Chapter 6

'The Chaos Emeralds…we need the Chaos Emeralds…' Sonic was walking back and forth in front of the open window of the ward, thinking aloud about what Tails had mentioned.

It had been a year since he had used the seven powerful Emeralds. Once Doctor Eggman had been defeated, the seven Emeralds had scattered across Mobius just as they usually did after they had served their purpose. They had stayed hidden for weeks in the vast plains and forests of Mobius, amidst the silent unexplored reaches of the planet. While Sonic, Tails, and Amy traveled to various villages to help rebuild, they had been painstakingly looking for the Emeralds as well. After a long, grueling search, the Emeralds were found and brought back together. Now they were being kept on the Master Emerald Shrine on Angel Island inside a hidden vault, and only the team knew of its whereabouts. They hadn't been used since.

But now, here was Sonic, the hero of Mobius, contemplating using them again after nearly a year. The mystical power of the Emeralds could help cure Amy. He was almost certain it would. They didn't require all of the Emeralds; just one among them was enough to cure her. At least that was what Tails told him.

Sonic sighed wearily as he stopped in front of the open window, looking out into the night sky as his mind raced with thoughts.

Using an Emerald to cure Amy only proved how serious her condition was. He tried to think back to any event that could have caused this but he couldn't find one. Negative Chaos energy had been concentrated at someplace, and Amy must have walked into it. What the hero had to know now was where and how it could have happened. It was simply something too bizarre, even for him who, while having had gone on various runs across Mobius since the war, had never sensed any sort of Chaos energy anywhere. He found it hard to believe that Amy was indeed infected by it, but Tails proved it to be so, and he had no choice but to accept it. After all, ever since the doctor had shown him that test tube, he had been feeling an odd sensation coursing through his body much like he did whenever he had been exposed to negative Chaos energy before. He shuddered at the thought of Amy having it inside her, and of her experiencing the pain caused by the negative energy and going through it all alone. He wanted to help her; be there for her, it was all he could do now, and so he would do it.

Sonic then looked at Amy. She was still asleep and looked to be getting better. He assumed that she would wake up anytime soon, and when she did, how would they explain what was happening? How would she react? No matter how it was going to be, he promised himself that he wouldn't let her go through it alone. He still blamed himself for what had happened. If he had kept in touch with her, he would have known; he could have, and they could have avoided it, right?

Right…?

'Sonic?'

Sonic looked up in an instant as he shook his head from his thoughts. Tails was looking at him with concern, and the blue hero sighed. It has been a long night. 'What is it, buddy?'

The young two-tail let out a short yawn and got off the stool he was sitting on. He then walked over to Sonic while holding the portable bio-scanner. 'Are you alright? You seem upset.'

Sonic looked at the bright blue eyes of his best friend. The eyes were searching him with concern like they always did whenever Sonic was hurt or in pain. This made the blue hero feel better, like a bit of the load he was carrying on his shoulders had been taken from him, giving him a chance to feel lighter than he did. Tails had never left his side, he had always been there ever since they first met many years ago. Whenever he felt low or upset about something, the young fox had always been there to support him and make him feel better. Sonic knew he could trust him, he knew he could rely on him; it was something the blue hero was truly grateful for.

He nodded with a small, happy smile and said, 'I will be, Tails. Don't worry.'

Tails looked at him for a moment and then shook his head slightly. It was better to not talk about it. He recalled how Sonic had looked when he had mentioned what was needed to cure Amy. It was an expression he hadn't seen on the face of his hero and best friend since the war against Doctor Eggman.

'Alright, Sonic.' he said, 'I still need to look at a few more figures to see if I can find an alternate solution to cure Amy. I'm going to step out for a bit to do so.'

