Blood

Blood.

Sonic was standing, staring at the blood spilled all over the ground, the red liquid lit by the moon above, contrasting with the green grass stained by it. There was blood all over the ground, all around him.

He just stood there, gaping at the blood, unable to move. He was far too shocked to make a move. His legs were frozen on the spot. He'd never seen so much blood…and he knew it couldn't be his.

Slowly, he began to walk, looking for anything that would give him some clue of where he was, but none of the trees or the valleys helped him. He was completely lost. But he didn't care. He just wanted to get out of here, get that blood off of his hands. He didn't want to see any more of it; he wanted it to just disappear.

He looked up to the moon, only to realize just then it was nighttime. But then, out of the millions of stars in the sky, he saw a couple of them moving…and getting closer.

It was the X-Tornado. And inside it, were three very worried passengers. Tails, Amy and Knuckles hadn't seen or talked to Sonic for three days straight. At first they thought he just wanted to be alone. But then, people began to disappear for no reason, but still Sonic hadn't shown up. Eventually, Tails decided to go look for him, and after hours of looking, there finally found him. But what was he doing near a forest, so far away from home?

"Sonic!" screamed Amy from the cabin, glad to see the hero at last. Amy had been so worried. She had spent three days looking for Sonic, but she never even caught a glimpse of him, not even heard a sonic boom around. She knew that he run away from her…but not even seeing him, she knew something was going on. She pressured Tails to go look for him. At first he was reluctant to use the X-Tornado just for that purpose…but after people went missing, she realized that something serious was going on.

"Stay there, Sonic!" Tails screamed, hoping he could hear him. As soon as he heard the news that people were going missing, Tails was sure that Sonic would show up to try and find out what was going on...but he never did. In fact, that was the exact time that the hedgehog himself had gone missing. And in the back of his head, Tails couldn't help but suspect that the two were somehow related.

"Well, finally. About time he showed up," Knuckles commented, trying to look upset. After all, Sonic left without saying anything, left them worried and now they had to go looking for him. Of course Knuckles was upset, he did his best to hide his own worry, which grew with every report of someone disappearing. Where was Sonic when something like this was happening and what was he doing?

Finally, the X-Tornado landed, and Amy went running to greet him after what felt like an eternity to her. "Sonic! I'm so happy to see again! I thought…" Amy started, but suddenly stopped to a halt only a few feet away from him when she looked into his eyes.

His eyes…there was something wrong with them. There was no excitement, no happiness in those orbs. She gazed into them even further, and found…pain. There was no spark of joy in his eyes; it had been replaced by something dull and grey. Even the color of his eyes seemed to be a grayish green, not the lively and joyful green she had admired so many times.

Something was very, very wrong. That's when she took her gaze off his eyes and looked at him properly, and saw all the blood, staining his body a dark red.

"Sonic? Wha…what happened? Are you okay?" Amy asked, both worried and a little afraid to know. Was he hurt? Was that his blood? No, there was too much of it. Then…why was Sonic covered in blood that wasn't his? "Sonic?" Amy asked, noticing that Sonic didn't seem to be hearing her, not even looking at her.

Tails and Knuckles showed up behind her, both of them just as surprised to see Sonic covered in blood, not even looking at them. He seemed to be someplace else, so far away. They exchanged glances, both of them asking what happened. Amy wanted to hug him, to make sure that the Sonic she'd been missing for so long was there, but the blood...she was afraid to come close.

"Sonic? Sonic, can you hear me?" Amy asked again, a little closer this time, trying to see if she could get through to him. Finally, Sonic looked at her, seeing the worry in her face. "Sonic, are you okay? What happened?"

Sonic finally moved turned to look at his hands, contemplating at the blood. After a moment of thinking, Sonic turned his eyes to Amy, and with a weak voice, he answered.

"I don't know, I…I don't remember. I don't know what happened…" he said, looking at Amy, his eyes almost screaming for help. "I don't know…" he repeated.

Amy gasped in shock. What? He didn't remember? What did he do? He didn't…hurt anyone, did he?

No, of course not. Don't be silly, Sonic wouldn't hurt anyone.

But still, why all the blood?

"Sonic, we've got to leave. Let's go, and you can get yourself cleaned up," Knuckles interjected, not bothering to hide the hint of worry in his tone. He never saw Sonic like this, covered in blood and with his head completely lost. Right now he didn't want to worry why he was like this, he didn't seem to remember. He just wanted to make sure he was okay. "Let's go," he repeated, and began to walk towards the X-Tornado.

"Sonic, are you hurt? Any cuts, bleeds, concussion?" Tails asked in pure worry. He'd never imagined seeing the hero covered in blood. After a slight head shake from Sonic meaning no, they began to walk back to the ship.

This wasn't like Sonic at all. Silent, slow and quiet. Something was really wrong with him, and wanted to ask so badly what was wrong, but restrained herself. She decided to wait until they got back before asking any questions. Sonic was back, and that was enough. He didn't seem to have any cuts or bruises in him, nor any massive bleedings. But still, the blood made him almost a surreal sight, and she'd try to clean him up as soon as possible.

