Well, apparently Halo and I were so excited to post the new chapter, we forgot to review comments last time.

Whoops.

So, apologies and forgiveness asked for. We will do them this time. Sorry 'bout that. Reviews!

Autumn: Thanks! Hope you enjoy this one as well.

That Speedhunter: *pulls out five dollars* I'll buy one pitcher. I wouldn't say Shadow is soft, but he is at the same time. We have a story kinda planned out for Shadow (if we get to it…) But we'll just have to see. Clarification time on the whole 'Eggman' comment. That isn't Eggman. That is Robotnik. They are NOT the same person. Sorry 'bout that confusion. *begins to whistle nervously* Spoilers. 2nd Review: Yeah, we have had that chapter planned out FOREVER. Kind of like this one. That was Halo's idea to have Tails be a pyro… apparently. I really don't agree with it, but whatever. (It was a joke, Era.) Yeah, Knuckles is not bringing that up anytime soon. Can't say I blame him. Never seen that show. Again, *winks* spoilers. LOL. Why are you reading other people's reviews? Well, no one is stopping you. And isn't that what reviews are actually for? READ THIS STORY. IT IS AMAZING. This site does not use reviews correctly...

StarlightSparks: *facepalm* I cannot believe we forgot the Author's note! Ugh! But I am glad you enjoyed it.

ultimateCCC: Let the truth come forward!

NeckBreak: Aww… Thanks! I agree that dedicated writers are hard to find. I like Sonamy, but I ain't a huge big romance writer. *Reads instructions five times and scratches head.* You want me to what?

Shapeshifter 14: Yay! We filled expectations!

Megaman07: *whistles* Haven't the slightest idea what your talking about.

MeowthKitty: Really? I can't see Tail's as a pyro. It was Halo's idea so I blame her. (AGAIN, I was joking. Or more accurately, Manic was joking.)

Faso: Shadow is a combo between what we know about him from video games and tv shows, but I think the main contributor is the Archie Comics, to be honest (not the evil King Shadow… that was a weird arc… I thought it was cool. Tyranny seems to suit him). Shadow has just sort of evolved in my mind, I suppose to…. Well, this! I really like it and I'm glad I am not the only one. SA3, uh? I would have no idea what it would be about but, thanks!

Indiechuu: Good luck! And when you get here (if you get here) congrats!

Jayfeather34: I am so glad you enjoyed it! Here's the update and here's to hoping that you continue to enjoy this!

Alright, so two old POV's addressed in this chapter (one I do not think we have ever used in LRH… fun!) Explanation will be after. Enjoy the chapter!

Sonia's POV:

To be honest, when I asked Knuckles to join me for lunch, I didn't actually think he'd say yes. I mean, even if he wasn't really interested in his so-called girlfriend, I figured he'd still try to keep up the facade, at least around me. But he seemed almost eager- and to tell you the truth, I was thrilled that he wanted to go out with me again.

Not that this was a date or anything! Nope! Strictly business. The plan was to discuss the jewel Manic and I had found in the caves, and to see if Knuckles could help us figure out what it was and what kind of power it possessed. Hanging out with him- alone- that was just the icing on the cake.

I sat at a table in front of a window facing the street at a small family-owned restaurant. I had told Knuckles to meet me at two o'clock, but had arrived over a half an hour early. Don't judge me- I'd been going crazy just sitting around all morning in the van. Manic had been leaving the van early and staying out late for almost three days straight, doing who knows what, so I'd been journaling while getting steadily more nervous for this afternoon. After all, we hadn't spent any time alone together since we broke up, and six months is a long time… he might've changed. I might've changed. Would we still like each other the same way?

Okay, so maybe this wasn't strictly business.

I missed him. Breaking up with him was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, and now that I know that he could've introduced me to my apparently famous brother, it might not have even been necessary. Just thinking about the whole situation frustrated me.

I glanced at my watch; it was one forty-three. Maybe I shouldn't have come so early-

"Am I late?"

I looked up and grinned before I could stop myself; Knuckles had arrived over fifteen minutes early. Maybe I wasn't the only nervous one.

"No, you're fine!" I insisted, gesturing to the seat across from me. He smiled, obviously relieved.

"Oh, good…" he sighed. Had his eyes always been that shade of purple? "I lost my watch, and me and Rouge got in a fight before I came here, so I was worried that I was making you wait."

