Well, it's been a while, and I don't know if anyone will remember my first story, but the support and advice I got from everyone who reviewed Reincarnate is what really inspired me to try another Sonic fic. Hopefully this one will be longer and better-written than my first story – I like to think that I've improved thanks to all the help and encouragement I've received so far.

A few notes: Like Reincarnate, this is an action/romance fic that is told mainly from Amy's perspective. And not to disappoint you Shadow/Amy fans, but the pairing this time is Sonic/Amy. Aside from my wanting to try a new pairing, it fits into the plot better than Shadow/Amy would. That's not to say that our favorite black hedgehog won't be showing up somewhere…if it's possible, he'll be there.

Don't fall asleep yet – I'm almost done. I want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed Reincarnate – you guys stuck with me despite my slow updates and annoying grammar mistakes – and I hope those who remember me will give this new story of mine a try. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Sega.

Legacy
Chapter 1

"Come on, Sonic! Please?"

"Amy! I'm trying to run here!"

Sonic, the world famous and super-speedy hedgehog, tried unsuccessfully to get around an especially persistent Amy Rose. The pink girl was blocking his every attempt to slip around her, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. Since when was Amy this quick?

"But you promised this time, Sonic! You said you'd take me to Twinkle Park! You can't just promise a girl a date and then avoid her like the plague!"

Sonic growled softly. Amy had reached a whole new level of annoying. He'd hoped that over the years her obsession with him would die down a little, but it had been four years and she was as clingy as ever. Such was his luck, of course – it seemed he couldn't even walk down the street without being accosted by the fangirl who had seized the opportunity to grab his arm.

"Even you aren't the type to stand someone up," she said airily, and began pulling him in the direction of the popular amusement park. Passerby were stopping to watch the struggle as Sonic yanked himself with all his might in the opposite direction Amy was tugging him.

He finally twisted free of her grip and zipped a good distance away.

"Sonic!" Amy shouted desperately, planting her hands on her hips. "Why can't you just do this for me? Just once?"

"Do we have to discuss this here?" he asked. If he was to say what he wanted to say, they'd have to be in a more private location so he wouldn't be seen as a huge jerk. He wasn't trying to be mean, he really wasn't, but Amy just couldn't take a hint.

"Yes, Sonic, we do," Amy snapped, and folded her arms. The cobalt hedgehog sighed and ran a hand through his quills.

"Look, it's been four years and you're still chasing me around like you did when you were twelve!"

His point was, if she showed some signs of maturity, then he would consider taking her on a date. Amy was a nice girl, but she did have to grow up a little! It was as if she didn't have a life besides constantly chasing him around. Amy was considering his words.

"It's just that I like you, Sonic," she said, her voice soft and a little hurt. Oh, wonderful – he'd offended her in front of everybody. This was not his day.

"I know you do," he said dryly. Sheesh, she only proclaimed her undying love for him at least twice daily, and usually in very public locations. She frowned at him, her eyes dark.

"Oh, I get it," she said, suddenly and loudly. "You don't think I'm mature enough, do you?"

"Well…"

"It is what you think! I'm gonna be sixteen in three days, Sonic!"

"I know that."

Actually, he had almost forgotten. He knew she had a birthday coming up, sure, but he could never remember the exact day until she – or someone else – reminded him. He folded his arms. Amy looked like she was thinking fast.

"I've got it," she announced. "As a…birthday present, would you take me somewhere then? I'll show you mature, Sonic the Hedgehog. You won't even believe it's me."

She studied the back of a gloved hand and smirked slightly. Sonic groaned inwardly and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He was willing to bet she'd start out acting calm and giving him space, but before the date was halfway over she'd revert back to her normal self and would be annoying him again. Amy took note of his hesitation.

"What, think I can't do it? I'll show you!"

Jeez, she was relentless today. Finally he shrugged. Even if she was her usual self after a bit, it was only one date. And afterwards he'd just tell her it didn't work out and she wouldn't be able to hold the fact that he'd promised to take her out over his head anymore. Perfect!

"Okay, if that's what you want."

"Fine," Amy said, and turned on her heel, hurrying down the street towards her apartment with a determined air. Sonic shook his head as the people around resumed their previous courses and conversations. He smiled to himself as he jogged in place for a second, ready to jet down the sidewalk.

He sprinted, his feet carrying him quicker than anyone would have believed possible from a hedgehog. He didn't know exactly when he had discovered this gift; to him it was as if he'd been running his entire life. He went on foot as quickly as some people went by train, and he loved the control he felt when it was just him and the ground melting away below his blurred feet. He ran to clear his head, he ran when he was angry…every problem he had would fade into insignificance as he sped through the city or the forest or wherever he was at the moment. It was his life.

Right now the sidewalk was nothing but a grey blur, and he maneuvered around people and other obstacles like they were nothing, a skill born of long practice. It was rare when he ran into or tripped over anything; even when he was getting used to running in a crowded area he'd never been all that clumsy.

As he ran, he thought about Amy, and why she had to be obsessed with him of all people. So he was a hero – there were plenty of other girls with boyfriends who weren't so quick and who didn't protect the city on occasion. There were plenty of boys who probably liked Amy. So why was it him?

