---

Oh come ye back
My own true love
And stay a while with me
If I had a friend
All on this earth
You've been a friend to me

-Sonic.

--

Hello, hello, hello! And isn't it great to be back amongst the community of fanfiction dot net! I am sorry that the update took so long- but it's up now, and according to the editing of Liz, It's good! And now to respond to my reviews...

Azul Girl: Well, I do have nobody the platypus and everyone the cat, but they're barely used- just one-sentence references for humor. And then there's voice- who the only thing I know about his appearance is that he is purple and has wings of cabbage. He stars in 'Title is currently vacationing in Italy' Otherwise, no.

Isu: Oh, it's not so bad being a deranged and sick-minded monster! Trust me, I know from experience!

Speed-fox: Joy! Maybe you have a few stories you'd like to recommend for my C2?

White Lightning: The ideas are products of a combination of caffeine, literature, general insanity, and poor eating habits. Just thought you'd like to know.

Sonic had spent seven damned days in this forsaken place.

He had gotten better. He could talk now, barely. His voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, he couldn't manage anything else, and he still could not make half of the sounds and words that he wanted to. Sonic could not be heard unless he was listened to, however. And in his case, that was never done.

The therapy was hard and cruel- but it was not as bad as meal times, where the food was forced down his throat if he would not eat it willingly. He refused to let them put needles in his wrists. He tried to not let them feed him at all, but in his weakened state it was no use. So, according to the prementioned, he was not as thin as he had been a week ago, but his ribs were still easy to count and you could almost see the bones beneath his skin.

His muscles had basically deteriorated themselves from their original, healthy state. Even if he could learn to stand up and keep his balance, he would never run fast again... He sobbed bitterly, shaking his head to force back tears.

"Why does it have to hurt?" He questioned into the blackness before him. The hedgehog stiffened in anticipation, and sighed, feeling quite silly. Of course the darkness would never respond to him. Why should it? He wasn't worth anything, now that he couldn't run. That was the only thing he was good at. And now it was gone.

Sonic took a deep breath as he stared at the dark ceiling. He sighed. He could finally talk again, and there was no one to talk to. He wished that the darkness were alive- that he could talk to it. Maybe he could convince it to kill him. Surely it would understand, wouldn't it? He had spent too many days lying beneath the darkness, whispering out questions that were never answered. He breathed in again, finding that it was harder this time. They said his lungs had been damaged slightly, from the water, and then the smoke of the fire.

The fire... Sonic couldn't believe his misfortune. For a few days there, he had lost himself. For a few days, maybe he had been crazy, and he deserved to be here... Those days were fuzzy, partially blank, painful, and his thoughts had made little or no sense. The tests, the silly requests the therapist made- they didn't make sense anymore. Sonic could no longer read the letters or any of the other tasks he was assigned, so he stopped trying. He could still remember the nightmares, though. However, to his relief, the dream with Amy and the knife never came again.

Half of his fur was gone- almost all of the quills on his head and one of the quills on his back. All the fur on his right leg- gone up to the knee; and patches of either burnt or destroyed fur were scattered along his body. He had been quite lucky, they had said. He only got two one-degree burns, and most of his fur might grow back within the next three months. Sonic scoffed. He didn't feel lucky.

With difficulty, he rolled over, because the side he had been sleeping on was now sore. It seemed that he couldn't lie in one position for more than eight minutes, and every time he woke up he was stiff and his limbs ached- unable to stretch because of the handcuffs.

He sobbed bitterly. How, what could he possibly do, to deserve this? He wished them all dead. The staff for how they treated him, Mr. Phillips for abandoning him, even his friends for not visiting him, even if they had been turned down the first time it didn't mean they could just leave him here like that.

"Why don't you just let me go?" He whispered into the dark, struggling with the 'j' sound. "Just let me die?" He asked. As usual, he received no answer. He rolled onto his other side, ignoring how difficult and exhausting it was, and stared blankly at the door, although it was difficult due to the darkness of the room.

There was something different about today. Sonic could feel it. He felt tired, as if he wanted to sleep. Sonic never wanted to sleep. He would have nightmares. But now... he wanted to. He tried to relax, when suddenly he knew what was happening.

