A/N: I'm back! I've been gone a while but now I'm back, for a bit at least. Here's the next chapter!

Ch7: The awakening

Sonic sat bolt upwards, straight as a wooden plank. He stared into space, not speaking, not moving – but thinking. He slowly turned his head to Eggman.

"Why did you get rid of that from my memory?" Sonic whispered. His voice was somewhat cold and spiteful, but yet toneless and plain.

"I knew it would torture you the most when you finally found out the truth. But now we have rid of that hideous hedgehog friend of yours; maybe I finally get rid of you too!" he cackled. Sonic stood up, and without saying a word he hit Eggman so hard he flew across the room hit the wall and slid down. Blood gushed out the crack in his skull; but still Sonic retained his emotionally drained posture, and ran swiftly from the room.

Shadow sat silently at the head of the glass table, staring aimlessly into space. He was waiting. Now that the doctors said they would have to pull the plug if Signo didn't regain consciousness within 24hrs, he was expecting several of her friends to come ask him about the funeral.

Suddenly, Sonic ran in and stood silently at the opposite end of the table. He looked at Shadow and Shadow looked at him. Their eyes were both secluded in an exchange of thoughts; like a conversation, but with no words only emotion. Shadow began to stand, but Sonic gave him an evil glare and ran from the room as silently as he came in.

Shadow knew what it meant. 'You knew. Why didn't you tell me'. But now it was all too late.

Sonic walked slowly into the hospital room, it was to be the last time he ever saw his best friend; and the last time he would see the woman who had secretly loved him for the 3 years they had known each other. He looked over at the bed, at Signo the hedgehog; she was just lying there, helpless. He hated seeing her like that.

He wandered round the other side of the bed and sat down. He stared at her and sighed again.

"I guess this is goodbye Signo" he whispered "At least now I know the complete truth now. That will keep me going at least for a while." he lay his head on the bed next to her, and shook his quills from side to side. "I just wish you could wakeup, and then we could be together; and then we could be happy. You wouldn't have to worry about that clown Espio, he didn't deserve you anyway. We could keep each other strong, oh Signo - please wake up, and then we will be happy; together. Please." he started crying into the sheets. He knew she wasn't gone. He could feel her trying to get to him, he knew she was; HE COULD FEEL HER!

There was a little weak cough, and Signo spluttered and jumped. Sonic had sprawled all over her, his hands array.

"Sonic the hedgehog crying," lightly mocked a voice from behind " That's a thing I thought I'd never see". Sonic looked up at Signo expectantly, but found her still lying there - still and peaceful. He turned around and looked at a somewhat angry Shadow, and then put his head back down on the bed and continued weeping. Shadow looked down at him, and then sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. He looked at his sister. "I remember when the Professor first gave her to me. She was a small innocent little child. But then, she grew up. She wasn't so innocent. But, I guess that was Signo for you." he sighed and wiped his eyes.

"She's still here Shad" Sonic whimpered into the bed sheets. "I can feel her here with me. Telling me to hold on..."

"Sonic, don..."

"NO! She's still alive Shadow! I can feel it! You can too, that's why you came back! Because something is telling you she's still alive!"

"Sonic, plea..."

"YOU CAN CAN'T YOU! YOU KNOW SHE'S STILL HERE!"

"SONIC SHUT UP!"

"NO!" he yelled "no," he whispered, putting his head back down on the bed and eventually faded out. "No, she's still, I know, still alive, trying to get to me"

"Sonic, she's dead." Shadow whispered. "She died, she died, Signo has died." he sighed deeply "Now I understand. She had to go sometime. She knew she was going to die when she set off the blast, Sonic. She knew."

"Wh-wh-what?" he said, lifting his head slightly.

"From long before" Shadow whispered, in a distant voice. "She knew that if she didn't blow up Eggman's base we would all die. But she also knew she was going to die anyway. So, she set it off and knew exactly what was going to happen after she did. That's how her will was so accurately up to date."

"No." Sonic refused to believe him. He put his head back down on the bed and screamed. "NO! She wouldn't have done it! She would've thought of something, some other way!" he insisted.

"Sonic!" Shadow yelled back "I wish it as much as you do that this wasn't real, that this was just some sick and twisted dream; but as much as you try to convince yourself otherwise, this is real. And Signo is dead."

Shadow looked at him. That was Sonic the hedgehog, hero; and he was crying over the dead body of his, Shadow the hedgehog's youngest sister. He couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't take it. He stood up and kissed his sister goodbye on the cheek one last time.

"See you in hell Signo the hedgehog" he smiled "We're both gonna end up there. I love you. The best little sister anybody could want."

Then he turned and left. He could hear her voice in his head saying goodbye back. He slammed the door shut, leaving Sonic and Signo alone yet again. Sonic continued to cry into the sheets, and spread his arms out over Signo.

Sonic suddenly sat up abruptly. He looked over at the machine thing that was keeping Signo alive. There was a long beep being emitted from it. Flat line.

Signo had hit flat line.

Sonic screamed. He screamed and cried and cried some more. He wanted to die. He wanted it all to end now, then at least he would be with Signo.

Sonic rung Shadow on his mobile and told him that Signo had hit flat line about 5 minutes ago. He also asked him not to send anyone to collect the body just yet, ad he wanted to sit with her for a while.

He stared at her for a long time, then; everything went black. He looked around worriedly, but still he saw nothing. He looked down and to his surprise he saw he was holding Signo's body in his arms. He gasped and looked around a gain. Suddenly, he saw the outline of a man. He looked more carefully and saw the man looked fairly like Eggman.

"I am Professor Gerald" the man announced "Signo's creator." Sonic nodded and waited for him to continue. "This is her spiritual mother Sylph" Sonic looked in the direction he was pointing, to see a white and gold hedgehog woman with a tail like Signo's.

"She's trying to get through to you" Sylph told him "You were right. I can let her talk to you, but only for a short time"

"You can do that?" Sonic yelled impatiently.

"Yes she can" the Professor continued "But you must not mention anything about her will"

"I understand, just please; let me talk to her – see her alive, anything" Sonic pleaded.

"Ok" Sylph said "But before you go, promise me you won't break my daughters heart."

"I won't Ms. Sylph" Sonic assured her "I swear I won't" And with that, the Professor and Sylph disappeared.

Signo's eyes flickered open. "Sonic?" she whispered unsurely. Sonic gasped and clasped her to his chest tightly. "Sonic? Why are you crying?" she asked quietly.

"I-I-I" Sonic stuttered, "I miss you. Because you're dead."

"But I'm not dead, Sonic" she whispered, "I'm right here"

"I know you are here now," Sonic cried, hugging her again. "But you're dead, you hit flat line"

"I did?" she said, scratching her head "Strange. I was still breathing n stuff. You must have just brushed the monitor off my skin or something. You didn't give up on your did you Sonic?" she asked, grinning at him. She gave another smile as the expression on his face told her he had. "I have been trying to get through to me, and I know you've been trying through to me; but what we need is to try at the same time."

"Signo?" Sonic whispered, "What will happen if – I mean, when you wake up?"

"I don't know" Signo laughed, then she sounded serious again. "All I know is I'll need some space"

"Ok" Sonic sighed. "Signo, I……"

"Shhh" she said, putting her finger on his lips. "Wait if you're going to say it. Wait and say it with my hand and yours"

Sonic looked at her, perplexed. He was about to ask her to explain, but before he could; she suddenly vanished into a pile of dust.

A/N: so what do you think? Please R&R, hope you'll be nice but please, tell me how to improve; so I can err, improve.