A/N:Holy gingerbread frappuccino, guys :D! This is it!! INTENSE!! YEEAAHH!!... the English language just ran out of exclamation points X.X. Okay, I'm stealing the Polish's exclamation points. !! much better D!!! This is amazinglicious. As I was saying… last chapter! WHO WANT NON-ALCOHOLIC CHAMPAGNE :D?!

--LA

P.S: Happy flippin' birthday, sonicliveson :D! LURVEEE Em's loveees youuu! This chapter's dedicated to you, baby C:!

Last one... see it's now, after my non-alcoholic champagne buzz dies, off that I'm starting to get sad! I'm going to miss you guys :o! I've got such a glorious group of reviewers :D! I ADORE YOU GUYS! Sniffle D:! I owneth absolutely no one except for The Gabster, Felix and Leah.

The time was five-seventeen P.M. Eight months and twenty-one days had passed. The sun was setting as it had every evening of Hina's life. All in all, that day had been perfectly normal, and a dinner get-together had seemed like the perfect finish. No drama, no heartbreak, no world domination attempts. And everyone was happy as they sat together in the cozy kitchen laughing and joking. Felix and Leah were relaxing on the couch watching movies, and Rouge had excused herself to go to the washroom as she so frequently needed to.

"So then," Sonic went on happily, recounting an amazing story starring himself, featuring very extravagant arm gestures. "I ran circles around him and he crashed right into the statue's a-"

"Hey, it was really dark!" Knuckles countered angrily.

Everyone laughed except for the echidna, towards whom the anecdote had been aimed. Suddenly, a yelp came from the hallway, followed by an angry-sounding shout.

"This kid," Rouge groaned, slouching into the kitchen with her arms wrapped around her spherical belly, "is driving me off the wall."

"It'll be worth it." Amy told her soothingly, pulling out a chair for the bat.

"Thanks, hun." She said wearily, plopping into the seat. They chatted amiably for several more minutes, until Hina opened her mouth and spoke in her gentle voice.

"Have you thought of any names for the baby yet, Rouge, Knuckles?"

She had changed again a few times over the last several months, and now appeared unusually stretched out, as if – as Knuckles had said – her body had tried to squeeze years of life into a short spurt of time.

"Well," the echidna said, his face going crimson. "We were thinking Echo for a boy."

"Aww!" cooed Cream, wagging her legs under the chair in adoration. "How cute!"

"It's not a boy, though." Rouge said with a little laugh. "I can feel it."

"Well, what did you have in mind for a girl?" asked Amy in interest, yawning.

Rouge smiled at Tails. "Well, we like Cosmo."

Tails blinked. He absolutely forbid his eyes to shed tears. 'No…'he thought firmly… Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hina watching him with an unusual look on her face.

"That's really nice." He told the couple with an attempt as a genuine smile. Of course, he was completely honored, but he had yet to get over being without his friend.

"Actually," The bat continued, "it was Knuckles' idea."

The echidna's face, if possible, flushed even deeper red. He mumbled something inaudibly, crossing his arms sulkily.

"Isn't he such a sweetheart?" Rouge asked playfully, pinching Knuckles' cheek.

Cream looked slightly confused. She certainly wouldn't have described him as a sweetheart…

"Forget it, Cream." Sonic chuckled, winking at the bunny. She smiled at him.

"Okay, Mr. Sonic."

Leah's scream carried from the living room, making a few of them jump. She, too, had grown, although it was hardly noticeable. She had only stretched a few centimeters, but took any opportunity to show off her height. She dashed into the room, her legs moving at a speed that could rival Sonic's beneath her skinny body.

"HE CUT HIS HAND OFF!" She shrieked, hopping up and down and looking horrified. Everyone leapt to their feet, Gabrielle at the head of the pack, sprinting in terror. Sonic, however, stayed seated at the table, chuckling and shaking his head in amusement.

"Sorry." He called in amusement. Rouge, who waddled at the posterior of the group, turned to face him. "A little magic trick I taught Felix." He explained.

A moment later, the frightened mob returned to the kitchen, a few looking relieved, and Knuckles just looking pissed-off at being torn out of his comfortable seat.

"So…" Amy said conversationally after the group had settled again. "Cosmo is a pretty name."

"Tails…" Sonic said gently, placing a hand on his friend's arm. Though the others were chatting amiably, the hedgehog had noticed instantly that the fox was upset. "C'mere for a sec."

The moment they stepped out of the room, Tails couldn't bear to hold in his tears any longer. He sobbed softly for a moment, Sonic standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I could've stopped her, Sonic." The fox choked.