A grin slowly spread across his face, and he rested his head on the ground. He was dying. He smiled lightly, and gave no notice to the tears that fell down his face. Finally. He could just feel it, by how distant and lost he felt. He wondered what it would be like. It didn't matter; this hell would finally be over. He smiled, and laughed quietly to himself, tears still streaming down his face.

Amy burst through the doors of the mental institution, running down the white, tiled halls as fast as she could, ignoring the protests of the staff and the burning of her lungs from running so much. As she neared a turn, one of the doctors grabbed her arm and held her back, glaring down at her through their thick-rimmed glasses.

"Miss, you are not permitted to-"

"Where's Sonic?" Amy demanded, snapping at the doctor. The elderly man flinched, but otherwise kept his demeanor.

"Sonic is not permitted to have visitors at this ti-"

Amy got out her hammer, threw the doctor to the ground, and raised the weapon threateningly.

"Where's Sonic."

He stared up at her, terrified.

"Th-Three rooms to your left."

Amy immediately ran down the hall to her left, screeching to a halt as she reached the third room. She pulled on the handle of the steel door- but when it did not move, she grew angry. She forcefully ripped the lock from the wall- the metal bar used to keep the door shut was simply torn from the drywall: Who knows if Amy used chaos energy to do this or if the thought of Sonic lying alone, in pain, simply drew her on.

The door opened.

Sonic sighed, and prepared for whatever may come next, but was literally torn away from the thoughts he had in the last few minutes as the door to his cell was flung open and something unbelievable stood before him. At first, he could not- no matter how he tried- how could not comprehend nor contain the joy that flooded into him. If he had been able, he would have sprang to his feet and ran into her arms- but then he remembered, and his heart- or whatever you may want to call the center of one's emotion- soul, being, or the prementioned heart, was shattered to fragments.

"No." He moaned weakly, burying his head in his elbow.

Amy. She was back. And he was dying. Dying because he had made himself die. The one time- the one, single, final time he had gotten any form of release- and she wasn't dead. He was going to be alone again. He sobbed- loudly, angrily, longingly, and repeatedly disbelieved.

She wasn't dead. She had never been dead. He did all of that- all of those horrible, painful things he had done- and she wasn't dead? All of this and she wasn't dead? How? How could this- why could this happen to him? His sobs were forced to come to a close- he simply didn't have the strength.

Amy was absolutely silent and unmoving. Sonic had no idea why. Maybe she was shocked an appalled that he had let this happen to himself. Maybe she was mad at him. She had the right to be. A few moments passed, all the while Sonic too ashamed to look up at her.

Those moments of silence did not last long.

Amy ran to Sonic, seized him in her arms and wept furiously, hugging him tightly to her and stroking his quills. She took off the horrid, restraining hand and ankle cuffs, gently rubbing the irritated joints and finally once again squeezing him tightly into a secure, protective hug.

"How? How could anyone do this to you? How could I of let this happen to you? ...It's entirely my fault..." Amy wept, petting his quills with her free hand, which had also gently tilted Sonic's head against her shoulder. The blue hedgehog cried. It wasn't her fault. It was his fault. And now Amy would have to feel the hurt that he went through when she died. All because of him.

If he had just stayed in his room- if he had just resisted the temptations- then none of this would have happened. He still would have been taken away, to this place, but he would not had to of put up with the painful therapy. He would be able to run, and to speak. And possibly, he would not be crying so hard within Amy's arms. Perhaps he would not be dying.

At first Amy continued to stroke his quills, but she soon stopped, and looked down to his forearms, thinking she had seen something odd. Sonic's eyes widened, noticing her shock, and he pulled his arm to his side. Amy stared at him strangely, and gently took a hold of his arm, pulling it into view. Sonic, ashamed, bowed his head, and Amy gasped at what she saw...

Numerous wounds and scars ran across his wrists. Amy's eyes watered, and she held Sonic even tighter, gently rocking him back and forth, to calm him.

"...Why? Did it hurt... that much? When did you do this?" She asked quietly. Sonic stared to the ground, and partially ignored the subject.