When Tails had mentioned the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic had been really worried. The young fox felt that and he too didn't want anything to do with the emeralds. So he decided that he would try to find another cure. But staying in the ward for too long made him tire easily. It wasn't the same as sitting in his workshop where he had all his inventions and notes surrounding him. He liked working in a productive environment, especially when he was coming up with something as important as finding a cure to save a friend. And so he decided he would head outside to the open rooftop terrace to think while studying the frequent figures that kept appearing on the tab.

Sonic smiled at Tails and pet his head. 'That's okay, Tails. I can't ask so much more from you since you're doing a lot already. I'll come and get you if something happens.'

Tails nodded with a smile. 'Alright, Sonic.' and with that, he walked out of the ward, leaving Sonic alone with Amy. The cool breeze blowing in through the open window made the blue hero shiver once more and he considered closing the window, but then thought against it. He wanted the fresh air to fill the ward, thinking it would help Amy get better. And he loved the smell of fresh air. He always did. After years of running around chasing badniks, egg bots, and rescuing friends, fresh air was something he yearned for. The rush of the wind through his quills as he ran was something he enjoyed - freedom was something he always enjoyed.

Sonic sped over to the bed and sat down on the edge gently, careful not to wake her. He then looked out the window at the night sky as he thought about the Chaos Emeralds. It was said that the emeralds showed up whenever they were needed most. And Sonic wondered if they would appear now or anytime soon. As much as the blue hero didn't want to use the emeralds, he knew that if there wasn't any other way they could cure Amy; he would resort to using them. He wouldn't have any other choice then. And he promised himself that he would fight to cure her, even if everyone else lost their hope. Amy was one of his best friends and he couldn't let anything happen to her. He wouldn't. Not when they had been through so many adventures together, countless missions and experiences. He simply couldn't let a trusted friend of his go through pain when he was positive that they'd find a cure. They did have one now anyway.

Sonic then turned and looked at Amy as she slept. A small smile crept on his lips. So many adventures and experiences - he had shared it all with her. And so he wasn't going to say goodbye to any of them, even those times when she had been crazy about him. As much as he had found her annoying back then, he couldn't stop chuckling at the memories every time they sprung up in his mind. Since the rebuilding was over, he had always been thinking about her, and it was never intentional since something always reminded him of her.

On most days, Sonic tried to clear his head from her thoughts; but, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't. And with each thought, he felt that feeling rise within him – the same feeling he had experienced when he had thought about her earlier at Tails' workshop. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and he wondered why he felt that way. He had known her for years, had run away from her, fought Eggman robots with her, rescued her, even fought her, and never had he felt anything towards her then.

So why now?

And even if he were to fall in love with her now, would she love him back? The last few years had shown that Amy was starting to act more mature. She never displayed her affections openly, except for a few subtle signs here and there. She was growing up to be an independent and mature female hedgehog who was capable of finding her own way through this world. From the young, love-struck Amy he had saved from Metal Sonic so many years ago to this new Amy was a change he felt proud of. And he knew he had to be happy for her.

She has got no feelings for you anymore. The voice in his head teased.

That's not relevant right now! He shot back.

That's what you think.

'Sonic?'

Blue eye ridges shot up when he got pulled back into the present once again. This was beginning to happen quite a lot. He couldn't help it. Sonic turned and found his delicate female friend wide awake, staring at him with concern written in her eyes.

'Amy…' Sonic whispered as he moved closer. Relief washed over him since she was finally awake again, and he was glad she looked to be feeling better.

'How long have you been waiting here?' she asked softly.

Sonic shook his head and sat upright on the bed. He scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment as he said, 'Pretty long, Ames. I didn't want to leave you alone, you know?'

Amy beamed at him when she heard that. She felt grateful that he chose to stay, and she knew, that deep inside, she would have been upset if she woke up and found that she was alone in the ward with no one to ask her how she was feeling. Before she had gone to sleep, she had wondered if Sonic would leave. And as much as she didn't want him to worry about her too much, a part of her wanted him to stay. And so she felt touched that he did. She had gotten so used to his ignoring her in the past month that she wondered if she would have felt hurt if he had left. She would have accepted it, and she would have thanked him later for having brought her to the hospital. But she didn't have to worry about being alone anymore. Little did she know of the promise the blue hero had made to himself regarding her. It was a promise she would be grateful for weeks later. It was a promise that would save her life.

