A/N: Um...I dunno what to say...I'm standing on my computer in my boxers with the biggest fucking bowl of ice cream in front of me. Yum. Anyone like strawberry and chocolate? Yum yum yum.

Alright, lets get these teen hearts beating faster... (I love that song)

Dedicated to Marianne

"Yes, there's something disgusting and repulsive in me. And I don't fit in with other people. It's pride, they say. No, there's no pride in me either. If there were any pride, I wouldn't have put myself into such a position. Yes, she was bound to choose him. It had to be so, and I have nothing and no one to complain about. I myself am to blame. What right did I have to think that she would want to join her life with mine? Who am I? And what am I? A worthless man, of no use to anyone or for anything."

-From the classic novel: Anna Karenina

Sonic the Hedgehog closed his eyes, feeling the blessed numbness sweep over his worn form like a beating wave as he fell face down into the dirt.

The snow was cold and seemed to creep under his gloves and soak the tips of his fingers, and down to his curled toes, freezing them like rigor mortis on a corpse. He almost gave a laugh at the comparison, as if they were two separate things, when in truth they were so, so close. His voice rolled on as an agonized moan, dragging like a ghostly wail that echoed throughout the entire clearing.

His stomach beat against his sides in absolute and utter hunger, having been denied proper care for the past couple of years. It was amazing that he was still alive; the image of his body was frightening with self-induced torture. He wished he could give his body what it needed, oh what he would give to make them both happy!

He imagined her face in between the fleeting flashes of pain, her eyes so unbelievably dazzling. Sonic felt the smallest, sudden touch, and he noticed how warm it was, stroking the line of his jaw, at the spaces between his ribs and tenderly nuzzling his cheek. This touch, so heavenly loving, so wanted. He wondered if maybe he had already gone cold, in comparison to the heated contact. The soothing smell came to his senses immediately, and the moment it registered, his body jerked in desperation and shock. His head lifted, his eyes snapping open in disbelief.

It couldn't be her, could it?

His vision was blurred, the figure practically a brush that barely contrasted to the white scenery. His hand shook as it fought to touch it, keeping his hand on it long enough to feel features he knew. A small round nose, warm finely tuned cheeks, and doe-shaped eyes. His hand fell, now useless.

No matter, he knew who it was.

As the touch came again, it wrapped its arms around him, as he closed his eyes once more, a tear slipping and landing on the snow.

I thought you hated me, he resisted saying, but it filled his mind. He began to cry, opening under her care like a wilted flower to water. He felt it feel his bones, sinking into his veins and warming him bitterly, all too late. The darkness seemed to be catching up, even as he fought it, the first time in years. No, he cried, I just got her back. I can't lose her.

He took a chilling breath, thinking that this was worth dying for. She was worth dying for. Hadn't he proved that countless times? Didn't he try to tell her once? After the wake of a disaster, only to have her withdraw and leave, which lead to his demise, eventually. He thought of her face after he had kissed her, terrified, cornered, hurt and wishing. He remembered when he had tried to bandage her bloody hand, how her skin inched away from him in horror though she did not move an inch.

How could someone who coaxed him entire life to love, be so pained when he finally did? How could she care for him, and leave when she realized he felt the same way? He thought of her, beautiful and devastating, his other half.

And whether she wanted to admit it, he knew, and he would take it to his grave. That Amy Rose, though she was good and kind and lovely and precious, was also a skilled deceiver.

Nathaniel knew how to do a lot of things.

For starters, he knew how to use good manners and how to set up the table for dinner time. He knew how to color inside the lines in his coloring book, and he knew how to read the first three sentences in his 'Mickey Mouse Playtime' book. He knew how to wash off his plate when he was done eating, he knew how to swim without his floaties, and he even knew how to make his bed and tie his shoes.

But, never, did he ever, know what to do when his sister was crying.

She lay in the snow, bent over while holding onto her stomach, her curls falling over her face like a shield between them. His mother stood a couple of feet away, panting and wiping her cheek, which sported a gash that trickled out blood, scaring him. As he stared, he felt himself taking a step back. What had happened? His limbs were failing, his body too big for him, his mind scrambling for the right decision. One minute, Naomi had been waving something at them. The next...this. Everyone silent, in pain, staring at him.

