Running From Love

I can wait forever, even as much as a hundred thousand years, if that's how long it takes to hear you say you'll be with me until the end of time.

---

Drip. Drop.

Tiny raindrops fell from the green, leafy plants and made an almost inaudible 'plop' sound as it hit the soft, mushy ground of the earth. The clouds above soon ceased to release any more rain, as if it felt that the earth was well cleansed and replenished with the large amount of rain that had drifted slowly down the chilly air. A few rays of the sun managed to peek through the thick, gray rain clouds and began to brighten up the scenery with its ethereal illumination. A little pink hedgehog could be spotted amidst the beauty of nature.

The hedgehog, Amy Rose, was well known to be an overly cheerful girl but could attain authority with just a flash of her quick temper and a simple threat to feel the cold metal of her Piko Piko Hammer against anyone's skin. She was the girl who went over the top, overexaggerated, and was seen to be somewhat of a pain, but nonetheless she had a compassionate and kind side. But most of all, she is known for her undying love for Sonic the Hedgehog.

But she was barely recognizable as she ran aimlessly on the squishy mud beneath her red and white shoes. Her once sparkling, gorgeous emerald eyes had lost their vivaciousness and replaced with a tedious sorrow. Her creamy cheeks had no pink tints of happiness any longer. Her beautiful, small, and delicate smile was no longer to be seen, almost as it withered away and was long forgotten. Amy had lost her exuberance, a trait that made her unique and who she truly was. Yet she appeared as if she was dead with no emotion.

Amy's head was lowered, and a few quills of her rosy pink bangs slightly covered her lifeless eyes. A curved frown was implanted on her face, and her little black nose had absorbed the coldness of the brisk air. Her clothes and body were soaked with the dampness of the rainwater, but she didn't care and ignored it. Her gloved hands were held up to her chest, clutching the silky fabric of her red dress. Her feet were set a speedy pace, though they had no intentional direction. All she wanted to do was run—run away from her torturing pain that haunted her like a nightmare clicking in her mind every second of the day. But no matter what she tried, the devastating ache in her heart just never seemed to go away.

The more Amy sunk into her thoughts, the urge to cry grew inevitably stronger. At last, a tear escaped from the brim of her eyes. The poignant vision reoccurred in her mind; it stabbed and slashed a large cut in her heart, with blood of hurt surging out. She would do anything to get rid of the image, or at least have it to be an illusion. But Amy knew it was real—painfully real.

--

Amy sat on her couch in her house, eating a piece of cherry pie she had just baked. Many had told her she had a lovely talent for the culinary arts. But like all her other pastries and dishes, Amy felt the taste was no better than eating rubber. It had a particular emptiness to each bite, as if it was deprived of its warmth and love. Why? The answer is simple: there was no one special to share it with or receive the feeling of love and care she had put within the ingredients. With no one special to taste its unique flavor, the food was nothing but hollow. Or at least that is what Amy thought.

The little hedgehog sat in silence as she took another bite of the pie. The soft crust mixed with her saliva and gave her a slightly savory sensation. The warm cherries were immersed in her special cherry sauce, awakening her taste buds. But…it was just another bittersweet dessert, nothing more. Amy sighed, setting her plate down on the coffee table.

"Sonic…" The enchanting name rolled off her tongue so effortlessly and delicately, as if nobody else in the world could say the name with such tenderness and lovingness. The diminishing reverberation of his name lingered in the chilly autumn atmosphere that was trapped inside her soundless home.

As if hearing the simple word, a flash of blue rushed past Amy's window. Amy was just barely able to see the blurry figure at the corner of her eye. Her feet suddenly stood up and dashed to her window. She could feel the wintriness of the moistened window glass even beneath her gloved fingers. The familiar speeding of her heartbeats returned, making Amy smile widely. Within a few moments, she was out the door.

--

Amy squinted her eyes, continuously searching for Sonic, even if a slight drizzle of rain had started to fall. He was nowhere to be seen. But she knew—she knew he was here. Her reliable 'Sonic Radar' had never failed her in the past. Amy was sure she felt his presence nearby; it was a divine gift supplied by the heavens to aid in her goal to have her unrequited love returned. He had to be here somewhere, and Amy was sure she'd find his trail.