'Amy?'

She looked up at him and her jade orbs shimmered in happiness. Her hero was there with her. He had chosen to stay. And he wasn't going anywhere. There was nothing that could have made her happier at that moment. There was nothing she had to worry about now as long as he was with her.

'What is it, Sonic?'

'How do you feel now?' Sonic asked as he looked into her eyes. Something inside him didn't want him to take his eyes away from her then.

'I feel alright, Sonic.' Amy replied with joy.

Sonic smiled at that. 'Do you think you're ready to go back home?'

Sonic had wondered earlier if the hospital could do anything more to help cure her. Also, he didn't want to trouble the doctor with something he couldn't cure. Amy's well-being was in their hands now. Bringing the Chaos Emeralds to the hospital would prove to be risky, and so he had considered taking her to Resistance HQ where she would feel more secure. He was yet to talk about it with Tails, but he was sure that his young best friend would agree.

Amy looked away and nodded. 'I want to, Sonic. I don't want to stay here forever.'

Sonic then got off the bed and stood a few steps away to look at her. 'Do you think you can walk?' He asked. The cool breeze blew a little harder and Sonic shivered again. The weather outside was getting cold, but there was something different in the ward that made him feel warm. He saw Amy nod and gently pull the quilt away from her delicate frame, and the blue hero felt an urge to embrace her. His cheeks flushed a deep red and he quickly turned his face away, hoping that Amy didn't notice.

Dammit.

When he looked at her again, she was seated on the edge of the bed, with her hands placed on either side. She smiled at him warmly.

She looks so beautiful, doesn't she? It was that inner voice again, but a different one. A more gentle one.

Sonic gave her a quick nod and thumbs up as he tried to calm down his racing heart.

Amy got off the bed. And for the second time that day, Sonic felt his heart drop. Amy let out a yelp as her legs suddenly gave up on her, and she would have fallen down on the cold, tiled floor if it wasn't for Sonic who quickly sped over and held her up to prevent her from falling. Amy tried to stand up straight while using him for support. But her legs still chose to disobey her will, much to Sonic's shock and dismay.

Both hedgehogs then stared at each other with wide, panic-stricken eyes.

This was not going to be as easy as they had hoped.

- xxx -

Tails sat comfortably on a bench on the rooftop. The night was quiet and still. A few birds were still up but other than that, it was mostly quiet. The cool nightly breeze blew harder than it did but it didn't do much to the young fox who was busy studying the figures that kept appearing on the bio-scanner. His young, intelligent mind was busy focusing on the figures so much so that he hardly felt the cold wind. Occasionally, he shivered; but he still remained where he sat.

'Let's see…' he thought out loud as his eyes remained glued to the screen. 'Amy has got Chaos energy that keeps spreading throughout her body at a rapid rate. Right now, it looks like it's focused on her lower body…'

Tails trailed off as the figures rose just then. The Chaos energy which was concentrated on her lower body seemed to accelerate at a rapid rate.

'Amy might experience some sort of pain on that section of her body...' Tails said to himself as he began to feel slightly worried. If this continued, then the Chaos energy would keep spreading until it reached other parts of her body…like her heart. And if that happened, then…

With a single push of a button, Tails turned off the device and looked up at the city from where he sat, trying to calm down his frantic heartbeat. This was all simply too much. There was no way out rather than relying on the Chaos Emeralds. He knew that was the only way. Only the emeralds would be able to fix this, and if they acted quickly, it could be prevented from spreading further. The figures stated that overall, the energy was spreading at a slow pace. It was first concentrated in her stomach, but through time and lack of early treatment, the negative energy had grown and begun accumulating itself in her lower body before it would slowly spread back up her stomach to her heart.

