A/N: YAY! New chapter! I got tired of studying for my exams (we had two Snow Days in a row... so all exams were pushed to next week DX) and putting this up was my idea of a break... XD.
OH! And I found a new anime/manga to obsess over - "Full Moon wo Sagashite!" Hee hee, I must spread my happiness to the whole world XD And just to clarify for the upcoming quote, "Shinigami" are basically "Death Gods" that come to guide/collect your soul when you die in Japanese culture. I hope I got that right...
Still, hope you guys will enjoy this chapter, wherever you are! Hope you're not experiencing crazy weather like I am...
Dedicated to Marianne
"The reason why I decided to live even if I lose my voice was because of Takuto and everyone. I thought that by living, I could create the chance that they could be angels instead of shinigami. Because I want to believe that pure and kind people are especially the ones that deserve happiness. I will live."
-Mitsuki from "Full Moon wo Sagashite."
azngirlchibi
'The colour of your eyes… what were they again?'
He traced the glass softly with one finger, a daily ritual of his now. A torturing ritual that felt like he was ripping out his heart over and over again – but it was the only thing connecting it to her now.
And if the only thing connecting them was pain… he would do it.
He would rip out his heart over and over again, just so that he knew he was still connected to her.
He sat down in front of her, watched as her long rabbit ears floated around her like a halo. She was smiling like she was happy, and it bothered him deeply. What was so happy about death? What was so happy about never seeing the people you love ever again?
'Answer me, will you, Cream? Why are you happy?'
He half-expected for her eyes to fly open, for her to giggle at him for his foolishness.
'Are you happy… being away from me?'
He tried to imagine it – how it would be like when she woke up. How her eyes would light up, how she would rush into his arms, how he would hear her laugh again and make his heart beat so quickly that he would have no doubt that he was alive for that very moment.
"Tails, it's ready."
Tails barely gave the portly old doctor any sign of recognition. "Give me a few more moments," he whispered.
He heard Eggman's heavy footsteps stomp away as he stood up. He traced the glass again – ripped his heart open again, before giving her one final, long glance.
'I'm going to win,' thought Tails, his namesakes twitching at the promise. 'I'm going to win.'
'But… if you win, I still lose.'
Tails shook his head furiously. "You're wrong Cream…" He clenched his fist against the glass. "I'll win for the both of us… Cream…"
He turned away. It was finally time for him to win this war.
'And then… I'll finally see you open your eyes again.'
"Hey Amy. It's me, Tails. I hope you can hear this television broadcast, wherever you guys are."
"… Rouge? What are you watching? Did I just hear my name?"
"… The government was kind enough to intercept all television signals so I can get this message out to you…'
"Rouge?!" Amy ran in from the twin's room, only to find the bat staring at the screen in shock. "R-Rouge? What's happening?" She ran up to the bat, shaking her shoulder roughly. "Snap out of it!" she commanded.
Rouge blinked out of her daze. "A-Amy? I…"
"… so I really hope you get this message. First off, I hope you're doing fine, and the kids too. It must be hard being a runaway, especially with all the nations in the world after you. You know that in one country, you have a one million dollar price on your head?"
"… Tails…?" Amy blinked at the screen, dumbfounded for a few moments, her mind reeling. 'Tails… what… he… can't… be…'
But it was him. Bedraggled looking, fur unkempt, and tired-looking, but still the same Tails she had known from three years ago. The one who had stared up at her with his big, blue eyes and had innocently said that his dream was to build an airplane that could catch up to Sonic, so that he could stay with his best friend forever.
'… Same? This… this can't be the same one…'
What had she thought he'd look like? More… menacing, perhaps? More psychotic? Unable to form whole sentences?
"Amy!" She felt a shake to her shoulder wake her up. "Amy, I swear I knew nothing about this! He… didn't say anything… about this! I swear!"