It was probably the fangirl in her. She seemed like the type who had to find something or someone to latch onto and believe in. He liked her support, and the faith she had in him, but the girl did not know how to let him breathe! He needed his space, and time for himself. She didn't seem to get that. Otherwise taking her out one time wouldn't be such a big deal.

At least she wasn't as…dependent as she used to be. When she'd gotten him to promise to take her to Twinkle Park, she'd launched into some sort of prepared speech about how she'd been working hard to get in really good shape so she could keep up with him and not slow him down, and how she wasn't just a hostage anymore since she could take care of herself, etc.

'One date, Sonic,' he replayed her words in his head. 'One measly date – is that so much to ask?'

When it comes to you, Amy, and how obsessive you can be…it can be a lot to ask.

Maybe he should give her a break every once in a while, but it wasn't like he was mean to her or anything! Maybe he was blunt at times about how he didn't feel the same way she did, but it certainly didn't daunt her. And her affection hadn't diminished over the years. You almost had to admire that attention span.

He was being fair, giving her a chance to show him how she was when she wasn't following him around and bugging him for dates. More than fair.

But the running was starting to ease his stress by now. He found his thoughts drifting away from her to nowhere, his entire self focused on motion. This was how he liked it, and how he wanted things to stay. He let his feet carry him through the lamp-lit streets of Station Square, a blue blur against the darkness of nightfall.

-

Amy stomped up the stairs of the apartment building and fumbled for her key. She opened her door and shut it behind her, locking and bolting it with a sigh. Maybe it had been kind of stupid to challenge him like that without being sure she could put her money where her mouth was. But if it got her a date with Sonic, it was worth it! She was just going to have to restrain herself, that was all.

She'd be sixteen, after all. And no matter what Sonic thought, she was mature. She just had a crush; it wasn't like her behavior was outrageous. Love makes people do crazy things, like chase after the object of your affections constantly, work on her speed so she could keep up with that person, and think about them constantly.

It wasn't her fault. Sometimes she almost wished she wasn't so enamored with that hedgehog. He was so used to running, being in constant motion, that it was hard to get him to sit still for more than a couple seconds. He was hard to find, harder to pin down, and near impossible to bend to her will.

But she had succeeded, sort of. He was taking her out, wasn't he? Yep. And nothing, nothing at all, would ruin this for her, not even herself and her own habits. She would impress him if it killed her. He would like her if he gave her half a chance!

She sprawled stomach down on her bed and pulled out her diary. She flipped it open and scanned the pages.

Sonic, Sonic, SonAmy4ever, more Sonic, doodles of Sonic, doodles of hearts with Sonic's name in them, doodles of hearts with Sonic's name and hers in them, Mrs. Sonic the Hedgehog…

Good grief, she'd had this diary for over a year, and he'd weighed this much on her thoughts. For all the time she spent thinking about him, he'd better show up at their date tomorrow, otherwise…

Otherwise she'd really be hurt. He'd stood her up once before, but that was kind of an accident. He'd legitimately forgotten, and he'd given her flowers to make up for it and said he hoped they were still friends. So see, he did care about her enough to feel bad about going back on a promise. He just didn't know how much he could like her, that was all.

"Well, I'll show him how much in three days," she murmured aloud, and rolled off her bed, stashing her diary away in her desk drawer with a shake of her head.

She laid out her pajamas and went to her bathroom, planning on a shower. She didn't like getting up early in the morning to wash her hair, and it felt nice going to bed clean. She turned on the hot water and, after it had warmed up, jumped in, enjoying the feeling of the warm water flowing through her fur and quills. She closed her eyes, a darker emerald than her hero's were, and scrubbed her pink hair, which was the same length and style it had been in when she was twelve.

For her birthday, she was getting a streak in it, like she'd been wanting to for ages. She'd gotten a time set, knew the section of hair she'd have colored (front right) and had the color (white) decided and everything. It would be done the day before, so now she'd be able to surprise Sonic on their date! He'd like it, she was sure, and she'd look much more sophisticated that way.

She smiled to herself and sifted her fingers through her quills. She had just finished rinsing the suds off her fur when a blast of suddenly icy water hit her back. She yelped and jumped out, turning off the water.

"Darn! Why does that always happen?"

She toweled herself dry and switched on her dryer. She hummed to herself as her hair dried out, and changed into her pajamas, snuggling under the fluffy red comforter on her bed. She had three days to work out how she was going to act and what she was going to say to Sonic on their date. She planned not to bump into him until then, so he would be even more stunned by how much calmer she was. Of course it would be difficult – no one changed overnight – but with any luck he'd enjoy himself enough to ask her out again.

"It's gonna be fantastic," she whispered. It was the perfect present for this important point of her life, because once she was sixteen, she wouldn't be a girl anymore. She'd be a real young woman, and she'd prove it. Big changes were on the horizon. She smiled herself to sleep.

-

a/n: It starts off slow, but it's only the first chapter. Things will pick up pretty quickly as the story progresses. Constructive criticism is welcome here – go ahead and be brutally honest. Even if you don't have the time to pick the story apart, a quick note telling me how it looks so far would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Not An Elf