"Sonic, would you like me to clean you up?" Amy asked, already wondering if there were any tissues onboard the ship.

After a slight pause, Sonic replied with a simple, "I'm fine," without even looking at her. He didn't even seem to care that the blood was starting to dry up.

Once everyone was back at the ship, Tails started to power it up again, trying to let his mind go from Sonic, but it was very hard. The most important question in his head was what to do with him. Obviously, he'd been through a very rough night. But could he be trusted to be left alone after this? Tails was convinced that at least for tonight, Sonic would need some company. It would do him some good not to be alone tonight. Trying to focus, he powered up the ship and took off, ready to drop off everyone and get a good night's sleep.

Amy never took her eyes off Sonic, who was sitting right behind her. Amy wanted to hug him so much, as three days without even seeing him was too much, but now Sonic was…different. She couldn't help but notice that he was awfully quiet all the way, just staring out the window, not complaining to have to sit still in such a little space. Amy was worried and almost afraid. It was as if Sonic wasn't even here.

"Sonic?" she called and he turned his head towards her. "Are you okay?" she asked, hoping to at least hear him talk. For a moment, Sonic hesitated to answer, but for Amy, it seemed like he was never going to answer. His face seemed to be stuck. Sonic didn't even move a muscle; his lips didn't twitch, his eyes didn't even move, only his eyebrows moved.

"I'll be fine," He answered simply, not even smiling.

Amy didn't really believe it. There was something wrong with him. She didn't know what, but she knew that this wasn't the same Sonic she knew and loved. She turned around and sighed in worry. What happened out there? What did they do to him? Why was covered in blood? Amy couldn't get these questions out of her head. But one thing was clear: Amy would do anything to help him and find out what happened. She would do anything to get back the Sonic she loved.

"Thanks for dropping me off, Tails," Knuckles said as he hopped out of the X-Tornado, landing near the Master Emerald Shrine. "See ya later." he added, and Tails took off, this time headed for Amy's house, leaving Knuckles pondering. He knew that something had happened, why else would Sonic act so weirdly? It was true that he didn't always like his attitude, which sometimes seemed to him so childish and careless. But this was serious. Sonic didn't seem to be showing any emotion at all.

"Maybe I should check if he's okay tomorrow…" he said to himself, wondering if it would be a good idea. He had no idea how he could help him, or if leaving the Master Emerald for just an hour for him would be a risk worth taking. Nevertheless, he was worried, and he wanted to know what was going on.

Once again, an awkward silence filled the air. Sonic hardly said anything the whole trip and he seemed lost in a distant world. Amy keep turning and looking at him, asking herself the same questions over and over again, but never receiving any answers, only increasing worry.

"Don't worry, Sonic," Amy said softly, if only to break the silence. "We'll clean you up, and you'll be just fine," she added with a weak smile, hoping that Sonic would return the favor.

But he only gave her a small glance, and then turned back to look out the window, not even giving her a polite smile. Sonic didn't want to look at her, not now. Everything was just too unclear in his head; it distracted him from everything else. He kept trying to recall anything, an image, a clue…but nothing. It was all just blurs in his mind, not a clear memory came to him.

I sure hope so, Amy. I sure hope so…

"Actually, I need to do something before we do that," Tails suddenly piped up, as the idea struck him in his head. He didn't have the equipment to do it himself, but it would clear the mystery a bit…

"What's that?" Amy added, reluctantly turning his eyes and attention away from Sonic and towards the fox, wondering what else could be more important than cleaning the blood off the blue hedgehog.

"I think we should take blood samples," Tails said firmly, convinced that it would be the best thing to do. "Before we go to bed, we should take some blood from Sonic, both his own and some of what's on him."

Amy raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Why? What are you thinking about, Tails?" she asked with suspicion. What was Tails up to now?

"I need to…see something," he said cryptically, not willing to share. If he told her, it was possible she wouldn't agree with him, or perhaps even stop him from doing so.

"And what's that?" Amy asked, her green eyes filled with worry. What did he want to do with Sonic?

Tails didn't answer, keeping his mouth shut stubbornly. He just wanted to see if there was anything suspicious with the blood, and if the samples would answer some questions about what might've happened.

"Tails, what is it?" she asked as her eyes narrowed in anger.

"We're here." Tails said with a sigh, relieved that they were already at Amy's house and didn't have to deal with an angry Amy.

"Fine." she said, and reluctantly got off the ship, unhappy to have to leave Sonic after days of not seeing him. She didn't even get a chance of giving him a hug or telling him that she loved him when she finally did see him, either. Amy missed so much that small moment where she would actually be hugging him so much, as it would be another chance to prove her undying love. And now she'd spend the entire night worrying about him. Speaking of which…

"Wait, Tails!" she asked, turning around and sneaking a glance at her broken hero. "Where will Sonic spend the night?"