"Calm down!" Amy snapped, her control returning. She clutched the edge of the television screen, willing herself to breathe normally as the bat stared at her in fear, as if she would explode and kill Rouge merely for not knowing anything. "I believe you… just… calm down…"
"But before we talk about you, Amy, I want to talk to Rouge."
Amy felt the bat stiffen beside her.
"Rouge, I know you betrayed me."
Dead silence. Amy noted that the fox was smiling, as if he knew the bat was cowering in his power at the moment. "How… did he know?" Rouge whispered, her voice shaking.
"I had you bugged, of course. I knew that for your daughter, you would betray me in a heartbeat." The camera had a close up of his face as the little fox calmly addressed the lenses. "Just so you know, Amy, the bug had already deactivated itself automatically ten minutes ago, but I've heard enough to know that Rouge clearly isn't on my side at the moment. But since the bug is gone, there's no need to cut Rouge into little pieces to look for it."
"C-Cut… into… little pieces?" Amy shook. He thought he knew her well, did he?
"Don't worry, Rouge. Your daughter's still safe… and still calling me 'Uncle' too, I may add." The fox smirked widely.
Amy was surprised out of her anger when Rouge suddenly jumped up. "B-Bastard!" she yelled at the screen, fire coating her every word. "I betrayed you? You betrayed us! You… You…"
"Rouge, I said to stay calm!" The pink hedgehog grabbed Rouge's arm, restraining her as she continued screaming incoherent words.
"That's enough for Rouge. Now you, Amy."
Amy didn't even notice that Rouge had suddenly stopped moving. She felt herself being unwilling drawn to what Tails had to say, and didn't even realize that her arms had dropped to her sides.
"Amy, you know everything now – or at least, you think you do." He looked down as he said his next words, "I'm not a fool. I know not to underestimate you, and I know that right now, you have everything you need to get rid of me." He looked at the screen now, and it felt as if he really was staring at her this time. "… Almost."
"Almost…?" Amy repeated, blinking.
"I still hold one card, and it's still important, even if you may think otherwise." The fox tapped his head with another cheeky smile. "… I have Sonic."
"Amy!"
Amy gasped, willing herself to keep collected, to reign in her emotions. Rouge was holding her shoulders tightly and trying to help her off the floor. When had she fallen?
"I have Sonic, Amy. I'm winning."
'No… way!' Her body screamed for her to sit down, but she forced herself up, using Rouge as a support. She took another wheeze of oxygen. 'I'm not going to let him win so easily!'
"If you think this is a bluff, you are free to do so. But… you can't take the chance Amy. In this game, taking chances means risking your life."
"You… don't think I know that, you bastard of a fox?" She managed to get out, shrugging herself out of Rouge's grip. She narrowed her eyes at the screen. "So you have Sonic, so what?" she asked, forgetting that he couldn't hear her. "What do you think I'm going to do?"
"From what I heard, you no longer love Sonic, do you?" The fox frowned. "I honestly didn't believe you at first. I still don't, but you sound so sure of yourself. That doesn't matter – it seems like you're still searching for him nonetheless. I don't understand why. Lucky for you."
"M-Mommy?" Nathaniel appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, staring wide-eyed at the pair of women who looked like they had been slapped across the face.
"G-Go to sleep, Nathan," Amy ordered, trying to sound firm.
"Oh, I know where you are right now too, I should add."
Amy's eyes widened. "No…"
"M-Mommy?" stuttered Nathan, completely bewildered. "What's happening?" he demanded, running up to her and tugging at her shirt.
"The bug was also a tracker, Amy. I could be coming for you any second now." Tails spread out his arms, and shrugged. "But I rather wait here comfortably, so we can fight at my own terrain."
"Nathaniel, go bring your sister."
"B-"
"Now, Nathan!" Amy commanded, frustration making her voice harsh. Nathaniel ran from her with a frightened look over his shoulder.
"I'd rather not have any paparazzi interference, so I won't give you a specific address to go to. But… you'll know where this place is. You're a smart girl, aren't you Amy?"