"In the three days after you left..." He muttered. Amy opened her mouth, about to speak, when he interrupted her. "...I'm dying." He muttered weakly to himself, more to verify it, make it easier to bear, then to inform Amy. It served both priorities, though, and her response was not at all pleasant.

"No! No, Sonic, NO! Don't talk like that- don't ever say that- ...no." Amy's voice was reduced to mumbling, and Sonic could barely breathe, the way she was holding him so tightly.

The pink hedgehog's voice was once again coherent, and her words conveyed very precise meaning.

"Sonic, no, I'm here. I'll never let you hurt again. Never." Amy whispered, easing her grip a little. The blue hedgehog wept shakily.

"You kn-now you c- ...an't promise that." He muttered, struggling with the 'kn' and 'c' sounds. Amy stared down at him, eyes watering.

"Why not?"

"I'm hurting now." He whispered, unable to do anything else. He shuddered, and pressed into her. Realization struck Amy, and even though she refused to believe it, she knew it was true.

Sonic would always hurt. He was trapped. The greatest things in the world had been taken away from him and could never be given back. If he lived, he would spend day to day staring out a window and wishing he could run, while he wasted away on the inside, despite any amount of love Amy could give him.

Sonic's thoughts were similar. What had he thought, that Amy could magically save him from the very fate he had planted himself into? He had made the wrong choices and been too weak to resist temptation, and now he would suffer the consequences.

The blue hedgehog's breathing shook threateningly, and for a second he coughed and struggled, resting back into a normal cycle of breathing after a while. Amy, with tear-filled eyes, reached down and stroked the little amount of fur still remaining on his face.

"Please don't go. Please, Sonic. I'll find a way. I will." She whispered, lying to herself and to him, begging for him to believe her. Sonic sighed, and nestled comfortably into her arms, trying to relax.

"I'm sorry... Forgive me." He moaned, feeling his voice waver. Amy shook her head, wordless. "I... "

An oppressive silence filled the room. Sonic's breathing had come to a sickening halt. Amy could no longer feel his pulse beneath her fingers. She could no longer feel his breath against her neck.

"No." she mouthed silently. "...No."

The pink hedgehog didn't notice when the hospital staff burst into the room. She didn't notice when they took Sonic from her arms. She didn't even notice how long she had sat there, staring with tearful eyes at the ground, until a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up, and saw a man with large glasses and thick, curly brown hair. The pink hedgehog, confused, stood upright, awaiting some form of explanation. The man had solemn and downcast eyes- Sonic's death was obviously grievous on his account as well.

"Hello, Amy. I am- ...was Sonic's psychiatrist... he- ... " Mr. Phillips (yeah, he's back:)) said quietly, trailing off as he ran out of words. "...He really loved you. He though about you every day- I know he did." He said. It was true that Phillips got to know Sonic fairly well during the time he was a patient at the hospital. The doctor himself had been on his way here to attempt stopping the torture they were putting him through. But it had ended in vain. He had arrived too late. "He... he missed you, Amy." The psychiatrist's tone grew stern. "But he's free now. He's free from the restraints he put on himself. Something no amount of therapy- or love- could have ever done..."

Amy rubbed away her tears and listened intently.

"I'm just glad he got to see you- one last time."

Amy couldn't stand it, and was once again reduced to tears.

"I-I just... It- it's my fault!" She cried, burying her face in her hands. "It's all my fault!"

"It's not, Amy. It's nobody's fault when things like this happen. All we can do, when we lose our loved ones, is to try and make things better, and hope they're happy where they are." He tried to explain. Amy shook her head.

"I just... I didn't want any of that to happen to him." Amy mumbled. "I wanted to take away the pain."

Mr. Phillips was silent for a moment, but soon reached out and patted the hedgehog on the shoulder.

"We all did. Your friends heard the news- ...they're in the lobby."

Amy walked through the doors and into the lobby of the institution, to see Tails; Knuckles shadow and Rouge sitting around a coffee table. They turned at the sound of the door opening, and immediately ran over to her once they saw her. At first it looked like they were going to reach out and embrace her, to comfort her, but she held up a hand and mumbled through a tear-chocked voice:

"I-I couldn't save him." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes with a free hand. "I- ...I just couldn't... help him. I- " the pink hedgehog was reduced to harsh tears and her friends gathered around her in a form of group hug, save shadow, which was an entirely anti-group hug person. Knuckles and the others were also teary-eyed.

