A/N: Yep, I finally updated. Yep, so proud of myself. I just came back from a dance recital, and I got a huge wave of inspiration for this chapter. This chapter was orignally a bit different, and I hated it, but I just couldn't find the right words. Anyway, we also got a dozen english projects, but it's mostly writing poems and that shit... which is fun, I admit, but takes up too much of my fic-writing time. I'll try to update more frequently now that the course choosing thing is over...
Oh, and I'm thinking of changing the rating to "T" for swearing. I'll do that after I post my next chapter. Ok? Just a warning!
Age changes:
Sonic: 23
Amy: 20
Tails: 16
Cream: 14
Eggman:Unknown
Metal Sonic: Unknown
Knuckles: 24
Rouge: 26
'Kill her…'
'Who…'
'Kill her…'
'Who are you?'
'I want more… more of her blood…'
Sonic woke up with a start, with sweat rolling down his fur. A small moan of agony escaped his lips.
'It was just a dream…'
His hand wiped the sweat off his face. Every single night had been like this, ever since…
'No… don't think about it…'
Sonic felt himself start to shake it bit from anxiety. 'You're alive, right? You should be happy that you're alive…' He swallowed, suddenly feeling as if a lump had forced its' way down his throat. A sickening feeling began to well up from deep inside him. He felt his dam, the one that had shut away all his feelings, begin to break.
'Amy…'
'I promised to protect her…' He made a noise that sounded like something between a sob and a groan. 'Some protector I turned out to be.'
'At least Eggman isn't here to bother me tonight…'
Beeeeeeeeeeep
Sonic's head jerked up. A round figure appeared at the doorway that just opened.
'Man… did I jinx this or something?' He suddenly felt very aware of his conditions. His fur was matted, from nights of sweating, crying, and torment. Not to mentioned that he never touched the food that Robotnik's servants left for him.
"Hmph… stubborn hedgehog," muttered the mad scientist as he checked over Sonic through his glass confinement. Sonic refused to meet his eyes. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing his anger. He was angry for what he had done to him, and more importantly, how he had made him do… that… to his Amy…
'Whoa… hold the phone… MY Amy?'
'Why not?' asked a small voice in his head, the one he always ignored. 'You loved her since the day you met her… and you still do, but you were always so busy running away, because you thought it would protect her…'
'I…'
'Don't deny…'
Eggman, oblivious to Sonic who was lost in thought, was putting a tube of some sort of substance into a console. He still couldn't believe that he was doing this. He always hated the hedgehog, yes. But as the years went by, he became more of a rival than an enemy, though he would never admit it out loud. This plan seemed beyond evil, even to him, but he knew what he wanted. World domination, something that he could never achieve because of the creature on the other side of that glass. He had always thought of himself as too kind… he never had the heart to kill him. This plan was too perfect though. He would suffer, like the way Dr. Ivo Robotnik had. He would be humiliated, just like him.
He flipped a switch, watching the machine whirl to life, and walked out. 'Soon… very soon…'
"Huh? Leaving, Eggman? Come back, you coward!" The azure hedgehog shouted to his nemesis, but he didn't know if he really wanted him to come back, or if he was trying to drown out the little voice in his head.
Psssssshh…
He felt something being sprayed into his confinement. Immediately sensing danger, he held his breath, trying not to breath in the substance.
'Kill her…' The voice was louder this time, more imploring.
Sonic felt himself freeze. His heart began pounding in his chest. For the first time in his life… he was scared…
'This is just a dream… just a dream…'
The voice in his head chuckled. 'You're not dreaming, I can tell you that much.'
He shook his head vigorously, still trying to hold his breath, but he was running out of air.
'It's no use. As soon as you breathe in, I'll take over…'
'Who are you?' he demanded, just as he breathed in.
'Who am I?' Sonic could feel himself falling… falling into a deep pit… losing consciousness… and the last thing he heard was, 'Why, I am you, of course…'
In the Mystic Ruins, everything was eerily quiet. The moon and the stars had hidden themselves, as if afraid of witnessing the sins committed on the earth. It seemed as if every leaf, every branch, even the wind itself was not present. Only a fog had settled itself, as if waiting…
'Brr… it sure is cold out…'Someone was walking along a lonely path, disturbing the perfect and absolute stillness in the night. To anyone who was listening, it seemed like an earsplitting noise coming from the shadows.
A certain pink hedgehog shivered. It had been three days since she had arrived at Tail's workshop with Cream. They had made her comfortable, consoling her from her troubled thoughts, which she had refused to voice out loud, changing the subject when they asked her anything about Sonic. She had expected him to be at Tail's workshop, only to find out that they haven't seen him in 4 days, which was exactly when she was…
'Attacked? Betrayed? What were you expecting, for him to love you back? He always pushed you away, running away… he always hated you, but you always had this silly hope that he had even a tiny bit of feeling for you. You know he hates you…'
'JUST SHUT UP!'
She had had this thought so many times before, even when she was a little 12 year old girl. She wasn't stupid… she knew that Sonic didn't love her, but hope had always urged her on, telling her it wasn't over yet.