Tails let out a sigh. He had told Sonic that he would try to find an alternative solution to cure Amy. Even though his best friend had tried to hide it, Tails could tell that Sonic was deeply worried. Very rarely had he ever seen Sonic so stressed out, and when he did, Tails wanted to do everything he could to help him. He never liked to see his hero-cum-best friend in a state of helplessness. But now, there wasn't any choice. They had to use the emeralds, or rather just one, to cure Amy. And they had to do it fast.

The young two-tailed fox took the bio-scanner and stood up to go back to the ward. If Amy's condition grew worse, then that would mean she has to stay at the hospital for longer. Taking her back to her apartment now or anywhere else would be risky. It would cause problems. And so it was better to play it safe.

But he was worried about Sonic, and that was when he decided to call Knuckles since the red echidna had the Chaos Emeralds kept inside a hidden section on the Master Emerald shrine. Tails decided that he would tell Knuckles to bring one of the Emeralds over. There wasn't any time to lose. They had to act quickly. He turned on his communicator and waited for Knuckles to answer his call. It only took two rings.

'Tails, where are you?!' came the quick and irritated voice from the other end.

Tails was taken aback by the tone of his voice. It was unusual for he sounded desperate. Normally when he called, Knuckles responded in a lazy tone. This time though, it sounded like he had a sense of urgency. Tails decided to not focus on that for now. He had more important things that mattered at the moment.

'I'm not at home, Knuckles. I want you to meet me and Sonic at Memorial hospital right away.' After a brief second of hesitation, the young fox added, 'It-it's Amy…she isn't feeling so well.'

Tails bit his lip as he tried to control his emotions. He knew that if he explained what was happening to Amy over the communicator, he wouldn't be able to finish. And so he decided that he would explain things once Knuckles arrived where he and Sonic were currently at. But he was in for a surprise.

'Looks like it's already happened, huh?' the red echidna asked matter-of-factly.

'Wait, what're you talking about?' Tails asked, feeling incredulous.

'I'll explain once Rouge and I get there. Just keep an eye on her.' And with that, Knuckles hung up before Tails could say anything. The young fox stared at the communicator as he pondered over what Knuckles said.

'Looks like what has happened? Does Knuckles know about the Chaos energy inside Amy?'

Before his mind could wander off to other plausible explanations like it always did, he got a call from Sonic who sounded desperate and anxious:

'Tails?! I need you to come down here right away buddy. Amy's in a pretty bad shape.'

Tails' eyes grew wide as he quickly recalled what the figures had told him earlier. 'Alright, Sonic, I'm on my way!'

He then flew down the stairs of the terrace and along the corridors to get to the ward where Sonic and Amy were in. All the while, he tried to ease the feeling of panic rising in his heart.

- xxx -

It was now well past midnight. The hospital was silent and calm as if trying to acknowledge the fact that a patient was feeling very ill. Except for a few nurses, the staff had all gone home to call it a night. So did the doctor who had attended to Amy earlier. He had told Sonic just before leaving that he would be there early the next morning to check on her again. She needed special attention since her condition was serious. The nurses had administered a few medicines to her that acted as pain killers. They helped. Amy was feeling slightly better; even her fever seemed to be vanishing.

A few minutes ago when she had collapsed while trying to stand, Sonic had rushed out of the ward and called out to the first nurse he saw. She had rushed in, and so did the doctor soon afterward. Sonic had placed her back on the bed, and her face had been wet with tears. It wasn't because of what was happening; it wasn't because of her plight. Rather, the pain was too unbearable. Her legs felt like they were burning. The pain seemed to keep spreading and the pink rose had tried not to groan or scream. Sonic was there by her side all along. There was anxiety and fear written all over his face as he stood right next to her, noting what the nurse and doctor were doing. They had seemed frantic themselves while getting a syringe ready and tried to keep her steady while they administered the injection that would temporarily subdue her pain. Sonic had helped keep her steady. He had put an arm around her shoulder while he uttered soft words of encouragement to her. They helped as well; and every time the two hedgehogs locked eyes, Sonic forced a smile on his face, trying to calm her down with the smile he knew she loved.

