A/N: Sorry about the mix-up, ppl. I just... err... accidently deleted this chapter by mistake... eh heh...

Dedicated to Metal Heart - Ruby Fangs. YOU ROCK!
Disclaimer: Do you think I own it? No, of course I obviously don't! So stupid...
Character Ages

Sonic: 23

Amy: 20

Tails: 16

Cream: 14

Eggman: Unknown

Metal Sonic: Unknown

Knuckles: 24

Rouge: 26

Shadow: Older than I'll ever live to be...

Vector: 28

Espio: 24

Charmy: 14

'Ooohhh… my head…'

Amy gingerly touched the top of her head as her world spun around and around.

'I feel like I've just spin-dashed for 3 days straight…' she thought to herself wearily. Slowly, very slowly, the spinning stopped.

"Amy, you ok?"

Amy spun around so fast she cricked her neck.

'Sonic…'

She squinted in the dark, dreary room to see him better. There he was, standing. Just standing there. No look of malice in his eyes, no blood-thirsty words.

He was just standing there.

Amy stared hard at him. 'Is it really you, Sonic?'

"Amy, what are you doing here?"

Amy felt her eyes widened. 'He really has no clue…?'

"Sonic… you… you…" she swallowed hard. "You… brought me… here…" her voice shook slightly.

Sonic almost choked. 'So… it wasn't a dream…' He shuddered. The past few days had been a nightmare. He didn't remember anything… except a few things…

Impenetrable darkness…

Blood…

… And an unexplainable thirst to kill.

"Sonic…"

His head snapped up towards the voice.

"You really… you really don't remember anything?"

Sonic and Amy stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. 'Amy… what have I done to you?' He took in the sight of her.

Ragged expression…

Red eyes… 'She's been crying,' he thought to himself with a stab of pain.

Most noticeable of all, was the deep, endless feeling of remorse and hurt that he could read in her jade green eyes. He could almost see the shattered soul behind those eyes.

'What sort of monster have I become?'

Abruptly, he turned around.

"Look, Amy. We're got to get out of here." He turned around again, a fake smirk plastered on his face. "We'll be home soon, Ames."

Amy felt her anger flare, barely registering that they were in some sort of glass confinement that she had not noticed before.

"Sonic…" Amy was angry. She almost killed him on the spot, but she managed to hold herself.

"You almost kill me…"

"You left me to die…"

"… and yet, you're going to pretend nothing happened…"

Sonic flinched at each word that left her lips. Every word hurt deeply. She couldn't have done anything worse…

'She doesn't love you anymore…'

His smirk faltered as the thought came into his head, and his ears drooped.

'No…'

'She hates you… you monster…'

'No…'

'You monster…'

'No…'

'Monster…'

'NO!'

His breathing caught in his throat. It was like his whole world was crashing down onto him, crushing him… he suddenly felt nauseous.

'Amy… she has to stay away from me…'

'That's the only way I can protect her…'

'I have to protect her…'

'Even if it means hurting myself…'

Suddenly turning cold, he turned his back on her again. "C'mon," he said, his voice steely. "Help me find a way out."

Behind his back, Amy felt her frustration rear its head. "Sonic!" She shouted, the strain of the past week flooding into her. "Why won't you let me help you!"

Sonic stiffened, but didn't answer.

Tears were now running down her face. "You're always like this!" she screamed. She angrily pointed a finger at him, as more hot, angry tears slipped out of her eyes. "You always run away when I try to help! You always leave me behind! Always!" Her most painful memory almost caused her to falter in her ranting. "How many times have I proved myself to you? How many more times do I have to throw myself at your feet? Do you know how much it hurts?" Her voice was cracking. "Why do you toy with me like this? Sometimes, I hate you, and sometimes, I feel like we were meant for each other! Why do you do this to me?" She felt herself slide down on her knees on the floor, her energy suddenly spent.

"Please, Sonic…" her voice was barely louder than a whisper now.

"Please… just tell me why…"

There was a ringing silence as the echoes of Amy's plea faded. '…just tell me why… why…why…'

Her tears silently dripped onto the ground as her chest heaved up and down for breath.

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

"Amy…"

She felt herself being pulled into Sonic's embrace. She flinched.

"Amy… do you really want to know why?"

Amy felt herself become still. It was as if her very blood had stopped rushing through her veins. Time seemed to have stood still, just for this moment.

"It's because of me, Amy…" his voice trailed off, as he buried himself in Amy's fur.

"Amy… I'll never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me… What if Eggman tries to kill you? What if…" he choked. 'What if I killed you?'

Amy's breathing hitched as she tried to blink back tears. "But that's not all, is it?"

For a while, nothing could be heard but both the hedgehogs' hearts beating in tune.

"Amy… I'm a monster…"

"I… I can't be near you…"

"What if I hurt you?"

Amy pulled back. For once, she didn't see her blue hero.

She didn't see the courage, the confidence, and the kindness in his eyes that she had fallen in love with.

She saw an ordinary hedgehog, just like any other. One that knew fear, sadness…

Something that she never thought she'd see in him.