She soon found out his whereabouts when she heard his recognizable voice yelling "H-HEY!" close by. A small, sly smile played upon Amy's rosy lips. She heard his voice coming from a small café not too far from where she was. Gotcha, my darling Sonic, she thought to herself.

Amy peeked through the transparent glass doors of the café, but what she saw shattered her heart so severely. Her beloved Sonic's lips…touched the lips of Rouge.

--

Amy sobbed bitterly, unable to rid of the heartbreaking scene from her head. Strangely enough, she felt no resentment towards Rouge, but to Sonic. Why Sonic? Why? She asked herself these questions repetitively since she ran from the little café. It was from there she sprinted away from the town, away from the scene, away from him. She simply wanted to escape the place and her misery. Run…and keep running…that was all she wanted to do. She was beginning to understand why Sonic loved to run. It somewhat relieved her. To feel herself push against the air, to feel the perspiration and raindrops slowly falling down her forehead and her chest rising and falling rhythmically, to feel the adrenaline course rapidly through her veins—it gave Amy a sense of tranquility.

At last she stopped, her speed decreasing gradually. Amy panted and caught her breath with deep inhales of oxygen. As the nature's fresh air filled her lungs, she decided to walk instead. She had no idea where she was or even how far or how long she had ran. But she did not care; she did not care much of anything recently.

Warms tears continued to streak down her heated cheeks. A few tears had managed to slide down and enter her mouth through the corner of her lips. Amy could taste the saltiness glide down her tongue. She coughed a little and wiped the tears and raindrops from her face. She shook her head, freeing the drops of rain from her dampened quills.

When her tears ceased, she tilted her head around to finally get a view of her surroundings. She was in a somewhat sylvan setting. The big trunks of the trees were well furnished as they uprooted from the rich soil below. Piles of fallen leaves laid everywhere. The calming chirping of the birds above echoed in the air. The soil was muddy due to the rain, and it caked the edges of Amy's shoes as they walked above it.

Then she heard it. She could almost feel the vibrations made on the ground. Amy felt her blood run cold, and her spine shiver. Her eyes widened, and her hands trembled uncontrollably. It was him…Sonic. He was sprinting towards her with each passing second.

Not bothering to look back, Amy ran hard, as fast as her body was able. She must have been going quicker than she ever had before; Amy mustered up as much strength she could find to run like the wind. Otherwise Sonic would have caught her by now.

"Amy! AMY!"

She heard the faint sound of his voice chanting her name, but Amy tried to block the shouts from her ears and disregard his presence. She did not want to look at him now, not ever. She did not want to see his visage—how his glistening blue quills swayed with the breeze, how competitiveness yet compassion shone within his stunning emerald orbs, or how his familiar cocky yet kindhearted smile curved upon his lips. But she had no choice but to do so, because he shortly caught up with her. Before long, his warm hands touched her shoulder, forcing her to stop.

"Amy, tomare (stop)," he whispered softly.

Amy's feet abruptly ceased to move. She bit her lip lightly and tilted her head downwards, refusing to show the pain in her eyes. She stayed silent, allowing Sonic to talk from behind her.

"Amy, what are you doing? I've been searching everywhere for you! Cream was so worried ever since she saw you run out of town!"

Amy was a little taken aback, but she didn't show it. Her lips curved into a small smile. She whispered to herself, "At least someone cares for me…"

Sonic's ears hardly picked up the words, and his countenance changed from concern to surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Amy shook her head and began to walk away from Sonic. When she heard the sound of his footsteps behind her, she gritted her teeth.

"A—"

"Go away, Sonic." The girl interrupted him with a cold voice. The infuriated tone of her voice left Sonic shocked, and it left Amy quite shocked at herself as well. Amy did not mean to say it; the harsh words escaped without her permission.

Sonic clasped her wrist with his hand and spun her around to face him. He let his hands rest on her shoulders while he gave Amy an agonized look. "Amy, what's gotten into you?"

Amy could not force herself to stare into his bright eyes. She cocked her head to the side dreadfully. "Sonic, please…" she whispered softly. "Leave me alone."

Sonic's expression softened, but the look of confusion was still plastered all over his face. "But Amy—why?"