Tails turned to look at Amy, and then back at Sonic. Honestly, he'd just assumed that Sonic would spend the night with him, sleeping in his spare room. He should've known that Amy would try to get Sonic to spend the night with her.

"He'll spend the night with me. But first I have to get him to a hospital where they'll examine the blood," he answered, and with this he fired up the engines. "Good night, Amy," Tails added, and took off, leaving a very worried Amy behind. Amy lingered on her doorway, not willing to rest just yet, not until she knew what to do next.

"I'll go visit him tomorrow. He seemed so lost, almost like he was trapped inside his head," she said to herself, and then entered her home, ready to rest and leave her worries behind for the night.

"Don't worry, Sonic. Just a few minutes and then we'll be finished," the fox tried to reassure his big brother once they were alone and in the sky again, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Sonic was still awfully quiet, not his usual positive self. Tails was trying to figure out why he was he seemed so…detached from everything else.

"Tails?" Sonic said, surprising Tails. "What's going on?"

Tails gave a sigh of relief. At least he seemed interested to know about the situation. "Well, I don't know if you remember, but you've been gone for three days, Sonic," Tails turned to look at the hedgehog, wondering how he'd react, but Sonic just seemed contemplative, a rare thing indeed.

"And…ever since you left, people have been disappearing." the fox added, still suspicious of the situation. Could it be that all this was a new tactic by Eggman? Was all this the evil doctor's doing? If it was, it was a pretty good plan.

Sonic absorbed all the information, immersed in his own thoughts. He knew that there was something strange going on. But why couldn't he remember?

"There it is." Tails said from his seat, looking at the hospital, located far away. He started thinking of a good place to leave the X-Tornado, whilst Sonic was still trying to bring back any memories.

If there was one thing Tails knew, it was that it wasn't a good idea for Sonic, the renowned hero, to show up in a hospital covered in blood after nobody had seen him for three days. But if the blood could give any clues as to what happened to him, then they would have to take the risk.

"Alright, you'll feel a slight pinch. Stay still," the doctor said while inserting a needle into Sonic's arm and watched the red liquid pour into the small tube.

Sonic, Tails and the doctor, an elderly cat named Anthony, were all in a small exam room. It wasn't much to look at: white, boring walls, drawers with needles and various tools, a poster about the dangers of smoking in a corner. Sonic was sitting in a plain chair, with Anthony standing beside, while Tails was just trying to catch his breath.

"You alright there, little fella?" asked Anthony, noticing the young fox's breathing patterns and sweat.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that we had to run to get here," replied Tails, glad to see that Anthony seemed to be a caring doctor. Anthony didn't seem to be shocked in the least at the sight of all that blood. He was already used to it.

"Well, I understand that young heroes such as Sonic deserve medical attention," he replied, taking a look at the silent, pensive hedgehog. "But rushing in like that and asking for a doctor with such urgency is a bit rude, don't you think?"

"We didn't want too many people to see Sonic like this." Tails explained. "I'm sorry, but you know how fan crowds can be."

"Don't you think running like that in a hospital attracts people's attention?" he remarked a little slyly, and removed the needle from Sonic's arm when he noticed he had enough blood to run tests. "Alright, that's enough. Now you just have to clean him up."

"Actually…I'd like you to take some samples of that blood too," Tails added, hoping the doctor wouldn't get suspicious.

"What, you mean…that? Alright, I'll do it. But if you don't me asking, why do you want me to test it? Are you looking for something in particular?" Anthony asked as he started to take pieces of the dried blood with his gloves. Anthony knew that being a hero could sometimes suffer injuries, but there certainly was something fishy about this.

"Well…" the fox started, but looked at Sonic. Would it be a good idea to let him know?

Anthony noticed that he didn't want to share this in front of Sonic, so he approached the fox with his back against the hedgehog. "Something you'd want me to keep a secret?"

Sonic watched Tails turn his back against him and whisper something into the doctor's ear. He couldn't make out any of Tails' words. Soon however, he became immersed deep in his own thoughts. He forgot that there was anybody else with him in the room.

What's happening to me? Why can't I remember? I don't feel like myself…I don't think I feel much of anything…

"Alright. Ready to go, Sonic?" Tails said, snapping Sonic out of his thoughts. The hedgehog nodded and got up, and started to walk towards the door.

"You know…" Anthony said, and looked at Sonic with curiosity. "He doesn't seem like the Sonic I've heard so much about."

"What do you mean?" Tails asked, though he had actually thought the same thing all along.

"Well, I've seen him on television many times. He was always with a smile on his face, never staying still. Always full of energy, never stopping for anything. He doesn't seem like that. Maybe he's just different in person," the doctor explained.

"Well…I don't know why, but he's being acting weird," Tails said, not willing to say too much.

"I guess he just had a strange night. But he can always talk to someone about it. Well boys, I've got more patients waiting for me. Have a good night," he waved the fox and the hedgehog goodbye, and the two heroes started to make their way back to the ship, back to Tails' place.