Confessions

I stepped inside the Cyclone to see that the gang were all together: everyone was making preparations to head to Nocturne. Tails was going over our coordinations, Knuckles and Shade were nearby doing I'm not sure what, Cream was sitting in an open area of the ship playing with Cheese, and as for Shadow, Rouge and Omega, they were busy going over their plan of attack when we arrived there. As with me, I showed a bright smile and let out a content sigh to myself seeing that we were all prepared and ready to go. 'Finally! After all this chasing around, we're going to Imperator Ix's fortress and put a stop to his plans for good.' I thought to myself. But as I had a closer look around, I could see that there was something unaccounted for: Amy. I started to scratch the side of my head, wondering what she could be. "Sonic?" I suddenly heard someone ask from behind me.

"Waaah!" I nearly jumped out of my skin hearing this, and then I turned around to see Amy standing behind me. 'I didn't even notice that she was there! Is she trying to give me a heart attack?' I asked myself as I was struggling to recover from that unexpected shock. But after a few seconds, I felt my heart rate return to normal and then I showed a bright smile. "Oh, hey, Amy! What's up?" I asked, regaining my posture. Amy then turned her glance down with a shy expression on her face and I noticed that she placed her hands behind her back, as if there was something she wanted to say to me. She then looked back up at me as she saw me staring at her in surprise, wondering what had gotten into her.

"Is it all right if I speak to you about something?" Amy asked. I was silent for a few seconds as I showed an expression of surprise at this request, but then I simply nodded with a bright smile.

"Okay... What about, though?" I replied, showing an expression of puzzlement as I was wondering what Amy wanted to speak to me about. She then showed a shy smile before she added "I'll tell you when we're alone."

Almost immediately, my surprise gave way to shock: ever since Amy had told me about her new boyfriend, Dexter, she hadn't really made an effort to try and talk to me alone. Whenever we did talk to each other, there was usually someone else with us nearby. So sufficed to say, I was feeling uncertain on how to respond to her saying this. But then I figured that if Amy wanted the two of us to be alone, it had to be something important. So, deciding not to ask her about it any further, I showed a bright smile and nodded. "Sure thing."

Amy quickly showed a big smile and then she jumped up into the air in excitement. "Great!" she happily cheered. She then turned to the others while I watched in silence. "Could you guys excuse me and Sonic for a few minutes?" Amy asked. She then turned and started to walk out of the Cyclone while I slowly followed her, and I turned my glance back to see that the others were all looking at each other, wondering what was going on.

I then stepped outside to see Amy sitting on a rock nearby and she was placing her hand on a free space beside her, like she wanted me to sit with her. So I walked over and sat down next to Amy. Silence then filled the air for a few seconds before I was the one to break it. "So, Amy... What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

Amy then turned her glance down to the ground as she showed an expression of uncertainty and then she placed her hands together like she was trying to figure out how to properly word what she wanted to say. I simply sat in silence and waited for her to speak. Had this been under any other circumstances, I probably would have gotten frustrated with her by now. But instead, I was just sitting and waiting patiently for her to start. I guess I could consider that a good thing, given everything we had been through over the course of this adventure. After a few seconds, Amy looked up at me showing an expression of concern. "Well... I've been thinking, and I know we're going into some real danger today. We've fought some real foes, but these are echidnas with Gizoids; from another dimension!" she explained. I stared at her in silence before showing a confident smile; I didn't see any need for Amy to worry about that.

"Hey, if that's what you're worried about, there's no need to be, Amy. So long as we're working together, those guys won't know what hit them!" I commented, winking at Amy to reassure her that I was telling her the truth. Amy showed a bright smile at this and then she nodded, like she knew I was right. But then her smile faded and then she turned her gaze down while I watched her in surprise.

"I know you're right, but that's the least of my worries. I mean, I've been thinking about that too, but there's also something else I want to say to you, and I don't know if I'll get to say this before we leave. Sonic, you've been really nice to me and well, I..." Amy slowly trailed off before she turned her glance up to me, like she was checking to see if I was still listening to her. Sure enough, I was showing her my undivided attention, with an expression of concern to match.

"Yeah?" I asked, slowly nodding in understanding as I wanted to hear the rest of what she wanted to say. Amy showed a smile of relief at this and then she continued, her smile growing brighter and keeping her gaze on me.

