doctors and nurses in lab coats dashing past with folders and metal instruments that I didn't understand. I tried to sneak into the room but every time I did there would be a nurse telling me to wait outside and they were doing all they could.
After what seemed like an eternity later, a man who looked much older than the rest of the staff came to talk to me. I tried to listen, catching phrases like 'alcohol poisoning', 'medication' and 'stable condition' but the rest seemed jumbled up to me. I couldn't think clearly. I just wanted to know if she was alright and see her and hold her again. I wanted to tell her whatever happened would be alright.
The doctor led me into a room where tubes were linked to Amy's arms and stomach. It looked unnatural to the girl I was used to seeing. Amy was so strong, she shouldn't be in a hospital relying on machines to keep her going; it seemed wrong. She was asleep, just like when I found her, but this time it was much more peaceful. I slumped into the chair beside her bed, wondering just what got her in there in the first place.
*
I sat up from my bed, thinking over those three moments over and over again. Shadow's words made sense, but who was I to tell her what to do? After seeing her so close to death, I could never consider what I would do if anything happened to her under my watch again. I stood up quickly, realising that if I was ever forgive myself for what happened to Amy, I would have to follow through with my word. I quickly ran back to the bed, picked up my phone and ran out the door.