'He's talking down to me!' Amy thought with a rush of outrage. "Who does he think he's dealing with?!" she growled. "Does he still think I'm a little girl?"
"Come to the place where we fell apart." Tails's voice was cool, but his eyes seemed to be trying to burn themselves into her memory. "Where we finally stopped looking for you to save you… and where you made the biggest mistake of your life."
Amy threw the television a glare of utter loathing. "What the hell is he talking about?"
Rouge remained silent, her forehead creasing.
"When you get there… I'll be waiting. And we can finally settle things – no more cat and mouse, hmm?" Tails smirked at the camera in triumph. "I have no doubt that you will come… whether it's out of love or need."
"Umm… Umm…"
Amy whirled around, and the twins flinched in unison.
"… I have one more thing to say, before you go."
Amy halted in her steps.
"… We're the same, you and I."
The pink maiden could not explain why a chill of foreboding tingled up her spine.
"We both know that this is no longer about the world, is it?" She heard him sigh. "This is about love… and greed. We've both turned into the most disgusting creatures in living memory, haven't we?"
Amy's head slowly turned around to meet the fox's eyes as everything melted away, leaving only the two of them.
"We're both willing to throw it all away – our own lives, other's lives… we've even trampled on the hearts of people who wanted to do nothing but help us." He laughed openly, freely, as if what he said really was that funny. "I wish I could say sorry to Rouge… but I wouldn't mean it. No matter how hard I try, I have no regrets. You don't either, do you, Amy Rose?"
Sonic's image flashed through her head, even as she tried to wipe it away. 'No…'
"We both just want to protect the ones we love. It's disgusting what we're willing to do… but I don't hate it. Even when I love someone so much, it hurts."
Naomi was bleeding everywhere… all over the place… and as she struggled to help, a pair of hands pried her away and healed the little girl. 'It's not your fault, Amy,' Sonic said, smiling despite of it all – despite everything.
"I love Cream, and you love the twins. How different are we, really? You think I'm insane… so what does that make you, Amy Rose? The saner of the two?"
Her own hand was bleeding now, but even though her hand should've been throbbing, it was her lips that were on fire. Sonic slowly wrapped her hand in bandages, so softly she could almost feel no pain. "I'm sorry, Amy," his eyes said. "I'm sorry for not being good enough for you…"
"You have no right to tell me that, Amy, you little hypocrite. You're willing to kill me, Amy… but have you ever thought that I am willing to kill you?"
Amy was watching over Nathaniel as he eyed Sonic tickling a laughing Naomi. Was this jealousy she sensed? How cute! She laughed, and Sonic looked back at her, and it looked like his whole world had lit up in an instant.
"Ah… but what am I going on about? You're so stubborn; most of this is probably just bouncing off of you anyway."
'I want you to stay the hell away from me, and my family!'
"I'll give you a day, Amy, to carry out this preposition." The fox leaned forward. It seemed as if he had finally gotten to the point of his whole charade. "I won't ask you to exchange the twins for Sonic. I know that you're not dumb enough to do that. I just want you to bring them… whether I can touch them or not is up to you. I just want to see them… and then, I'll give Sonic back to you."
Amy's mouth trembled from the sudden onslaught of memories. "Do you really think that I'd believe you, Tails?" she asked faintly.
"I don't care whether you believe me or not," the fox said, as if in reply. "But… you don't really have a choice in this, do you?"
Amy clutched her fists together. "You…"
"… I think we understand each other. See you in a day."
The screen went black, and then flickered back to the news.
"Amy…" She felt a gloved hand touch her shoulders, but she roughly shook them away. "Amy…" the bat tried again. "What are you going to do?"
"Amy?"
Naomi's huge eyes stared back at her, traces of fear still present, but slowly being eaten away by curiosity. "Were you on t.v?"
Amy's lips trembled. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly trying to constrict itself around her tongue. "In a way…" she whispered. She walked to them, suddenly realizing that they didn't really, truly understand what was happening. They didn't know that their own mother used to be a hero, or that they were in some sort of messed up legend that required them to die.