"Tails," Sonic replied with brotherly squeeze, "you know she did what she had to do."

"And I'm going to loose Hina." he went on, partly ignoring the hedgehog.

"C'mon, buddy." Sonic said gently. The two returned to the kitchen.

At the moment they both set down, another spasm of gripping pain clutched Rouge's abdomen. She grabbed Knuckles' arm in a deadly grip, pulling his face down close to her, and spoke through gritted teeth.

"We're going."

"Rouge…"

"Now would be good!"

The time was three-fifty-five A.M. Rouge's chest was heaving, her eyes closed from exhaustion. Though she couldn't know it, as her senses were dulled from the many drugs she had been given, the room was filled with several anxious friends.

"Rouge?"

For a split second she didn't recognize the voice, but it made a smile prick onto her limp face.

"Knuckles?" She whispered, too fatigued to speak loudly.

"It's a girl." He told her softly.

Eyes still shut, an incredible, maternal happiness that she had never before experienced melting onto her, she reached for her baby. Downy soft fur met her fingertips.

And then the time was three fifty-nine.

The time was twelve-twenty A.M. Hina had been sitting alone for more than three hours. The adults had departed in a hurry, and though they hadn't disclosed a reason to Hina, she had figured had something to do with Rouge, considering they had crowded around her pained form while hurrying out the door. It had irritated her that they didn't believe that she was old enough to accompany them.

A few hours after, Felix and Leah had dropped off to sleep. Hina still had mixed feelings towards the both of them; it was almost awkward to be stuck babysitting her childhood friends.

Not that she had had much of a childhood.

Quarter after twelve.

She was starting to get tired, but couldn't bring herself to move from her content perch on the couch.

Instead, she fell into silent thought. There was one thing which had been nagging at her mind all evening: That look on Tails' face. She had never seen him look so heartbroken as he had when Rouge mentioned Cosmo. Though no one else had seemed to notice, Hina could see that he had still not let go his misery.

He had loved her, and it was painfully obvious.

Hina sighed, slouching back in the couch and tucking her legs underneath her. In all honesty, she was certain that the others hid things from her. She had overheard snippets of information over the months…

"How much time?" and "When will it happen?" were frequently asked questions when the adults thought Hina was asleep. She could put two and two together. Something, though she had no idea what, was going to happen to her. And every time she heard the question asked, the answer (always from Knuckles) was similar.

"I don't know, but she's getting bigger."

No kidding.

"So I think she's running out of time."

Twelve-forty.

Hina sighed. Her mind returned to Tails' crushed expression. She desperately wanted to give his Cosmo back to him somehow.

If something happened to her, and it would, then that would only bring more distress to Tails; the one she admired and adored more than any other. It broke her heart to think such a thing.

At twelve forty-two, an idea began to form, almost on its own accord, in the back of her head.

She stepped nimbly onto her feet and tiptoed to the workshop, her destination being the dusty old time-machine. It sat, never used, tucked in a corner, though Tails had completed it months in the past. It had ended up being much larger than Tails had anticipated; too large, in fact to fit out the door. So instead of locking it away, he had made it very clear that she was not to use it. Some nonsense about the fabric of the universe.

But she was confident that Mipro had built it perfectly… it would, without a doubt, work flawlessly.

She stepped inside the massive machine and through the doorway. It was the first time she had ever been in its interior, though she had spent lots of time staring at its walls when she was younger.

It was much more cramped than she would have imagined upon entering the photo booth-like door, and only housed a small stool upholstered with white leather.

Hina felt unusual. Her head was dizzy, and felt only half-there. She squinted and leaned in to view a complex computer screen before her. A smile broke across her face. Mipro had labeled each button as a time in his life in minuscule text. It was even, she noticed in amusement, colour coded. Blue talked of Sonic, pink of Amy, and most of the others based on their fur colour.

She was tempted to read through every button; they were a summary of Tails' life, which she knew very little about.

Her head was beginning to feel fuzzy, as if there was a plastic bubble around it insulating all of her senses.

She scanned the keys. She had no idea what colour Cosmo would be; Mipro had always changed the subject every time she tried to bring up her mother. But she thought it was safe to guess that she would probably be green.

For the first three rows, no shades of green came up. It wasn't until the late fourth row that a pretty emerald green showed up. She leaned in to examine the text.

'Cosmo crashed'.