The moment he mentioned Rouge, my mood soured. Yeah, I knew that she and Knuckles weren't actually together, but that shameless floozy sure liked to pretend. All the time. Particularly when I'm around.

"Oh! That's, uh… that's too bad," I said, playing absentmindedly with the salt shaker. "What, uh… what were you fighting over?... If you don't mind me asking?"

"Ugh, I don't understand her," he griped, scowling at the ceiling. "Apparently, Shadow and her were arguing earlier about a GUN mission or something, and I guess she wanted to vent? I dunno. But then I told her that I had other stuff to do and she got all mad, and… I don't even know anymore. This is all too confusing."

I smirked, "All girls are confusing. Some... more than others."

He grimaced. "Yeah… I'd rather keep the drama to a minimum. That's why I like being with-" He stopped himself just in time, but I could see the word he was about to form and could hardly suppress my smile. Looks like I wasn't the only one who regretted the break up… then again, it hadn't really been his choice so… Ugh! Focus!

Our waiter came for our orders (a roast beef sandwich for him, salad for me); It felt strange to be doing this with him again. Almost like before. Before I found Manic and had to leave the city and went on that wild goose chase, before I found that creepy black gem-

The gem!

"I almost forgot!" I exclaimed, Knuckles perking up. "I need your help."

"Yeah?" he said brightly, probably glad to get off the subject of our failed relationship.

I reached down for my bag, "So Manic and I were looking for Maurice… Sonic?" I looked up a question on my face.

Knuckles shrugged, "Either works. I think."

Okay then. "Anyway, we were looking for… our brother, and stopped by the valley where we grew up. Y'know- just in case. But instead of Maurice, we found this weird cave near our uncle's old house, and, well… how do I put this… we were… I dunno, drawn to it. On the inside, it had a bunch of really old markings on the walls, some that I understood, some I didn't-" I stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. "Sorry, this isn't coming out right."

"No, no, don't worry about it. Keep going," Knuckles gave me an encouraging smile, which I gratefully returned.

"So we went in," I continued. "It was kinda like that one Montana Badger movie where Montana goes into the ancient temple and there's a ton of death traps and stuff. It was actually kind of cool, in an adventuring sort of way." I shook my head, getting back on track, "Anyway, at the end of this cave we found… well, this."

I reached down and grabbed the side bag next to my purse. I flipped the flap open to find-

A single sheet of paper.

"Um…" Knuckles scratched his head, "You found a piece of paper?"

"No!" I grabbed the sheet and quickly scanned it, before rolling my eyes. "Manic…"

"Uh… what about him?"

Instead of answering, I handed Knuckles the note. He read aloud, " 'Dear sis- Your weird gem was creeping me out, so I hid it because I don't like nightmares. Sorry not sorry. Sincerely, your dearest brother. P.S.- Please don't kill me!' …And there's a happy face at the end." Knuckles tilted his head, "Your brother is…weird."

"I hadn't noticed." I took the note back and threw it in the bag, disgusted. "I'm sorry, I should have checked before I came here. This was a total waste of your time."

"No!" said Knuckles quickly, shaking his head, "No, it isn't a waste of time. Not at all."

I felt my face turn slightly red and had a suspicion Knuckles was also blushing (even though it was nearly impossible to tell). "Oh- okay." I gave him a crooked smile and we made eye contact a few seconds too long.

"Um… so..." I started, nervously smoothing out my skirt."How, uh… how've you been the past few months?"

He shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Same as always. Uh… how 'bout you?"

"Tired of my brother's antics. But good." We sat in awkward silence for a moment, neither of us really sure what else to say.

"Um… Have you seen the new Montana Badger movie?" I asked.

He grinned. "Of course! Wasn't it great?"

"Oh, I haven't seen it yet. Manic's not really into that sort of thing." I shook my head, a little annoyed. "I tried to drag him to see it once, but he says it's overrated. Something about Space Truck being better."

Knuckles groaned and placed his face in his hands, "He and Tails should have a marathon together. The kid can't get enough of that stuff."

We ended up just geeking out together about Montana Badger until our food arrived, him careful to not mention any spoilers for the new movie. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed just hanging out with him. In fact, the only break we had in the conversation was when we remembered to thank the waiter.

I was facing towards the window that looked out on the street; Knuckles had his back turned to it. He didn't seen what I did.

A familiar white bat wearing a hot pink trench coat stood paralyzed on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. Her expression was unreadable; Was it surprise? Anger? Hurt?... It suddenly occurred to me that Rouge- who I despised- might have... feelings. I felt a pang of something in my chest that I couldn't identify. Was I feeling… guilty?