And it was all because of her.

"Sonic…" she whispered. Sonic muted a groan in the back of his throat. He couldn't stand it when she said his name like that… it was so full of sorrow. He hated it. Amy didn't deserve to feel so much sorrow in such a short life time. No one as innocent and sweet as her should ever feel so much loneliness.

"Amy… let me protect you…"

Their faces neared. Sonic could feel Amy's rapid breathing on his face.

"Amy… just promise me that you'll let me protect you…"

Their faces were so close, Amy felt like she was losing herself into his emerald green eyes. The whole world seemed to melt away. Only Sonic was left… and he was making her promise something that seemed almost impossible to her. She blinked back the tears that sprang into her eyes.

"Sonic…" she breathed out his name. Sonic could feel his own heart pulsing faster and faster as their lips almost touched. All his senses seemed to be drowning in Amy, and for a second, all doubts of protecting Amy left his mind. "Sonic… I… I…"

"Aww… isn't this sweet?"

Both hedgehogs whipped around as a bright light from the now opened door blinded them. "Eggman…" spat out Sonic hatefully to the scientist at the door of the room outside their cage. No quirk, no hint of a joke.

"Ooohh… someone's cranky today," Eggman snickered. "Well, you'll be dead soon anyways, so why do I care?"

"Eggman! When I get out of this place, I'll torture you, and your little robots so much, you'll wish you've never met me!"

Sonic turned in surprise at the usually gentle and kind hedgehog in his arms. 'When did she grow up so much?' he thought in awe.

'She always was… you've just never noticed it…' said the little truthful voice in his head again.

The mad scientist turned with an amused look at the girl. "My "little" robots? Well, my "little" robots are going to have the pleasure of watching you being slowly torn to bits."

"You mean, I'll enjoy tearing Metal Sonic apart again. I feel sorry for him… he probably wouldn't be like this if it wasn't for you! You ruin everyone's lives!" retorted Amy scornfully.

'Again? What does she mean by that?'

Eggman seemed to be out of retorts. Instead, he turned to Sonic. "My friend! How are you enjoying you're new buddy?"

Sonic growled in anger, almost tearing the confinement apart. "Piss off, Eggman! Why don't you go and fuck up someone else's life, you bastard!"

Amy almost gasped out loud. 'Sonic never swears unless he's really mad… who's this "new buddy" person that can get him so mad?'

Eggman seemed determined to not let Sonic get under his skin. "Well, well, Sonic. Been taught some new words, I see. Well, for that, I'll stretch out your torture session a little longer next time." He turned, ready to leave. 'I'm going to enjoy this…' he thought menacingly. It seemed that all doubts of torturing and killing Sonic were gone. A true evil seemed to have finally wormed it's way into his heart.

As the door closed and the beam of light disappeared, darkness fell over the captured pair once again.

Amy tried to push back the growing despair in her heart. Though she knew that she talked tough, she was very, and truly, frightened. 'Are we going to die like this?'

"Don't worry Amy," She looked up in the dark, to look at the face of Sonic. His smirk was back, his confidence almost catching. "I'll protect you. I'll get us both out of here." He was starting felt the familiar adrenaline rushing through his body and the old stirring of excitement at the thought of another challenge.

"I'll protect you, no matter what."

In a building, almost seemingly in the middle of no where, a ringing broke the sleepy silence.

"Who the hell is that?" cried an enraged crocodile from the middle of a paper-filled desk.

Ring! Ring!

"Ugh…" yawned a sleepy bee, rubbing it's eyes, as it floated into the room. "What's up?"

"Charmy, get the phone," said a chameleon in the corner to the bee.

Ring! Ring!

"Vector! No, please, don't kill me! I didn't eat the cake!" muttered Charmy, who was already asleep again on the ground.

"The phone? Did you say 'the phone,' Espio? That means we've got a client!" exclaimed the now excited crocodile to the chameleon who was still coolly standing in the corner. Hurriedly, he brushed all the paper off his desk, and in his haste, the telephone slid off.

Without even moving from his spot, Espio threw a kunai knife at the telephone wire, effectively pinning it to the desk.

"Chaotix Detective Agency! Vector here!" the crocodile practically yelled, rushing to pull out the knife.

"Vector! It's Knuckles!" said the voice on the other end of the line.

Vector immediately quieted at his dark tone of voice. Espio opened an eye.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Come here to Tails workshop in the Mystic Ruins. Don't worry, you'll find it. Get here, now." Then there was a click.

"What was that all about?" asked a now genuinely interested Espio.

Vector sighed. "Guess our old friend needs our help."

Espio nodded. "I'll wake Charmy."

"Are you sure about calling those idiots?" asked Rouge reproachfully as Knuckles hung up the phone.

Knuckles nodded. "They may be idiots, but this is Sonic we're dealing with here. And knowing Sonic…" he paused, closing his eyes for a minute.

"We're gonna need all the help we can get."

A/N: OMG... half-way point to 100 reviews! THANK YOU ALL!

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