Him.

Did he do something wrong?

Why, could he not, remember?

Why did it feel like his body was completely drained?

His eyes dilated as his mother lifted her face to look at him. He flinched, expecting her to yell, expecting to be punished though he didn't know why. But as she stepped towards him, she fell onto her knees and wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him like he was a second life-line. She pulled him closer to her, though he did not respond, his arms glued to his sides, while he merely stood still as she started to cry. She whispered into him like a prayer. "My whole heart." she was saying, as she cried. "Please." she was sobbing. "Please..." she said this over and over, like a mantra.

Naomi was struggling to stand, her hands still pulsing around her flat and hurt stomach. As she stared at him, he saw past his mother's thick pink hair and watched her expression turn soft and sorry. Like she was feeling sympathy, for him. His teeth gritted in frustration. He ducked his head into his mother's shoulder, ashamed and withdrawn.

Why were they looking at him so weird? Like he was going to cry? He pouted. Didn't they know that only cry-babies actually did that? Didn't they know that crying was stupid? That it made you look dumb, and little? Like you were a baby all over again! His eyes narrowed, suddenly disgusted.

"Mama?" he managed, lifting his face to her, calling her by a title he had given her himself. His eyes stared at her like she was someone he did not know. "What did I do?" he asked, his voice edging into confusion. As she looked at him, her tear-filled eyes softened and her mouth parted. When she said nothing, he moved his hand and gently traced the gash on the side of her face. "Did I do bad?" he asked, face concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

This seemed to break her. As she buried her face back into him, she shook her head in denial. "No, Nathaniel." she told him, swallowing. "No. You didn't. It was an accident. That's all. An accident."

He blinked. "Oh." then, he frowned. "I wanna go home now." he declared, eyes resolved.

Amy scooped him up in her arms, before extending her free hand and managing to hold onto Naomi as well. "Come on." she whispered lowly, as she smiled. "We don't want to catch a cold, now, do we?"

Nathaniel shook his head. Naomi smiled. "Nuh-uh." she replied enthusiastically. As she talked on the way home, the accident was soon forgotten, as they giggled so hard their sides hurt, weaving dreamy tales about what they would do on Christmas, which included making smores on the fireplace and opening presents.

As Amy listened, she thought, only:

I am as happy as I can be, almost.

Sonic stirred, his mind slowly re-booting itself like a worn computer, as he opened his eyes to see that he was, in fact, not in the middle of the clearing.

What? He blinked, his mind becoming more alert. Then where am I? He thought, as he coughed weakly.

No, he was definately not in the forest. But inside a home, on a couch. He felt numb, unable to move, and when he tried wiggling his toes, he was surprised to find that he was wrapped in soft blankets, the heat from a crackling fire feeling a lot like redemption on his freezing form. He swallowed, the realization dawning on him, instantly bittering. So he was still alive...his heart stretched in dissapointment, and he knew that he had been fed, for his stomach was calm and dorment for the time being. He leaned his head away from the sight of the house, sighing.

Then, in a flash, he remembered the touch. The person he had recognized, and the smell that he had longed for since their seperation.

"Amy!" he gasped out, before he heard the sound of footsteps as he whipped his head around, expecting to see her there. A smile died at his lips as the figure before him became visible in his foggy vision. It was not Amy. He frowned and let his dead drop back onto the pillow in defeat. In frustration, he huffed. The figure came closer to him, an old woman with honey skin and a small petite form. Her dark hair was in a long braid, her black eyes watching him carefully.

Wait...

Sonic watched the old woman, seeing her face and placing each individual facial feature. The same ones he had claimed to know in the forest, and as the woman sat down on a stool beside the couch, he felt his soul yearn as he thought, simply: she bears an uncanny resemblance.

"I see you're awake." the old woman greeted him, and as she sat down a bowl of steaming water on the table in front of him, she dipped a white washcloth into it, and proceeded to wring it out, carefully and with a purpose. As she set it on his forehead, he shivered, before his eyes softened. His voice strained awfully so, barely audible as he whispered to her.