Rouge seemed to compose herself again and quickly walked off, lost in the crowd. I shrugged it off; she and Knuckles weren't even dating, so he could do what he wanted. And if she didn't like that, then oh well.

"What are you looking at?" asked Knuckles, turning around and staring out the window.

"Oh," I answered, shaking myself out of my daze. "Nothing. …What were you saying about that last scene?"

XXX

Rouge's POV:

I whacked the punching bag as hard as I could; The nerve of him.

Knuckles lied to me. He said he just needed some air and was going out on his Extreme Gear. Fine. Whatever. Not having someone to vent to about my stupid partner wasn't the end of the world. And if he wasn't always straight with me about everything, who cares? We weren't even dating. Not for real.

The bag broke a seam as I hit it again. I wasn't used to this. Men didn't use me- I used them. I was doing Knuckles a favor by helping him convince that goody-goody ex of his that we were together, even though I'm doing most of the legwork. Not that I'm complaining- Knuckles is one heckuva kisser when he's in a good mood. Problem is, he's almost never in a good mood around me. Only her.

Sometimes- I thought, having another go at the bag- I really hate him. Stuffing tumbled to the floor as I continued to beat the punching bag. None of this was fair. I do so much for that ungrateful hothead and he hardly looks at me. What does that self-righteous prig of an ex-girlfriend have that I don't? He can't stop drooling over her, but he treats me like dirt- nobody treats me like dirt. Ever.

So then why do I let him?

A good, hard kick was all it took to tear a good sized chunk out of the bag; My chest was heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I was glad I had decided to come to the gym today- Sweat always felt better than tears.

"Yeesh. Remind me not to get on your bad side."

I whipped around, startled. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, grinning like an idiot; brushing the mop of green quills out of his eyes while somehow only making the whole thing messier, he moved to take a step forward but hesitated.

I scowled. Matthews- sorry, Manic Hedgehog was the absolute last thing I needed today. "What do you want?" I snarled. His grin widened; I hated that no matter how mean I was to him, he never shied away. Couldn't he take a hint?

"Remember that one time?" he started cryptically, sounding like he was about to tell a joke. "At your place, when you promised that you'd forgive me if I made some certain, uh… sacrifices?"

"How could I forget?" I replied, turning to take a shot at the punching bag. He flinched slightly, but didn't back down.

"Well… I did it." he said simply.

I froze; there was no way. I gave him that challenge specifically because I knew it'd be impossible. No, he had to be bluffing.

"Oh, really?" I asked in a mock-interested tone. "Fascinating! So pray tell, Maniac- how'd you do it? Removing a vital organ and living to tell the tale couldn't have been easy."

"Yeah, about that…" he said, smiling guiltily. "So I've been poking around a bit and, fun fact: there's pretty much no chance of me going through with that and living to celebrate my next birthday. Also, I can't think of any sane doctor that would do it. Plus I'm broke."

Called it. "So you lied to me."

"Oh, not at all," he answered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I got you an organ, all right."

"Is it the musical kind?"

"Ha! Almost did. Nah, I got something better. It's not the real thing, but…" He groped around the inside of his jacket pockets, taking out something small.

"Close your eyes," he said softly. I glared at him, pursing my lips; he rolled his eyes, but that irritating smile never slipped away. "Just do it, 'kay? And don't peek." I sighed- anything to get him to go away faster. I shut my eyes, hearing him clip something around my neck and feeling the sensation of cold metal on my chest.

"Okay, look."

I looked down; a small, heart-shaped locket rested there, gleaming even in the dim lights of the gym. The color was strange- somewhere between pink and gold, and with a miniscule diamond inlaid in the center. Rippling designs were etched into the edges, looking like they could move on their own. This was… beautiful.

"Open it," he said, his voice soft and barely audible. I pressed the button on the side and it flipped open; I expected there to be some sort of picture inside, but instead, there was was a tiny inscription:

I Give You My Heart

It was like the world had stopped; I wasn't expecting this. If this locket had come from anyone else, I'd have taken this as one of the generic love tokens I often received from hopeful suckers; something pretty to look at but nothing of real value. But this was different.

Matthews was a thief. That's how he survived. Otherwise, he had no job and no income. He could have easily swiped this off someone rich, but… no. This was just too specific. The heart shape, the inset diamond, the inscription… this thing was unique. There was no way he could have stolen this.