'Hope is such a silly thing…'
A sob fell out of her lips. 'But I can't help but love him…'
SNAP
A noise in the mist…
'Who was that?'
SNAP
Almost afraid to say it out loud, she whispered, "Sonic?"
A voice melted out of the fog. "Hi, Ames."
"S-stop this, Sonic. You're really scaring me…"
Each chuckle emitted from the voice felt like a stab to Amy's heart. "I am, am I?"
The fog seemed to press in on Amy from all sides. Her fear felt sharper, more painful. Each gasping breath felt like it would be her last.
Suddenly, she screamed as someone grabbed her from behind.
A hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her voice. "Shhh…"
"Aaah… so you're still alive, are you?" She felt his hands caressing her sides, tracing the sliver of a scar that he had left on her. "I thought that you would be dead for sure…"
Her mind was screaming for her to run, to hit him, kick him, anything, but her body wasn't responding. It was frozen by fear.
"You know, you are quiet an annoying little persistent brat…"
Those words seemed to cause a fire to burn within Amy. With all her might, she threw Sonic off and turned around, backing a few feet away from him. 'Annoying, little persistent brat, am I?'
"Oh, I seemed to have struck a nerve," taunted Sonic. Amy didn't respond. She just looked at him, trying to convince herself that it wasn't Sonic. It couldn't be Sonic, she just knew it…
"You're gonna regret not paying attention…"
Amy gasped as Sonic seemed to disappear. This was his speed of course. She knew that. Her eyes darted left and right, trying to spot him.
"Boo."
'How did he get behind me?'
She whirled around. Sonic's hand was reared back, and this time, his target was her heart…
Time .slowed…
Amy squeezed her eyes shut. 'No… it can't end this way…'
She felt her life flash in front of her eyes…
Her mom and dad holding her…
Both of them dying…
Being rescued by Sonic for the first time…
Feeling her love for him blooming, even when she was pushed away by him…
Then, her promise…
'Even if…if he doesn't love me, I'll still love him no matter what…'
'Sonic… I still love you… you're about to kill me, yet my love for you doesn't fade… even hatred can't smother it…
Suddenly, she felt something streak past her.
Her eyes opened wide in surprise.
It was Knuckles!
She felt confused, her mind in turmoil. 'Knuckles is here, of all places?'
"Hey, baby. You ok?"
"Rouge?"
"Yep, it's me. You know, I usually don't like talking to you, but this is way beyond even me. I mean, if the guy loves you so much, he doesn't have to be this extreme…"
Amy stared at the white bat, thinking, 'What is going on here?' First Knuckles, now Rouge?
During her moment of confusion, she had forgotten all about Sonic. Bewildered, she quickly located the hedgehog and echidna, rolling and delivering blows to each other on the ground.
Sonic growled. He had been caught off guard! Why was this girl so hard to kill? He had been so close this time… so close that he could taste it. But then, this annoying…thing… had to come along and ruin it! Anger coursing through his veins, he curled up into a ball, preparing for a homing attack.
Knuckles stared in slight confusion. 'What's the idiot doing?' Sure, Sonic could be dumb. He could also be a pain in the ass, but he was a good friend and rival. Quickly, he dodged the homing attack by burrowing into the ground, leaving Sonic with a mouthful of dirt. He quickly tunneled back up, fist first, and deployed his infamous Spiral Upper.It connected with the stomach of Sonic, who flew a few feet away, momentarily stunned. Taking his chance, he pounced onto him, pinning him to the ground.
"What's wrong with you?" he spat at him. His fur covered body was trembling with rage. "First, you steal the Master Emerald, and now, you're attacking your friends? What is going on inside that thick skull of yours?"
Sonic laughed, but it seemed so unnatural coming out of his mouth. Quietly, he whispered so only the red echidna could hear. "Yes, I'm attacking your friends, and yes, I did steal the Master Emerald. So what? I always get what I want…You should know that by now, Knucklehead..." With all his strength, he managed to push off the older echidna. Before running off, he turned to Amy. "I'll be back for you, Ames! And when I am…" he smirked, and before Knuckles could jump on him again, he sped off.
"What is wrong with him?" asked Knuckles again as he brushed himself off. He shook out his dreadlocks, which had been messed up in the fight.
"Why don't you explain when you get back in my workshop?"
Everyone jumped at the sound, but when they turned around, they saw Tails with a scared looking Cream behind him, holding out a flashlight.
"Tails! You gave me a heart attack!" exclaimed Rouge, clutching her chest.
"Sorry… heh heh," replied Tails nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I don't expect visitors so late in the night…" his voice trailed off. "Besides… I thought I saw Sonic…"
At the mention of his name, a thick silence seemed to fall over everyone. No one wanted to believe what they just saw. Each of them was silently denying in their heads that Sonic the hedgehog, had become a murderer. To each of them, he was an irreplaceable friend, or at least he was an ally, and to think of him going from hero to villain… the idea froze their insides. As the fog began to clear, the moon and stars began to show themselves, as if they too, had just saw the event that took place, and were trying to deny it as well.
A/N: WHEEEE! I'm done! I hope y'all liked it! Thank you all oh so much for the reviews!