"It's my fault. If I had just double-checked the time stones, none of this would have happened." Knuckles murmured; shaking his head vigorously and attempting to blink back tears. Rouge shook her head, and hugged the echidna.

"It's nobody's fault." The bat said tearfully. "...But it just wasn't fair!"

Amy paused, at hearing those words. It wasn't fair. Not at all.

She stared down at the floor, but she did not see the checkered linoleum. The horrorific image played back in her head- the image of watching Sonic die in her arms.

"No." She murmured, tearing away from her friends. Surprised, they stared at her. Tails was about to ask what was wrong- when Amy shoved him aside, ripped the time-stones from Knuckles' hands, and ran a few meters off, stopping to look back.

Tails was terribly confused. He stood up, gaping at Amy as if she was crazy.

"Put those down! Amy!" Tails argued, taking a step closer. Amy backed away, and shook her head.

"I-I can't let that happen to him. I- ...I can't-"

The fox suddenly understood. Amy was going to go back. She was going to stop Sonic from attempting suicide. Tails' ears sagged. It would be pointless trying to get her to do anything else.

"...It could be dangerous." Tails murmured, trying to reason with her. Amy shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks.

"...I can't, Tails." She murmured. "I had to watch him die... I... I'm sorry. Really, ... I don't want to endanger the space-... time- ...but..." Amy trailed off. "I-I had to watch him die... "

Tails took a step back, and nodded.

"It's okay. I understand, Amy."

"Thank you Tails."

There was a quick flash of light- and then Amy was gone.

(A few (more than seven) days ago. I think it was twelve. I forget. The date that Sonic attempted suicide.)

He could see the stormy horizon hover before the edge of the dock, the slightest hint of morning pushing through the flurries of snow, which neared the winter-felled city in every minute. The snow would melt into the sea; the sea would become the snow. ...Sonic wondered if everything worked that way; circles of repeating devastation. But that was not important right now.

Sonic sighed, and raised the knife level with his chest, and attempted to stab himself-

Suddenly, a hand caught Sonic's wrist, stopping the blade inches from his stomach. The hedgehog froze. His mind stumbled and collapsed, unbelieving. How? How could someone possibly take away his one option of release? He wordlessly dropped the blade, all hope draining from his body, not caring who his savior was and not daring to look at them. He still did not react when the person slowly drew him into their arms, carefully petting his quills and supporting his weight as Sonic gave up standing and leaned into them. He stared quietly out at the ocean, not interested as to whose arms he was resting in. That is, until...

"Hello, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog's body stiffened, he quickly moved to look his captor in the eye, and could only gape at what stood before him as his knees gave out and he grew completely dependant on her embrace.

"Amy." He mouthed breathlessly, too shocked to clutch at her, so sad to smile at her, and to scared to cry into her shoulder. And so all he could do was stare. Stare as Amy gently lay him down, pet his quills and held him, until finally both hedgehogs were reduced to harsh tears. Sonic's tears, however, were accompanied by loud, miserable wailing, which Amy gave her best effort to stifle with affection.

Amy, after giving him some time to calm down, placed a finger under his chin and slowly lifted his face so that his eyes met hers. She smiled warmly, unsurpassable joy running through her as she held him tightly. He was alive. He was safe. He was wrapped up, safe and secure in her arms. She laughed out loud through her tears, squeezing him firmly for a few second before letting him lie back into a gentle, kind embrace. She then saw his tears, his sad, longing expression, and her joy was momentarily set back. The pink hedgehog cooed slightly, to comfort him, and delicately wiped away the little beads of sorrow that fell from his eyes. She pulled him closer as he continued to cry, and gently brushing away any tears that strayed onto his face. There was a very prominent silence, and Amy's eyes wandered to the blade lying on the wooden planks of the dock. She picked up the knife; Sonic flinched, and slowly ran her finger against the flat of the blade, before setting it back down. (no, she didn't cut herself.) She again stared back down at him.