"Heh," he said sheepishly, shuffling around awkwardly. "Took me forever to pick enough pockets to cover that. But… you seem like the expensive type." I'd forgotten that he could read minds. Suddenly, his expression shifted to something more… serious? Huh. Weird.

"Look, Rouge..." he started. "I know I ain't the most honest guy out there, but I really mean it when I say that I'm sorry. I hate that I made you feel so bad.

"And I ain't gonna lie…" he continued, staring at the floor. "I like you. A lot. I've seen who you really are, you ain't as bad as folks make you out to be. It ain't fair, all the flack they give you. And before you say anything," he said quickly as I opened my mouth to reply, "I'm sorry that I've been so… pushy. That… that wasn't cool. And if you really ain't interested, I promise I'll back off. Okay?"

"I…" I trailed off, searching for the words but finding none. Matthews… was acting like a normal person. Not some pervy street rat. Not the desperate stalker. Not even that sky-high acid trip version. This was just… sweet. Thoughtful.

"I'd… I'd better get going," he said, moving to leave. "Pockets to pick, brothers to find, and all that jazz. Well… See ya around, Angel."

Angel. He hadn't called me that since the Meerkats disaster.

"Matthews, I-" I started, but quickly cut myself off; He was already gone.

Typical. I tried to land another punch at the bag, but my arms felt weak. I held up the locket to examine it one more time, admiring the delicate intricacies of the design. Suddenly, something caught my eye; on the back of the locket, the almost hypnotic swirling pattern had smoothed out, and yet another soft etching had been carved there:

Two angel wings.

This time, I kicked the punching bag straight into the wall.

XXX

Amy's POV:

Nearly three days after the… incident, I found Tails flattening a long sheet of metal in his workshop. On second thought, flattening wasn't exactly what he was doing. He was just whacking it over and over again with a sledgehammer, causing more lumps then anything. He was breathing hard; how long had he been doing this? Knowing him, probably hours. Most likely this wasn't even his first sheet of metal.

I plastered a hopeful smile on my face and wandered over, "Hey, Tails. Um… Whatcha doin'?" He glared up at me, clearly not in the mood for a heart-to-heart.

My smile faded. "Tails, it's been three days. I know that you're upset about… them," I said, careful not to mention Sonia or Manic. I'd seen how he reacted that night, and it… wasn't pretty. "But you know that you can always talk to me about it, right?"

He rammed the hammer down on the metal again, the resulting clang echoing around his workshop. "Go away, Amy."

"Well, he is certainly 'up in the dumps'." said a silvery voice in the back of my head.

I mentally told Rin to shut up and redirected my attention back to Tails. "Listen Tails, locking yourself in your workshop and brooding isn't going to help anyone. Talk to me!"

Tails set down his sledgehammer and scowled. "About what?" he snapped, the irritation in his tone stabbing at me like a needle. "What am I supposed to talk about, Amy? The fact that Sonic has been hiding everything about himself from me? That he lied to me?"

"Technically, he didn't lie. He just... didn't tell the whole truth."

His glare narrowed. He turned back to the metal and gave it another hard whack.

"...Sorry. Not helping." I sat down on a workbench, folding my hands in my lap. "I'm… I'm just saying you need to look at this from Sonic's perspective. Like… say you had a sibling who died and you were really, really sad about it, would you tell Sonic about them?"

Tails looked at me incredulously, "Yes."

"Oh, really? You wouldn't want to keep it to yourself?" There goes my analogy.

"No. Quit acting like you know what you're talking about," he said, his voice unusually cold. No, not cold- empty.

"...Tails?" I said simply, my voice barely audible.

I flinched as his sledgehammer slammed down on the table, forming a good-sized dent in his worktable. He was trembling slightly; silent tears were running down his cheeks.

"That's just it," he muttered, clenching his teeth. "I told him everything. EVERYTHING!" he shouted. "All the things I would have never let anyone else know! My mom is dead! My dad hated my guts and probably still does- if he's not dead from alcohol poisoning by now! My sister threw herself off a bridge! I'm a two-tailed, mutated freak of nature! It's a chaos-cursed miracle that I lived to meet him at all! I trusted him, Amy!" he yelled, the stream of tears freely flowing down his face now. "And he can't even bring himself to tell me something as basic as him having a family once upon a time! And he says we're brothers!"