Once the nurse administered the pain killer, Amy felt more relieved. The pain was slowly beginning to subside and she began to breathe more easily. Her vision which had begun to look blurry seemed to clear as well. Once they left, Sonic stepped aside to inform Tails about what had happened. It has been a few minutes now since he made the call; and now Sonic was seated on the edge of the bed beside her again, never leaving her side even for a moment, except when he had to leave for a toilet break, which he did quickly.

Amy Rose now lay on her bed, tucked under the soft blue hospital quilt as her thoughts wandered. The pink rose had never thought that things would end up being so hard. She had been alone for an entire month, with no one stopping by just to grab even a small bit of conversation. Even her hero, Sonic, had never bothered to stop by no matter how many times he had passed by her apartment. She had been alone, and back then, she wondered if things would get better, and being the positive female hedgehog she always was, she had faith that things would end up getting better in the end. She always did. She didn't want to give up. That wasn't who she was. She wanted to be happy. She loved being cheerful and she always made sure she did what made her happy to cope with the loneliness. That was partly the reason why she visited families in the village. Doing that always made her happy.

And right now, she felt happier. When Sonic told her a few minutes ago that Tails was there at the hospital for her, her heart soared. It touched her that she had friends who cared, and she was very eager to see Tails. She loved all the moments when the young fox had called. It had always made her feel good to tell him what she had been doing. She recalled Tails often telling her that he would tell Sonic to visit her. She was grateful that he did. She knew he did. But Sonic never came, and she knew it wasn't that Tails forgot, as it was simply up to Sonic after all. It was still fascinating how Sonic finally chose to visit her hours ago. But it had to be a day when something unexpected happened - a day when she would need a friend the most.

And right now, as she lay on the hospital bed while looking up at her handsome blue hero, she knew that deep inside, she was happy even though everything seemed difficult. She was glad that he was there with her. She remembered how, years ago when she was younger, she always yearned for his company. She was always going after him, chasing him, teasing him, trying so very hard to get his attention…but it wasn't that way anymore. It was kind of like a miracle how he chose to stay by her side this time. He could have simply dropped her off at the hospital, but he didn't just do that. He stayed. This time, she didn't have to chase him; she wasn't trying to get his attention either. He was simply there by choice.

What the delicate pink rose didn't know was how worried he was about her. Sonic never left his friends; he always helped them. Whenever he found out that one of his friends was in trouble, he would drop whatever it was that he'd been doing at the moment just to go help them. His friends meant everything to him. And so he didn't worry if there were a whole bunch of Mobians out there who disliked him or wanted to break him, because as long as he had his friends who would always support him and be there for him, he knew he'd never be alone. He could keep fighting. He knew he had a purpose, and he would do anything to protect his friends.

And that included a certain pink hedgehog as well. True, he had gotten irritated by her behavior in the past; he always wanted to be away from her. But that didn't mean he would never help her when she needed him. The blue hero never turned his back on anyone. And he wanted to do this; he wanted to be there for her. Leaving was not an option in his book.

Both hedgehogs then looked at one another; the silence of the ward seemed to create a certain sense of warmth around them - just like a warm, comfortable blanket. They no longer felt the cold breeze that blew in, they didn't let anything take their attention away from each other when they locked eyes, not even the sounds of a few birds that were still awake. For some reason, Sonic wished he hadn't called Tails to get back to the ward. He wanted this moment to last. But he knew they had to cure her, and so he reassured himself that it was best that he called his young best friend. But yet, deep down, he wanted to be with her for longer this way. He wanted to be alone with her.

He wanted to. . .