"Were you going to do that because of me?" she asked, specks of tears still left in her eyes from a few minutes ago. Sonic nodded solemnly. The pink hedgehog shuddered, she was dying for him to say something. She knew it was impossible but half of her was afraid of him becoming... what she had seen in that cell... she was afraid, terrified of seeing it happen all over again. Seeing the pleading look in his eyes... feeling the life drain out of him beneath her fingers. Sonic pulled himself further into her arms and continued to weep. Amy noticed, and carefully stroked her hand across his smooth, delicate fur, wrapping him up in her protective embrace and quietly hushing his sobs. Sonic was not silenced; he still wept quite audibly despite Amy's efforts, but Amy didn't seem to mind as a wave of sheer, unfaltered, satisfied bliss swept over her once again;

Sonic would be okay.

The scars remained on his wrists and the tears remained in his eyes but, and in all truthfulness, he would be okay. She was so relived to see him alive and healthier than he had been on the last occasion; sure he was still quite thin but he was no longer missing patches of fur or starving to death in her arms. She again gently stroked her hand across his fur. It was soft, and incredibly smooth. Like rabbit fur

She gently helped him to his feet, but He seemed more intent on leaving the entire concept of standing upright to her. He weakly clung to her, giving no effort at anything else. He had even stopped sobbing, but Amy wasn't sure if staring into space, which Sonic had replaced it with, was any better.

Realizing that he would not move on his own, Amy cautiously lifted him into her arms and helped him back to her house. She kept walking down the dock for a moment- when she stepped on something. Looking down, she saw a note. She looked up at Sonic, who was already asleep, and back down at the note. That must have been the suicide note the police mentioned... Amy leaned down, momentarily setting Sonic down upon the dock, and picked it up, reading it.

-To whoever finds this.

I can't take it anymore.
I'm sorry, everyone, I tried... it was just too much.
Tell Tails that he's a good kid, and he'll change the world someday.
Tell Fliara that she is the single hardest-working person I've ever met. Let her have my job of hero. She'll do better than I ever did.
Tell Knuckles he's a good person, and I've always really looked up to him, even on the occasions where he was a total jerk.
Tell Shadow that I'm truly, ultimately sorry. I finally understand what you felt like when you lost Maria.
Tell everyone else that they were the best friends I ever had. I wouldn't have made it this far without them.
Tell the citizens of station square that I'm sorry. I really am. But I just can't...

I'm sorry. I really, truly am. If I could fix what was wrong with me, I would. But I can't. Many people, thousands, have gotten over similar hurt. But I'm not like them. I can't.

Forgive me.

Amy sighed, again picking up Sonic, and carrying him home. He deserved the rest.

Amy opened the door, (Sonic wrapped in one arm) and walked into her house. She was surprised that it had not been emptied yet- and at the same time thankful. The electricity and water hadn't been canceled yet- as Amy found out and happily noted- and not a thing was different than when she had left it. Except for the couch.

Tails had told her that Sonic had come to her house often before he had holed himself up in his room. He must have spent most of his time there.

Amy tearfully pulled Sonic close to her and kissed his forehead. He was asleep, but Amy felt like he deserved the gesture anyway. She looked down at him. He was a sorry sight. Fur matted and dirty, terribly thin, smears of blood around his wrists, where he had...

Amy shook her head and carried Sonic to the couch. She just couldn't think like that. It was so hard picturing Sonic that way... she just couldn't. Maybe in the future she would need to, to comfort him, but for now... she refrained from it as much as possible. She carefully lay him down upon the soft, comfortable sofa, and picked up a blanket to cover him with. She reached for a blanket sitting on the table next to the couch- but when she picked it up, her eyes caught sight of something that had resided beneath the blankets. ...a knife. With blood on it.

Amy sighed and held the blanket to her chest, crying. Had Sonic truly been pushed that far...? She picked up the knife and threw it in the sink, soon returning and draping the blanket over Sonic's sleep-confined form. She sighed as she stared down at him. He seemed small, like a child. She didn't like it, that image didn't suit him. But at the same time, she was incredibly thankful that he was okay.

It could have so easily gone wrong. But at least she had stopped all of those terrible things from happening to him. She turned towards the kitchen, going to make something to eat- when she heard a sharp cry from behind her, and she immediately turned around to see Sonic, sitting upright, his eyes darting around the room, and finally, to her.