'They don't know… they don't know anything…'
She pulled them into a hug, and the two looked startled, but returned the embrace. "Are we going to be famous, Mommy?" Nathaniel asked, as completely out of the loop as Naomi was.
"… Yes, Nathan." She forced herself to smile. "We're going to be stars."
"Stars?" Naomi pulled herself out. "Stars? We're gonna be stars!" She danced away, inviting her brother to prance with her.
Nathan laughed. "Singing stars!" He laughed, and they had already forgotten everything, bouncing off the sofa happily.
"Err… Amy?" Rouge asked, staring at her back. "I-"
"You know where we're going, right?"
"Huh?" Rouge looked taken aback. "O-of course! The old jail…" She trailed off, fighting back old memories.
"Start packing." Amy stood up abruptly, fighting back dizziness and lack of sleep.
"We're really going?!" Rouge asked in surprise, barely hiding a note of joy.
Amy ignored her tone of voice. "Of course… we are…" She turned to him, a smile on her face. "As soon as… the night is over… the place isn't too far away…"
"Oh, thank you, Amy!" Tears were gathered at the corner of her eyes. "I-"
"Rouge," Amy said sharply. "Not now."
"Right, of course, sorry." The words blurred together in her haste to get started. "I'll start packing for all of us… Thank you, Amy!" She started walking away, but suddenly stopped. "Umm… Amy… I don't know if I can ask this later… but…"
"What is it, Rouge?" Amy prompted impatiently.
"Well… that is…"
"Spit it out."
"Do you really hate Sonic?" she blurted out.
"…" Amy turned away from her. "What a… What a stupid question, Rouge. Don't waste my time… or your daughters'."
"S-Sorry, Amy," she stuttered. "I'll leave."
When Rouge left, it was quiet again, except for the quiet hum of the news being played in front of her. The twins had bounced away somewhere, and it was going to take a while for them to calm down enough to sleep.
So that left her, all by herself.
She was all by herself… because no one wanted to help her now.
The fox had popped back into his life out of nowhere.
'I… I should've expected it,' thought Sonic, his eyes scanning the screen as the fox made his announcement. 'I should've known…'
"I have Sonic."
It was a bluff.
It was a trap.
It was going to get them all killed.
'I'm right here!' Sonic wanted to yell, loud enough for the whole world to hear. 'I'm right here… home…'
"Damn it!" Sonic swore under his breath. "Tails, you fool, what are you thinking?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, his ears pricked as the broadcast continued.
"From what I heard, you no longer love Sonic, do you?"
He knew that already, but the words still stung deeply, as if Tails was poking at a wound that had never healed. He made himself breathe through his nose, and out his mouth, trying to calm himself down.
"… We've even trampled on the hearts of people who wanted to do nothing but help us…"
"Tails…" He didn't want to hear it – the truths that were spewing out of the fox's mouth, even though he knew he couldn't deny them. Amy had trampled on his heart… but he knew that he had trampled on hers more often then not, and he had betrayed her… His chest squeezed hard, as if trying to cave in on his heart and make it stop beating. "I tried… I tried… to save them…"
"I'll give you a day, Amy…"
Only a day? Sonic opened his eyes again, watched Tails's mouth moving without hearing the words. 'I only have a day… only one day to try and save them…'
He knew where they would be going, of course. His little brother… or, the one who used to be his little brother, was practical to the point of being predictable.
Sonic blinked. 'Strange that I can remember old tidbits like that… It feels like it's been forever…'
He looked around him once. No one was around.
He hurriedly turned off the old, squat television. He was going to have to go as quickly and quietly as he could. Rose wasn't going to let him leave without a fuss… and it was going to hurt the two who had become like family to him, but he had to leave… he had to leave…
Still reminding himself to breathe, he made his way through the hall, running his hand along the wall, as if determined to memorize the texture, the smoothness of the old wood, and where exactly the floor creaked when he stepped on it.