Thoughts inside the blue hero's heart came to a stop when his pink friend smiled softly and held the little finger of his gloved hand that was placed on the bed. Her jade orbs sparkled in silent gratitude and…love. It was something he hadn't seen in her for a long time, and so he felt touched. He wondered why he didn't feel inclined to step away as he did many years ago whenever she showed any signs of affection. He wondered why this time, it felt so different from her.

Slowly, he took her hand in his and held it gently, causing Amy to slightly widen her eyes from the sudden gesture of affection. What Sonic knew was that he wanted to savor the moment. Although the blue hero didn't know what the feeling was that was going through in his heart, he knew that he would understand soon. Right now, he just wanted to be with her.

Sonic smiled gently at Amy who stared back at him with surprise. But then she relaxed when he didn't let go. She smiled with pleasure when he gave her hand a gentle squeeze; the tender smile on his lips never leaving. He didn't know why he felt the way he did. He was afraid to call it love, for he had never thought about the possibility of falling in love with Amy.

Sonic leaned closer as he was about to whisper something in her ear. He wanted to tell her about the promise he had made earlier, but just then, the door to the ward suddenly flew open; and he quickly let go of her hand.

Sonic and Amy turned to find Tails and Knuckles standing at the door, worry and anxiety written all over their faces.

Knuckles the Echidna stood wide-eyed. He never thought he would find Amy in such a prone and fragile state as this.

- xxx -

During all the years that Knuckles had known Sonic, from the time they first met on Angel Island up till now, the red echidna Guardian had never seen the blue hero of Mobius look as worried as he did now.

It was clearly written all over Sonic's face, although he tried to hide it. Knuckles tried to recall any time at all when Sonic had been as worried. He remembered the blue hero having worried about Princess Elise every time she had gotten kidnapped by Doctor Eggman back in Soleanna, but what he was seeing now was completely different. It was as though a part of the blue speedster was missing. Knuckles wasn't used to seeing his friendly nemesis this way, and so he felt uneasy.

Knuckles walked into the ward along with Tails who walked ahead. He had run into the young fox on a corridor of the hospital. When Tails had called him earlier, he and Rouge had been close by to the hospital and had been on their way to Sonic's apartment after not getting any response from Tails' place. The two had been able to cover the small distance quickly to reach the hospital and had been running up the stairs and along a corridor when they bumped into Tails. After a brief explanation of what was going on with Amy, the trio decided to hurry over to the private ward Amy and Sonic were in.

It was while they were on their way that Rouge suddenly got a call from someone. She stopped mid-flight to answer the call and Knuckles and Tails did so as well. She gave a quick word of approval through her communicator and then looked at Knuckles. She didn't tell them who it was.

'I need to be somewhere else. It's urgent. Tell Amy that I'll come to see her soon.' And with a quick kiss, they parted ways, much to Knuckles' disappointment. He didn't like being away from her. But he let it slide then.

As the red Guardian approached the bed, he looked at Amy who gave him a small, tired smile. She had clearly been in pain. It was evident. Knuckles could tell from the look in her eyes as she lay there, tucked under the quilt. Sonic was standing beside her now, having gotten off the bed when they made their appearance.

Knuckles nodded at Amy. Seldom had the two communicated throughout their life while fighting Eggman and other opponents. Even when they did, it had been awkward; however, since the formation of Resistance HQ, the two had grown close due to the red echidna taking up the role of commander of the Resistance. Although their interactions had been minimal, he still felt concerned about her as much as Sonic and Tails did. He had never seen the pink hedgehog in this state. And he knew that this was going to be more difficult than he had predicted.

He hadn't seen much of her the past few months too, although he recalled having heard of her activities and whereabouts. He remembered Tails telling him that when he had asked once. If Amy didn't plan her visits to the villages for the afternoon hours, Knuckles would have considered going with her. Leaving the Master Emerald unguarded in broad daylight was risky. In the evening, Rouge came over to spend time with him after her day at G.U.N., which meant that he hardly had time to visit her at all. He felt sorry for her.