"Amy!" He cried out, running to her and leaping apon her, once again weeping fiercely into her shoulder. Amy gasped as he clutched at her, refusing to move even as she gently attempted to pry his arms from around her. Pretty soon she gave up, and quietly and gently placed her arms around him. She was quite unsure what to do, but she knew that Sonic needed comfort, so she gently stroked his quills and hushed his sobs. Finally, Sonic looked up at her. "Amy... I- I thought.. that it was all a dream.. but.. you're really here, Amy, you're- ...you're really alive." Sonic whispered, as if the words would make her vanish if he said them. Amy nodded, and gave him a reassuring hug.

"Yep. I'm here. Really."

"A-are you sure?" he asked. "I can't help but think.. that I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone... It's happened before... ." At these words, the blue-quilled hedgehog sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. "I've dreamt it a thousand times, Amy. You'd be back. Clear as day. I would see you- not just see you, but I could touch you and smell you- Like you were really there! And just when I would start to think it was real- ... it would always end the same way- I'd wake up, and you'd be gone. Those dreams never lasted long enough." He sighed drearily. He looked up at Amy, a unsteady expression on his face. "Is it a dream this time too?"

Amy paused, and pulled Sonic against her, in what would be recognized as a rib-cracking hug, but soft enough so it was tolerable.

"No, Sonic. Not this time."

"You'd always say that... you'd always say that it was real... sometimes you would hurt me..."

"I'm not leaving you. I would never hurt you." Amy said sternly, still hugging him tightly. A few moments of silence passed- and a startling noise was suddenly audible from Amy's shoulder. It took her a moment to identify the sound, but soon she realized that Sonic was crying. She immediately moved to look him in the eye, and dried the few, quiet tears that he happened to shed. She stood there for a while, continuing to comfort him, when he stopped, and shook his head vigorously, taking a step back.

"I-I'm sorry." Sonic mumbled. Amy smiled down at him, reaching out and draping an arm across his shoulder.

"For what?" She asked, pulling Sonic back into a hug. "You did nothing wrong."

"I- " the hedgehog paused. "...I didn't?" Sonic asked, as if he didn't believe it.

"No. Now let's get you into a bath- your fur is absolutely filthy, Sonic." she said, leading him over to the bathroom. She was right, his fur was in a terrible state of disarray. In all truthfulness, the hedgehog could use a bath.

Amy sighed as the warm water began to fill the tub, and turned to Sonic, who was shifting his weight uneasily by the door. She smiled, and walked over to him, taking his hand and pulling him along. Sonic stared nervously down at the water, and Amy could not restrain a giggle.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a little water." She joked, immediately wishing she could swallow back her words when she saw Sonic's hurt expression. He took a step away from her, and looked to the ground, ashamed. Amy stifled a small gasp, and walked up to him, seizing him in a hug. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that... it's okay, Sonic." She assured him, patting him on the back. The hedgehog squirmed slightly in her arms, and shrugged, shaking his head.

"It's just- ...I'm not feeling so good right now, and.."

"The bath will make you feel better, trust me." She cooed, stroking his quills in a sign of comfort. Sonic sighed and shifted uncertainly beneath her hand. Once he had apparently calmed down, Amy reached down for his left hand. Sonic, confused, at first considered pulling away, but Amy's grip was firm. She removed the glove from his hand, doing the same with his right. "You can't go in with your gloves and shoes still on, Sonic. Here, I'll put these gloves in the wash." Amy said, leaving momentarily.

Sonic looked around nervously, not wanting to be alone, not after all those hours spent in the dark. He shifted his weight, staring uneasily around the cramped space. His eyes wandered around the tile, to the counter, to...

a razor... (don't ask me why it's there, okay?)

Sonic shook his head vigorously and backed away. He was too used to thinking like that. He didn't like it. He hated himself for even considering cutting, after all Amy was here now, everything would be okay...

But something was wrong. He was still in pain. Why? She was back. He was missing nothing. And yet...

Sonic remembered the feeling of release he would get while watching a small trickle of blood fall down his arm...

He took another step, and reached for the blade..