"You look..." he stopped, before he frowned and looked away. "...like someone." he whispered, finishing.

The woman gave a smile that lit her eyes. "So do you." she laughed. Before stopping and taking various herbs from her pocket and began mixing them in the bowl, talking to fill the silence. "I tell you, I've never seen someone survive a beating like that. I found you in the forest, bruises all over you, barely able to move. At first I thought I had come too late..." she smiled even softer, breaking his bitter shield. "This mixture will help your body adjust. Don't want you going into septic shock, now, do we?"

Sonic swallowed. "Why would you help me?" he managed. "Don't you know who I am? What I've done?"

The woman took the bowl, and began flickering some of the mixture on him, her bracelets ringing as she flicked her wrist. She took awhile before she sighed. "Yes, I do." she answered him, before she briskly added. "Now, would you like some hot chocolate? Or maybe some tea?"

Sonic stared. "I don't understand." he searched, desperate. "How could you help me? After all that I let happen?"

The woman scrunched up her nose, the exact same way Amy used to. Every movement she made was unbelievably mimicking, even as she blinked and replied gingerly. "It's called mercy. It's being kind and sympathetic, and understanding." she frowned in disapproval. "Oh, how the youth is wasted on the young." as she waved, she stared at his face and smiled once more. She seemed to do a lot of that. "Don't you know how to be saved?" she giggled. "Don't you know what it's like to have a hero instead of being the hero?"

Sonic clutched at the blankets. 'Amy...'

"Someone saved me once," he whispered, looking away.

"Twice." The woman corrected, her bronze skin glowing under the fire's light. Sonic could not help but leak out a wavering grin. As the woman stood up, she clapped her hands. "Alright, lunch is almost ready! I'll bring it up for you!" she turned to leave, already starting to walk away.

"Wait!" Sonic called weakly. As she turned, he allowed himself to mutter out. "Thank you...Miss...uh..."

The woman relaxed, telling him. "Rosalina." she spoke as she watched his face. "Just call me Rose."

Through the capsule that contained their preserved bodies, Tails watched the still faces of all his friends that had been killed.

His time chambers had been a success, and to his amazement, none of them had aged a day, neither Knuckles nor Shadow nor Cream. They all looked exactly like they did before, merely sleeping as if they could wake at any moment. From here, with only the glass between them, they looked alive, almost.

But almost wasn't good enough. Not for him. Not for Cream.

Not for Rouge, not for Ruby.

Why couldn't they see that he was trying to make them happy again?

He swallowed as he turned, seeing Dr. Robotnik and their newest machine.

This was the right thing.

He didn't want to hurt the kids, not anymore. He didn't care about the prophecy, he didn't care that he was going to be the reason millions died.

All he wanted was her. Just to spend his numbered days with her.

She made him smile. She made him happy. He would not let her slip away.

His throat closed as he heard the little girl scream.

It was the right thing.

He turned back to the capsules, watching them. For some reason, they were all smiling, as if death was a pleasurable thing. Cream looked rested, bubbly, and joyous again.

He smiled.

If only he could keep all of them like this. Cast in amber, happy forever.

He closed his eyes.

This, he was certain, was the right thing to do.

A/N: azngirlchibi really, really likes The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass.

That is all.

Anonymous Reviews:

Triumvirus: That's an extremly depressing idea... I can't really say anything without giving anything away... But technically, they already are destroying their world, since over half of them is dead now anyway, so... I have no idea where I'm going with this either, but I can't say anything without giving anything away XD Thanks for reading, anyway!

Ciel: Do you mean, "Persephone?" 'Cause I do read her fics every now and then :) I loved "Black Coffee" XD I was thinking that too many of the characters are getting depressing and everything, so it'd be nice if at least one of the characters recovered somewhat. Why Rouge? I dunno. I've always like her, though others would probably more than disagree with me XD Can't say much more though, unless you want to be spoiled silly X) Thanks for reading!

The Queen of Aces

azngirlchibi