'I have to leave here. I have to leave… home.'
Home… he had found a place he could call home.
And he wasn't going to be able to come back.
He had no doubt that Tails would make sure of that. And if not Tails… Amy.
Shouldn't he be scared? He was about to go up against two people that he could never hurt, as much evil as they do, or as much as they caused everyone pain. If they tried to take his life… he would be able to do nothing.
Especially against Amy.
His chest tightened. 'I should be scared. I want to live, don't I? Don't I?'
He stopped. 'I want to live… and yet, I'm not afraid to die.'
He blinked once… twice… and found that he was in front of that room.
The little girl's room… the one who had never defeated her demons. Rose's granddaughter… wasn't that who she was? He cocked his head to the side, drinking in the sight of the room – every little girl's dream room. A little princess's room.
He tried to visualize Rose's granddaughter, happy, laughing, as she ran around in the now forlorn looking room. He tried to imagine sunlight streaming through the closed curtains, the window opened and a lock of breeze curling in. He tried to imagine the cabinets free of dust and shining like gold.
But he couldn't.
Whenever he tried, he could only see a frightened, faceless girl, shivering as something unknown and untouchable blot out everything the little girl tried to reach for.
No… not faceless. Sonic squinted. He could imagine jade eyes… pink quills… soft lips screaming at him, "Save me! Why won't you try to save me?"
'No…' He backed out in horror. 'Why… why am I seeing this now?'
He turned, bolting for the front door. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears trying to force their way out. 'Why am I crying? I…' He grabbed the handle of the door, the coldness of the metal seeping through his glove. '… No… I'm not crying… Why am I crying?'
"It's cold. At least take a jacket."
Rose stared at his face, now turned towards her. She was holding up a jacket, her eyes as wide and as baleful as a child's. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
Sonic turned away from her. He couldn't stand it! Why did they have to look so alike? "… Please don't try to stop me," he said.
He could feel Rose's sad smile before he even saw it. "Sonic…"
"Don't!" he yelled. When Rose's expression didn't change, his chest tightened even more unbearably. "Why do you have to be so understanding?" he kept yelling. "Why do you keep on wanting to help me? Don't you know what I've done?" He gripped the handle hard; he was surprised it didn't crush under his fingers. "Please… stop it…"
"Sonic… you know why," Rose said simply.
Sonic refused to look at her. "No… I don't."
"Yes you do," Rose insisted. "Compassion… remember?"
"Compassion… it's just another word for pity, isn't it?" Sonic asked, contempt in his every word. "I've done plenty of pitying for myself. I don't need compassion… I don't want it!" Sonic felt his lips turn up into a painful smile. "She… she always hated that about me…" He shook his head slowly. "It's no wonder Amy left… Who can take a pathetic creature like me who wallows in his self pity?"
"But… you protected her."
"I tried," Sonic bit out. "I tried to protect her. I tried to protect the twins. I tried to be someone she could love. I tried. I tried!"
"And isn't that enough?"
He felt something warm and heavy cover his back, and looked at it in surprise. The jacket? "Rose…?"
"You're wrong you know… about compassion," she said, her back turned to him.
"What?"
"Pity… is when you feel sorry for someone. It's when someone watches the news, hears about a shooting, think, 'God, how horrible, I feel sorry for them,' and then switches to the comedy channel."
She turned around to face him, and her eyes were full of sympathy. "Compassion… is when you feel sorry for someone, and do something about it. It's when someone sees the people around him in danger – friends, family, complete strangers… it doesn't matter who…"
She smiled again. "It's when he sees them in danger, think, 'God how horrible, I feel sorry for them,' then does whatever he can to help." She spread out her arms, and for a second, Sonic could've sworn he heard Amy laughing at him. "That's what Amy believes… and that's why she loves you."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "You… you're a compassionate person. Even though you pitied yourself, you still went on. You still lived for someone – Amy and the twins. You still tried… and I'm sure Amy thanks you for it." She slowly took his arms and put them in the sleeve of the coat. "And even now… even now, you want to help her." She zipped up his jacket, as if he was still a child who was just learning how. "I'm sure you can save her… I'm sure you can save her from the demons that haunt her. You do want to save her, don't you?"
