As Sonic made his way back to his apartment, he noted his speed was incredibly slower than his trip to G.U.N. headquarters. He knew everything except what Luktani wanted, but he had a way to get his answers. Yet instead of some sort of peace or contentedness, all he felt was confusion and apprehension. His chest churned with emotion at what Amy would say when he left without her. He had trouble deciding if he should even tell her. Should he just disappear and leave a note? No, notes brought back too many painful memories. Yet telling her would cause just as much pain for both of them. He wondered if he should even leave her at all. What if Luktani was just trying to get them all away from Amy?

He sighed as he looked at the darkening grey blue sky, oblivious to the chaos it canopied. They were supposed to be married in a few months, and already things were trying to tear them apart. What if, for some reason, he did not return to Amy? What would she do? What if he was gone for years, and she was tired of waiting? "It wasn't supposed to work this way!" Sonic growled, kicking an innocent pebble down the sidewalk. "It's not supposed to be this complicated! I just want it all to be simple again. I want Luktani to back off, and I want to marry Ames like the original plan, and forget this stupid thing ever happened. Hmph… talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. Nice one, hero."

"And talking to yourself about talking to yourself is not helping." Sonic whirled around to see Amy, who was smirking at him. He glanced up to see where he was, only to find himself smack in front of the ruins of her old house.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, wondering the exact same thing for himself.

"It's my house. I thought I'd see how much of it was left while you were gone. But, apparently, you decided to take the long way home. What did the Commander say?"

Of course, she would ask the exact question he was hoping to avoid. "Uh, well… I got my answers," muttered Sonic, taking a sudden interest in the details of his shoes.

"And?" pressed Amy. "What did he say? Why didn't they tell you about Luktani?"

"He… I…"

"Sonic, spit it out."

The cobalt hedgehog glanced up at the sky, taking a shaky breath as he tried to prepare himself for what he was going to say. He wished with all his might that he could just sink into the ground and disappear, or at least avoid this particular confrontation.

"Come on!"

"Luktani wants to meet with me," muttered Sonic, speaking almost as fast as he could run.

"What?"

"Luktani wants to meet with me," he repeated, a little louder.

Amy gazed at him, before snapping into a spectacular tirade as realization set in: "No! I mean… you can't! She nearly killed you before! You can't go meet her again!"

"I'll have… a team. I'm not going alone," murmured Sonic, trying to make up for his brusque revelation.

"But… but she could kill all of us! She's not going to play fair, Sonic! What if we get captured, or worse?!"

"We won't."

"And how do you know that?!"

"Because you're not going."

"Wh-what? What do you mean I'm not going?! If you're going to see Luktani again, I refuse to let you go without me!"

"Luktani only had one condition with me meeting her in the Blue Hill Zone--"

"Blue Hill Zone?! Do you realize how far away that is? Sonic, no! You can't! Not and leave me behind!"

"I don't have a choice, Amy!" Sonic yelled, laying his ears back. "I want you with me just as badly as you want to come, but Luktani said if I brought you, you would be the first to die!"

"The first?!" screamed Amy, hot tears forming in her aquamarine eyes. "She's set on killing you, don't you see that?! You can't go!"

"People are dying because Luktani wants to meet with me! If I stay back, she'll just keep killing them!"

"But what about you? What if she kills you?!" she shrieked, tears falling freely. She held her ears with her hands, as if trying to block out some nightmarish dream from her head. Sonic reached out and grabbed Amy's arms, trying to calm her down. She struggled for a moment before letting him embrace her, and she consented to sobbing quietly into his chest.

"Amy," Sonic whispered, his muzzle brushing up against her ear. "Do you trust me?"

"Y-yes," she murmured. "With… with my life."

"Now you have to trust me with mine. I'll come home, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

The hedgehog smiled softly. "I don't. Now, I leave tomorrow at seven to head towards Blue Hill Zone."

"Already?"

"Yes… I can't put it off. G.U.N. made sure of that."

Amy spat something too obscene to reiterate, causing Sonic to smirk.

"Trust me; I've already been through that. But… but we can have this last day together."

"Sonic… what about us?"

"Of course," he chortled, smiling. "As long as you're willing to wait, we'll be married the second I get back."

"I'll wait forever. I promise."

"Then it's settled. C'mon, we can at least enjoy today." Sonic released Amy and gently took her hand, and the two began walking down the familiar street. The sky that had been ominous looking before was soon pouring raindrops down on the earth below. Each droplet that spattered against the sidewalk made it one darker shade of gray, and soon the water was coming down in buckets. On a normal day, Sonic would have insisted they return to the indoors, but he made an exception. Amy had always liked the rain, enjoying the feeling of it hitting her muzzle and her closed eyes as it dripped down her fur. While he could not share the same sentiments, he did care enough to stay outside.

They entered a small park in the middle of Station Square, the only one for miles with the new construction. It was abandoned, as all the people and Mobians had raced for their dry homes. The pond was covered in ripples as each raindrop hit its crystal blue surface, the ducks swimming happily in the weather. "Can we sit there?" murmured Amy, motioning towards a bench. The wooden seat was soaking wet, despite the fact that it was under a fully leafed oak tree. It overlooked the pond, and was normally the most sought after rest spot in the park.

Sonic smiled softly and led her over, allowing her to sit before he took his place beside her. "I don't want you to go," she whispered.

"I know, Ames, but I don't have a choice. I'm going to ask the Commander to leave a team of agents with you, so in case Luktani's playing some other angle, I know you're safe."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. I just wish you didn't have to go so far!"

"I'd much rather stay here, you know that. But I promise, I'll call you the second I get there, and every day I'm stuck in that Chaos-forsaken war zone, alright?" he murmured, nuzzling her ear.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Amy curled up against his chest, ignoring the fact that they were both absolutely soaked to the bone. Her aquamarine eyes were somber as they gazed out over the pond, watching the rain and the clouds. Tears streaked down her muzzle, hidden by the rain. She was never more grateful that Sonic could not see her true emotions. It was her worst nightmare coming true, and no matter how she argued it, she could not keep Sonic from going. Even if she could, she knew that it would not be the answer to prayer she wanted it to be. Luktani would still be hunting them down, and more innocent people would be dying. "It's not fair," she muttered after a time.

"No, it's not. But it'll all work out," Sonic assured her, his voice soft and comforting. Amy knew the long spans of silence in the conversation made it awkward, but she was in limbo-land. She did not want Sonic to find out she was crying, but her speaking first was the only way to make him speak, and his voice reassuring her that he would return and things would be normal was all she wanted to hear. Luckily, he continued for her. "Amy, I know this hurts, but really, it won't be all that different."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I ignored you for the majority of my life. You know that. But you pressed on, and I fell for you. Granted, it took a while, and I was stubborn, but you did it. Everyone knew. But remember, when I had to leave you to find Eggman, while you ran with Tails?"

"Yes, and I hated it! If he hadn't brought Chaos--"

"That's not the point. I've left you before. This will be no different. I came back from that, and I've come back from Luktani. We're going to be fine."

"You promise?"

Sonic paused before answering. He had told her he never made promises he could not keep. The first was true: whether he died or lived, he would return. Whether breathing or not, he was absolutely positive Tails would insist on bringing him home. The second promise was easy. He would make time for her, no matter what his situation. Now she asked him to promise her that they would be fine. It was a clause that he could not guarantee. So instead of promising, he ducked out from under the oath: "I don't make promises I can't keep."