I was stunned; His parents? His… sister? Since when did Tails have a sister, much less one who jumped off a- Oh. Oh, chaos. I'm officially the worst friend ever.

Tails continued whacking at his metal, each word pounded out. "So what does that make me? A replacement? Something he has around to make him feel validated? A… a fake?"

I needed to sign up for more psychology courses. Or just leave it to the professionals. A GUN psychiatrist would do him some good. "Tails," I began slowly. "Maybe he didn't want to tell you… because he didn't want… to scare you."

Tails slammed his hammer down on the table. "Amy, I have fought against evil mad men who have wanted to destroy the world. I have nearly been tortured to death multiple times. Not to mention I have to constantly deal with a stupidly irresponsible brother who always seems to be disappearing on me. Whaddaya want from me? Should I be relaxed? Okay with all this? Should I?"

"Tails, has it ever occurred to you that Sonic didn't want to lose you to Robotnik too?" I burst out. "His whole family was killed by that man. Call it a hunch, but I don't think he wanted to lose you to the same guy!"

"Then maybe he should have warned me!" Tails whirled around, glaring at me with anger, " 'Hey, Tails! My parents and siblings were killed by Robotnik! You should be careful around him!' That was literally all he had to say! Done, signed, sealed, delivered. I wouldn't need anything else. THAT WAS IT!" He slammed his fist on the table.

I didn't move for a moment, watching Tails breathe heavy as the dangerous gleam in his eyes died down. I had to remind myself that he was only twelve. He was still just a kid. A kid that I'd known for years, and I knew that underneath that anger was fear. Fear of losing the only real family he ever had. What everyone in Team Sonic was afraid of. I walked forward slowly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed, but didn't flinch.

"Tails… he still loves you, you know."

The fox looked at me, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. I bit down on my lower lip, letting free a gentle smile, "You mean everything to him. I know that he'd never try to hurt you on purpose."

Tails quickly looked away, rubbing his eyes. He didn't speak for a moment, but when he did, his voice was shaking, threatening tears. "I… I need to get back to work. Th-thanks for stopping by, Amy."

He turned his back to me, grasping the sledgehammer but not picking it up; The conversation was over. I quietly said goodbye, leaving Tails to his sheet of metal. I wasn't sure if I had helped or not, but... at least I tried.

Time to deal with a completely different issue. "Rin, for the first and last time, it isn't 'up in the dumps', it's 'down in the dumps'. That doesn't make any sense."

"Your modern day phrases are… puzzling."

I mentally facepalmed. "Then why in the world do you try and use them?"

"I thought you enjoyed my updated vocabulary, regardless of how flawed this century's manner of speech happens to be."

I rolled my eyes, wandering back to Vanilla and Cream's home. "I like that you are not using 'thee's' and 'thou's' anymore… or at least most of the time. But look, I really don't need you mumbling something about 'the dog is in the bag' or 'lol', especially since we know that Manic can read minds now! He knows about you!"

"Ah, yes. The green warlock who can see the inner demons of the mind and soul. A useful, but rather dangerous gift."

I rubbed my hands together, "Rin, if Sonic or anyone found out about you, I would be shipped to the nearest insane asylum. The fact that he isn't in the mood to tell on me is a miracle in and of itself."

"And Sonic would think you were insane? I would have imagined that he would think better of you, considering your… relationship, so to speak."

I blushed slightly; of course she would bring up Sonic. "It isn't just about him this time," I muttered. Rin didn't answer, but I could practically imagine her silently laughing. I really hated her sometimes.

Having a voice in my head was super annoying.

XXX

Sonic's POV:

Someone once told me that the fear of the dark was irrational. The "dark" is just some nightmareland or monster that lives in a kid's overactive imagination. It couldn't actually hurt you- all it was was the absence of light, and it goes away in the daytime. Darkness is just an obscure part of life that exists. It just wasn't something to be scared of.

That used to make sense to me.

Things were different now. I didn't know what, but something was hiding out there in the forest, staying to the shadows. At first I thought it was just my eyes tricking me, or my lack of sleep was making me see things, but… I could feel it. Every now and then, I could hear the laugh from my dreams echo around me, paralyzing my every nerve; I swear I could feel the temperature drop when it was close.

Night was worse. I always tried to make myself fall asleep before sunset, but I never could- something was keeping me up. The sun's traitorous glares kept my eyes open and sleep elusive from my grasp. And when the sun finally set, my quills would stand on end as I pressed my back into a tree, searching constantly for an enemy that might not even exist.