Amy's arms slowly took hold of Sonic's arm and pushed them away from her shoulders. "I don't want you here. I don't need you near me. I don't want to see you. Go to someone who does." A brief hiatus followed, and Amy muttered almost inaudibly, "Like Rouge."

Sonic blinked, merely watching Amy turn around and walk away slowly. "Rouge? So…you saw?"

Amy refused to answer, walking slowly and hearing the slight crunch of the fairly soggy leaves underneath her feet.

"Is that what this whole thing is about, Amy?" Sonic ran into front of her, stopping Amy in her tracks. "Amy, Rouge only did it to make Shadow jealous, nothing more! I didn't know she'd do it."

For a second, Amy remained silent. Then she let out a bitter laugh, leaving Sonic even more bewildered than he already was. "Sonic, that's not the only thing I'm angry about."

"Huh?"

Amy's eyes looked straight into Sonic's, boring through the green tints of his irises and trying to break through to his heart. "Everyday I wish to see you, and I never would miss an opportunity. Everyday I tell you I love you and attempt to win your affection. Every chance I get, I hug you and feel the warmth you bring. I want to feel your presence, keep you near me. Do you know why, Sonic? Because I want someone I love to protect me. You saved the world a number of times, Sonic. You give everyone a sense of hope and a chance to live at least one more day. You saved thousands Sonic, because you are capable. You know what else you're capable of? You're capable of controlling my heart, only you. You can either shatter it or protect it. Only you have the access to it, nobody else, because I've given you my heart. You alone are my weakness. I want someone I love to protect my heart, keep it from breaking. Only someone special can do that: the one I love with all my heart. I just want you to do that, Sonic; I just want an assurance that no matter what happens, someone will always be by my side. I fallen in love with you, Sonic, and by each passing day I'm afraid if I don't win your love, someone else might take it away from me. Gosh Sonic! Wo ai ni (I love you)!"

By this point, more tears strolled down her cheeks. Sonic had a compassionate, softened expression. He wiped Amy's tears with his hand and sighed. "Amy…Listen. I-I love you too."

Amy widened her teary eyes, which glistened full of hope.

"Yes, I guess I really did like you all this time…but…" he hesitated, trying to search for the right words to say. "You have to understand—I'm not ready for a relationship…no, I meant—I'm not ready to settle down just yet. I'm in constant danger, and that means you could be gone forever. I don't want to take that chance. But I do love you—it's just that…I think now isn't a good time. You have to understand also—that even though now isn't the right time, I still am near you. I always have. I'm just not ready to marry or anything like that yet."

Amy slowly nodded. "Wakkatta (I understand). If that's how you feel, then I can wait."

Sonic smiled. "Thanks, Amy."

Amy returned his smile. "Anou (Um)…Sonic?"

"Eh? Wha—" Sonic was suddenly cut off when Amy's lips pressed upon his own.

They shared a sweet, tender kiss.

It was innocent in a way, but passionate just the same.

It was nothing lustful, simply full of love and warmth.

It was short, but what was done gave them all they needed to know.

--

Woo! I'm so glad I finished my first Sonic the Hedgehog oneshot (and it will stay a oneshot). My muses kept bothering me to write this, so I had no choice but to. :P I hope I didn't kill you guys with my urges to add more angst in there. I've been so addicted to it lately. (Hehehe…) The perspective of their love is written in my own, so that's why it's so distorted and confusing. YESH, my mind is like that too! I hope it wasn't too OOC (out of character). Well, at least I contributed a ficcy to one of my favorite couples. SONAMY all thee way!

I added a few Japanese words, since Japan has played a big part of Sonic and his adventures (or at least that's what I heard). Plus I did it because I felt like it. :P But for "I understand," I couldn't remember if it was Wakkatta or Wakkadda. Excuse my crappy Japanese. -cough- And excuse any mistakes as well. Feel free to stab them, because that's what i do. XD You may have noticed also that I made Rouge make Shadow jealous instead of Knuckles. Bwuahahaha…I support R&S instead of R&K, so that's why it's like that. Just wanted to make that known if you were curious. XD

So how'd you like it? Good? Bad? Please leave a review if you can!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic or any characters.