"Hey, Sonic!" Amy announced, retuning from the laundry room. Sonic's hand snapped back to his side, and he backed away, relieved that he had not been caught. Amy noticed he was breathing heavily, and gently stroked his quills before giving him a kiss on the cheek. 'Is something wrong?" She asked, still petting his quills. He looked up from his feet, his large, sad eyes hitting Amy like a blow to the face. She immediately hugged him, stroking the spikes on his back. "Hey, It's okay, you can tell me, I wont laugh or anything."

Sonic looked to the ground.

"Nothing. It's nothing, really." The hedgehog answered, gently easing out of her embrace and removing his shoes. "...That bath actually does sound like a good idea."

The bath itself went rather smoothly. Sonic appeared to be enjoying himself, surrounded in a small mountain of bubbles while Amy gently massaged some form of shampoo into his quills. The difficult part, however, was getting the hundreds of suds out of his fur, which took some effort to accomplish. In a few minutes, however, Sonic was clean. And wet.

"Here, dry yourself off-" Amy requested softly, handing him a towel. "I'll go make some soup- you must be starving... " She murmured, turning to leave. A twinge of far jolted through Sonic, his eyes wandered to the razor and then to the door that Amy was about to open.

"A-Amy?" he asked, not wanting her to leave. She paused, and turned around, trying not to giggle at the sight of Sonic standing soaking wet in front of her. Any humor in the situation was instantly dimmed as she saw his distraught expression, and she walked up to him, stroking her gloveless hand across his wet spikes.

"What, now you can't even dry yourself off?" Amy joked harmlessly, taking the towel and gently rubbing Sonic's fur dry, careful not to pull on his quills. She continued to do this, when Sonic suddenly leaned upon her, wrapping his arms around her neck and resting his head on her chest. "Sonic!" She protested. "You're getting me all wet! Come on, you can sleep later.." she said, gently easing his body away from hers, when she discovered something odd. He was trembling. "Sonic... Sonic, you're shaking. Are... are you okay?" she asked. Sonic finally looked up at her, a terribly depressed expression in his eyes.

"Amy... I'm so ashamed..." he murmured, pulling away. The pink hedgehog moved closer, and rested a hand on his arm.

"For what?" She asked quietly, careful to keep her voice soft. Sonic paused, feeling terribly guilty of his actions,

"I was going to cut again." He murmured, staring into the wall behind her. "I don't know why... " he trailed off, and looked her in the eye. "It hurts... it really does. But I was going to... " He looked back up at her. "Help me, Amy. Don't let me do it. I don't want to." He stood there, staring at her, his entire body shaking in fear of rejection. "I don't want to."

Amy stared at him, her eyes wide in... horror? Pity? sorrow? Sonic couldn't place it. He cried silently, knowing that right about now she should be throwing him out the door. After all... she was being so nice to him... and how was he repaying her? He averted his eyes from hers, ashamed, and awaited her judgment.

He was not expecting her to draw him into a warm, protective hug, nor to gently tilt his face towards hers, to look him in the eye. Her expression contained a hint of sorrow, but mostly concern, and to Sonic's surprise, love.

"Being scared isn't a bad thing, Sonic. Being hurt isn't a bad thing. You're still hurt... pain just doesn't... " Amy paused. "It doesn't just go away." she let her composure droop, and again tilted Sonic's head comfortably against her shoulder. "Being scared isn't a bad thing."

Silence from the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic?"

No response.

"Y-yes it is. I-I shouldn't be scared, Amy. I'm a hero... I-I shouldn't have done any of this... I'm ashamed for being weak..." he sobbed. "Look what happened to me- when you left..." he held up his wrists, so Amy could see the scars. "I shouldn't have done any of this! Th-this isn't how heroes are supposed to act!" He cried, clinging to her tightly. Amy gripped him by the shoulders, and forcefully pulled him away from her, to look him in the eye.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of! It doesn't matter! You were hurt, I hurt you! You had every right to be upset! ..It doesn't matter now, Sonic! I'm here, I've got you, and it's going to be okay!" She shouted, pulling Sonic back into a hug. The blue hedgehog disagreed.