Sonic looked at Knuckles with a smirk, masking his worry for a brief moment, and asked, 'So, Knux, what brings you here?'

Knuckles then looked at Sonic with a tired expression. Bringing up what he had experienced a while back gave him a headache. He then carefully recounted what Tikal had told him. Sonic's eyes grew wide as he listened. Knuckles left out the part about the Master Emerald putting a stop to the negative energy. He couldn't bring himself to say that in front of Amy.

Once he was done, there was a silence among them. Amy was slowly beginning to fall asleep again for which Sonic felt grateful. Due to the drowsiness, there was a chance that the delicate female hedgehog didn't catch everything Knuckles had just said. He didn't want Amy to know what was going on with her while she was in this present state. He decided he'd wait until later that day to tell her.

'So, what's the plan?' Knuckles asked.

'We do have a cure…' Tails told him as he took out the bio-scanner once again. '…But I'm afraid we need to get the emeralds. Well, at least one of them.'

Knuckles stood gaping at the young fox. 'The emeralds? Are you kidding me, Tails? It's been ages since we've used them.'

Tails nodded. 'I know, Knuckles. The estimates provided by the bio-scanner state that the amount of negative Chaos energy inside Amy is growing at a rapid pace starting from her lower body. It's simply too powerful, and we have no choice but to use a Chaos Emerald to help restrict the surge of negative energy.'

Sonic sighed. 'That's right, Knuckles. We need a Chaos Emerald. And besides, Ames collapsed while trying to stand a few minutes ago. It's like...her legs were paralyzed or...something...' He broke off as he looked away from them. He was still yet to recover from what he had seen earlier happen to her in her apartment.

Tails looked troubled when he heard that. 'That means we have to fix this as quickly as possible. We need a Chaos Emerald.'

Knuckles shook his head. 'That's just great. This means we'll have to open up that secret vault on the shrine.'

'Well, does it look like we have a choice? We need to cure Amy, and fast before she gets even worse.'

'I hope this will work though.' Knuckles said and let out an exasperated sigh. This was certainly not going to be easy.

'We're talking about a Chaos Emerald here, Knux. There is no need to doubt. Are you with me?' Sonic said as he looked at him. He was desperate. They all were. He couldn't let anything more go wrong. Enough has already. This was it. He would do everything he could to save her. He didn't want to let her go through any more pain. He wouldn't.

Knuckles stood with his arms crossed and looked at Amy. The red echidna appeared to be deep in thought as if contemplating what Tails had explained, and Sonic's reasoning. Knuckles then looked at Tails, and then finally at Sonic. When the two locked eyes, there was a sense of understanding of what needed to be done. They both knew that if there was only one option left, they had to take it. Years of fighting opponents together had cemented a bond between the two. Knuckles was always someone whom Sonic could rely on, although at times, the gullible Guardian got easily fooled which had led to many fights between the two. There was no need to worry about that now though.

They nodded at each other without a word, and Sonic turned to look at Tails. 'Tails, you stay here with Amy, buddy. Let us know if something goes wrong.'

'Alright, Sonic.' Tails said and nodded in agreement.

Both Sonic and Knuckles then left the ward, making their way over to Angel Island.

To the Master Emerald shrine.

To the Chaos Emeralds.

There wasn't any time left to lose.

My...that must have been quite a wait, hasn't it?

I'm so sorry. A lot has been happening since last month that simply gave me very little time to write up this chapter. I'm still busy and will be for another week.

But, if you're reading this chapter, thank you so much. A special thank you to all my followers and the ones who've put this story in their favorites. Thank you all so very much! You guys keep me going. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing it for all of you. ^_^

Also, care to take a few minutes to review? Just a few minutes so that I can know what you all think of this chapter and the story so far.

Until next time then. See ya :D