It felt like the Devil himself had come for a visit. The fog was heavy tonight, clouding my vision; the moon was a sliver in the sky, the little light it provided hardly enough to see what was two inches from my face. The rushing wind hissed in my ear and whispered an eerie song through the leaves; dry branches scratched together, as if knocking on a door for entrance. Entrance I denied.

I sat beneath a towering oak, hugging my legs close to my chest to stay warm. My head was buried in my knees as I tried to keep my breathing steady. I was exhausted, mentally and physically, but somehow too tired to go to sleep. Nothing felt real- more like a never-ending dream than anything. But what did it matter? Nightmares haunted me whether or not I was dreaming.

"I… am going… insane." I mumbled aloud to no one in particular. I wished for someone, anyone, to show up and take me away from this chaos-cursed forest. Heck, if they handed me a rowboat and sent me into the raging sea, I know I'd enjoy it more than here. I wanted out. I'd do anything.

"Aw… that's cute. Do you really still think you have a hope?"

I jumped back, startled; My eyes flicked to my left only to find nothing. As usual.

That same cold laugh sounded from behind me. I whirled around and squinted as hard as I could through the foggy darkness- Nothing. There was never anything.

My knees threatened to buckle under me as I slowly got to my feet, pressing my side against the tree as if it would protect me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I began to ramble under my breath, "Not real. This isn't real. You're just going crazy from being out here for so long… Nothing is wrong, you're fine. Keep it together, Sonic. Nothing is really there. Nothing is wrong. Nothing. All there is is just-"

"Just us, Maurice. Just us."

I flinched, careful to keep my eyes shut tight. It was just the wind. The wind and my crazy, sleep deprived imagination. Nothing was there. Just like the last thousand times.

"Correction- All there is is you, Maurice. Only you. You're alone."

Not real. Not real. Not real.

That cold laugh echoed in my ears, almost as if it was right next to me. "Oh, I assure you, I'm very much real. Just like you. Why don't you open your eyes and see?"

Almost against my will, I slowly opened my eyes. For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of the monster from my dreams, my twisted mirror image. But nothing was there. I grabbed my head and shook it hard, trying to force myself back into focus. "Not real, not real, not real."

"Hmm… Are you sure?"

"GO AWAY!" I shouted, gripping my skull like it was going to explode. I whirled around and accidentally fell forward, quickly picking myself up and sprinting through the pitch-black forest; I rammed my head against a tree before I even knew what I was doing or who I was running from. All I knew was I wanted- no, I needed to get away. I had to get away.

But the laughter followed me no matter where I ran, ringing in my ears so loudly I felt I was going deaf. In my head, I begged for the voice to stop, to disappear, to shut up, but it only grew louder; every time I closed my eyes, it's face appeared, a terrifying parody of me, always laughing, laughing laughing…

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I cried, my voice breaking as I fell to my knees, clutching my stomach and feeling like I was going to puke.

"You're even dumber than I thought, Maurice…"

"... Please… No more..." I pleaded, the fight all but gone from me. I couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough to fight it, not fast enough to run away.

"Aw, you poor kid. I almost feel bad for you, but... You of all people should know that you can't run from yourself."

I was somewhere between reality and nightmareland, hardly conscious as hugged myself tighter and tighter; I wished I could squeeze myself into nothing. Being nothing would feel better than this... Was I nothing? I couldn't tell. The trees, the ground, the sky… they swirled around me in a nauseating kaleidoscope of senses. What was real? What wasn't? Was anything real at all? I didn't know. I didn't know anything anymore.

No. I knew one thing.

I was screaming.

XXX

And… that's a wrap! That was fun. We had some romantic fluff, family fluff/angst, and slowly breaking characters. All in all, lots of fun. A bit short, but this is more of a character chapter than anything. ...Chaos, I love character chapters.

For those of you not familiar with Rin, just a reminder/a little summary. Rin is a separate person to Amy. She is trapped in a ring that Amy cannot take off her wrist. Think the Omnitrix, sans alien powers. Rin gives Amy her hammer and a few other physical enhancements- like the strength to wield it. So in short, AMY IS NOT INSANE. No schizos here, folks. If you want the full story, read Shattered Thorns.

And I just found irony. Chaos, what did we do now?

Hope y'all enjoyed. See ya next chapter!

(Suggested Listening: "World War Me"- Theory of a Deadman)