"I...I had thought... that it was my fault you died." He whispered, not quite strong enough to manage anything else. "I- I don't know what came over me- but from then on- I could only think that- ...that I let you down... and I didn't deserve to..." Sonic shut his eyes, trying to hold back tears. "I didn't deserve to live- not when you couldn't, because of me. I-"

"Stop! Just stop it!" Amy interrupted. "I can't bear it! I can't bear to see you like this!" She immediately stopped shouting when she saw his hurt expression. "Please... please, Sonic, I love you. I forgive you of whatever you thought you did wrong... I just want you to be happy... please, Sonic... " Amy grew silent. She was out of words. She could only hope that would snap Sonic out of it. He seemed to be relaxing, a little.

"You really forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive." She said quietly. Sonic leaned into her again, hugging her, and gave out a yawn.

"I'm exhausted..." he murmured. Amy sighed.

"Me too. Let's get you dried off, then we can both get some sleep." Amy said, turning to the door, Sonic wrapped securely in one arm.

"Wait- Amy, what did you mean by.. 'I hurt you.'?" he asked. "You never hurt me."

Amy shook her head.

"I should never have left you, Sonic. That was wrong of me." She held him a little closer to herself. "I'll never leave you again. I'll never hurt you again."

Sonic's once smooth and flat fur had now been turned into gentle and downy fluff; due to the bath now even his hard and mated quills had become soft and relatively harmless. If Eggman attacked now, he would be helpless, since he used his quills for most of his attacks. But Eggman was not attacking, and Sonic rested quietly within the arms of his beloved Amy, his head snuggled against her chest and her arms delicately wrapped around his lightly shivering frame. For once in nearly 11 chapters the fates had finally given him rest- and now Sonic was using that blessing to it's fullest. Nothing could take this moment from him.

Amy, now awake, stared down at him, almost disbelieving how well things had turned out, in the end. She moved around so that Sonic's body was gently supported by her own; he still lay, curled up in her arms but now he leaned into her. She could feel his breath on her neck and the quiet thud of his heart on her fingers, which lay on his ribs.

It was just one of those moments, if you understand. Amy had no words for what she felt at that moment. All she knew was that Sonic was safe. He was happy. And it was all thanks to her. She had never felt better in her life. She carefully lay down next to the small hedgehog, draping her arms around his waist. She would be here when he woke up, and she would stay with him as long as she could. Sometime in the next day she would have to tell the others that she was not dead- as well as verify that with the system so her belongings would not get scrapped away and distributed amongst wills and charities. But for now, she simply lay next to Sonic, keeping him warm and keeping him safe.

She was not concerned by his actions in the previous hour. Although Amy was helping him severely by simply being there, her presence could not just wipe away the pain, as if it had never been. Sonic had dug himself into a burrow of fear and pain to hide him from the terrors of insanity and misery, and now it was Amy's job to dig him back out. Slowly but surely, she would get her Sonic back.

She would see him smile. She would see his eyes light up with joy and she would hear him laugh. Eventually, he may even want to go running- regardless to whether Amy could be with him at every moment. Maybe someday she would even get mad at him for being rash and thoughtless- but for right now, Sonic needed her, and she would be there.

But for all eternity, the events of those three days would live on in Sonic's heart. There would be occasions when it would all come flooding back to him- and he would remember- and he would cry. But Amy would be there for him.

There would be occasions where Amy would remember watching him die. She would cry then, as well. But then Sonic would snuggle up to her and ask her what was wrong, and she'd remember that Sonic wasn't dead. He was right here. With her. Where he belonged. She leaned down, and gently brushed her lips against his.

He would hurt no longer.

Tha Ind (It's tradition, Liz, I can't go back on three years!)

WOW! My second story ever finished! Phew! That took a lot of hard work! I personally thought it would never get done! I'm going to miss typing this, though. It's been wonderful, gang! I would never have gotten this far without your support and suggestions, and I hope that this story goes down in history as one of the most widely celebrated of all Goth-written sonamy! But then again that's being vain. Anyway I'm proud, really, really proud of this. And I finally get to continue my other story, 'Fear' and start on my next two stories, 'My life sucks; the musical!' and 'Just a wall away.' both are going to be rated mature, however. No, I'm not going to tell you why in a T-rated story!

I'll see you all soon! I hope you enjoyed!