"I…" Sonic swallowed, and Rose tsk-ed at him.
"Now, now, no tears. Isn't that what you're always saying?"
"I'm… not… crying…" he replied thickly, closing his eyes. "Well… maybe just one tear…" he said, feeling one slide down his cheek. He opened his eyes, and managed a small smile. "… Thanks Rose."
"Ha, I just gave you a little push, that's all." Rose tapped him lightly on the back. "Now get going. Leighton isn't going to let you off as easily as I did. He still hasn't forgiven you for trying to ride one of the horses barebacked."
Sonic smiled sheepishly, before opening the door. The chill air froze everything on his face in their tracks, and he was thankful for his coat.
"Oh… before you leave…"
Sonic stopped.
"Remember the story about the little girl and her demons?" Rose asked.
"Oh… yes, I do," replied Sonic. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, curious.
Rose shook her head. "No… She came back to me once, after many years." She placed her hand on her cheek, remembering. "I didn't know why at the time… but she looked a lot less haunted then she did when she was a little girl." Rose looked up, meeting his eyes. "But… I think I know why now."
Sonic looked confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean."
Rose gave him an incredulous look, before laughing aloud. "My, my. Dense and perceptive." Sonic looked bewildered, but Rose just kept laughing. "Good luck finding Amy." She wiped away a tear, before reaching for the handle.
Sonic nodded, turning. But then, he whipped around, as if a sudden thought had struck him. "… Wait, the little girl! Was she A-"
Rose pushed him outside with surprising strength for her old age. Sonic stumbled on the steps with a startled yell, but still managed to hear her say, "… Goodbye, Sonic the Hedgehog."
Too late. The door was closed.
There was no turning back.
A/N: DUN DUN DUN! And the plot thickens...
I hope I got to everyone when I was answering reviews, too! I'm 99.9 percent sure that I missed someone... If it was you, I'm so sorry! I'll look for your review and try to answer that one too!
On a (more) serious note, here's a question to ponder about the story, if you choose to answer it for us. From most of the reviews until recently, you've all seemed to be on Amy's side. Now, you've all seem to be wavering on the side that you're on. So, we'd like to know who's side you'd be on if you had a say in this, and why. After all, they're all doing something that they think is right... right? So imagine that you were a citizen in Sonic's world... pretend that somehow you've known all the events that's happened in this story. Remember that legends can very much be reality in this world (hey, if they can have magical emeralds of doom, random Chaos, and a freaky water god, they can have legends), and that this particular legend has a chance of becoming real.
Which character would you support? Would you support one of our furry friends, or would you support the rest of the world? Remember, the rest of the world wants those twins dead. As Knuckles put it, "No twins, no problem." Are you willing to risk your own life for two children that you barely know? Or have you've merely been on Amy's side because we've been writing about things from her point of view, and have pretty much made even the worst things she's done seem like it was the right thing? Or do you just think everyone's screwed up anyways, and that you're not on any of their sides?
... Whoa, that sounds so melancholy...
Anyways, please answer if you can! It's likely not going to affect the story though... this is merely out of curiosity :)
Thanks for reading!
Anonymous Reviews:
Cake the Crab: Aww, it's just nice to know that you've been reading this at all! Even if we don't get reviews, hits are just as nice :) Thanks for being so supportive, and it's great to know that our story has touched you so deeply! We won't fail you! Thanks for reading!
DeniedLuv: ... Really? Well, how about we stop writing for a year, then the chapter would definately blow your socks off! (Yelps and hides from angry readers). I was kidding, kidding! Thanks for reading!
The Queen of Aces
azngirlchibi