Crashed? Hina was curious. She continued to read through the events containing her mother, which grew more and more frequent as she read on. They were mostly written in simple statements, so Hina had no idea about any details which occurred during the events: 'planned party' and 'shadow pursued' were just a couple of the green snippets.

Hina halted when she noticed no more green; the end of a saga. The final emerald words read simply: 'goodbye'.

That was Hina's destination in time. She would go back and stop Cosmo from being hurt. Even if that meant Hina herself could not live. She loved her Mipro and believed that he deserved to be with Cosmo.

She reached out her arm and, with a trembling finger, pressed down'goodbye'.

It was three fifty-nine.

Hina emerged very unceremoniously on her back, feeling cool metal beneath her. She hopped to her feet and quickly dashed under a nearby table to gather her bearings; being seen would ruin everything. She took a quaky breath, glancing around to ensure that the coast was clear. Not a soul was in sight, but she could hear voices carrying from down a metallic hallway.

Suddenly, bizarre blue waves echoed across the room in an endless torrent. Hina was afraid, but unaffected. She heard moans and yells of anguish, recognizing their voices. It broke her heart to hear her friends in such pain.

It was time to act. Actually, she had no idea what the time was, or even the date. All she knew was that now was her chance to save Cosmo. She sprinted down the hallway until she reached a large, semicircular room, and pressed her body into the shadows to remain out of sight.

Several figures were crumpled over in pain, but one remained standing. She spoke, her blue eyes looking determined but calm.

"I am unaffected," she said. Hina watched her mother in admiration and awe. "I will go."

She left before Hina had a chance to think out a plan.

The daughter sprung to her feet, feeling confident that the animals were too disabled to do anything. She crept after her mother, still not brave enough to call out Cosmo's name. Instead, she just watched in uncertainty as Cosmo left the station and began to climb a great brown vine towards a huge station.

Hina only watched the events that followed, instincts telling her that it was not yet time to go. She pursed her lips and continued to watch until Cosmo began to drift over to the massive walnut-shaped growth. Hina leapt up and followed her mother's path, sprinting out into chilly space. Zero gravity would have made it simple to float after her, but Hina used her powdery bright cloud to zoom herself over.

"Cosmo!" she called. Cosmo froze, and turned slowly. For a moment, she scanned her visitor with a look of suspicious curiosity on her face. Then, mother and daughter exchanged a look of deep meaning. Cosmo understood, and nodded her head slowly.

"Good luck," she whispered, "my daughter…"

The duo switched directions; Cosmo returning to the ship and Hina floating serenely towards the pulsating growth.

"Who is that?" Amy asked Cosmo when she returned, the hedgehog's strength returned.

Cosmo smiled around at her friends.

"She is an angel." She said softly. "A wonderful, beautiful, brave angel." She turned to Tails, and took one of his hands. "I'm proud of you."

The fox looked at her in confusion. "Cosmo…" he said uncertainly, "what are you talking about?"

She beamed at him. "Don't worry."

"Hey!" Rouge said, clapping her hands loudly, "I hate to break up the love fest, but we're running out of time."

Tails nodded, turning his head towards his target in concentration. He shot. And with that, was saved the burden of heartbreak. Hina did her job, and passed happily. However desperately her body had urged, the seeds stowed away in the blossoms on her head had not fully developed. They were never planted, and never grew.

"Is…" Cream squeaked anxiously, holding Cheese to her breast in terror, "is it over?"

Everyone glanced around in hesitation, but Cosmo smiled confidently.

"Yes, it's over."

A/N:It certainly is :). Soo, since Cosmo didn't die, Hina's seed never grew (or Felix's), so all of this never happened. Yeeah :)! See? It's a happyish ending… we lost Hina, but no one was sad about it because she never existed! Plus, we got Cosmo back :3. So don't shoot me. Oh, and Rougie didn't see her baby o.o'. I'm anticipation some hate mail for that XD...

You just wasted half a year of your life C! Well I enjoyed it anyways :). Especially your reviews, everyone. You guys have no idea how much I adore reviews. Like I throw a temper tantrum when I see silly chain letters in my inbox, because I'm all GASPO :0! ONE EMAIL ?! REVIEW?! But then it's not and I cry XD. I apologize for ending so yuckily, but I do try :\...

Okayy… so if you read this far, you are a wonder. Kudos, and thank you. Please review :).

I love you guys :). Send me a pm and we'll chat some time :D because I miss the time between stories when I'm cut off from everyone else XD. Don't be shy, I love pm's almost as much as I love reviews.

Thank you guys so much :).

--LA