"Well, I just wanted to say that...I really care about you, Sonic." Amy said. I couldn't help myself showing a bright smile at this; I really cared about her. She was very important to me, just like everyone else was. I was then about to speak up before Amy stopped me, as she seemed to have more to say. "And I also wanted to say that...a part of me worries that this might be the end. But everything you've said to me during all of this, it's stopped me from thinking that and keeps me going through everything." Amy continued. She noticed me staring at her in surprise and then she let out a small sigh, realising that she didn't seem to be getting to the point as she was trying to say. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is... do you like me too? Do you feel anything for me at all?" Amy quietly asked, with an expression of worry showing on her face as she kept her eyes on me.

I stared in stunned silence for a few seconds and then I looked down to think, darting my eyes back and forth as I was trying to think about this. How did I really feel about Amy? I remembered my initial annoyance at her when we first met and whenever I saw her, as well as the fact that I always ran away when she tried to chase after me; I really didn't think much of her at first. But then I remembered all of the time we spent together, how I would genuinely enjoy her company and would enjoy spending time with her, as well as the fact that I would always step in to save her whenever she was in danger, and that I would always stick up for her no matter what. I could also remember everything I had said over the course of this adventure; my own words started to reflect through my ears as I recalled them loud and clear...

"I just don't want you to embarrass Sonic, that's all."

"Thanks, Amy."

"Sure thing, Sonic! Anytime!"

"That must be where they're keeping Knuckles!"

"You're probably right."

"Thanks, Sonic!"

"I'm just fine! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's just... I'm feeling a bit worried about you, Amy."

"You... you are? Why would you need to be worried? I can take care of myself!"

"I know. It's just that..."

"It's okay. It's good to know you care, Sonic. Thanks for letting me know."

"Leave Amy alone, Rouge."

"Thank you, Sonic. At least someone knows how to treat a lady."

"It doesn't look dangerous. It looks... sad."

"It looks like you have a point."

"I... I do? Really?"

"If he's working for Eggman, then we have to stop him."

"Exactly, Amy!"

"Oh, thanks!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Amy's right. This had better be good."

"Thank you, Sonic."

"Amy, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so... That boulder looks like it will be hard to break. How will we be able to get through?"

"It's okay, Amy. We'll find a way through it. I promise."

"I... I know. Thanks, Sonic."

"I'll just come out with it: you've been so nice to me lately. I never knew you liked me before, so it's good to know you care at least a little bit!"

"You deserve to be treated nicely, Amy."

"Really? I do? Uh... I mean... Of course I do!"

"There's already a whole army of Marauders and robots! Even Sonic can't take on an army that large without backup!"

"You don't need to worry, Amy. We'll be fine."

"But I don't want you... Uh, I mean... anyone to get hurt!"

"We'll be okay. I promise.

"...Okay. I believe you. Thanks, Sonic."

I couldn't help feeling a bright smile cross my face as I remembered everything I had said to Amy during all of this; all my promises, all my reassurances that we would be fine, all my compliments towards her, all the times that I stood up for her. As I thought about all of this, I couldn't help myself wondering... Is this how I really felt about Amy all this time? Have I always thought all of this about her? Have I finally been able to make my true feelings for her open to see? As soon as all of these questions started to circulate in my mind, I lifted my head to look up at Amy. I had something I wanted to say to her; it was something long overdue, something I had wanted to say to her for all this time, but I refused to let my feelings be known. I knew it wouldn't be easy for me to say, but I had a feeling it would all be worth it.

"Amy..." I let out a sigh as I started to take the time to figure out how I could properly say all of this, and tell Amy everything I always wanted to say. I then took a deep breath, feeling ready to let it out, before I spoke. "This is something I've wanted to say to you for...well, pretty much as long as I've known you. And as far as I know, I've known you for a really long time. For a large amount of the time I've known you, I always thought that you were just a crazy fan girl; I thought your crush on me was just that and nothing more."

I could see Amy showing an expression of guilt as she remembered what her behaviour around me was like in the past; it was clearly something she couldn't forget, and neither could I. But now wasn't the time for me to dwell on the past, this was the time for me to be honest about everything. With this, I then added "But as more time passed, I started to realise...just how wrong I was. And trust me, that's hard for me to admit overall." Amy looked up at me with an expression of surprise as she was wondering what I meant. Seeing that she was listening to me, I showed a bright smile and continued.

"I started to see just how much as a sweet, caring and strong girl you really are. I realised how much you care about all of this and how you'll do whatever you can to help us out. But being as stubborn as I was, I wouldn't admit that to myself. And not only that, I refused to see...just how much you truly care about me. I thought your feelings for me were just some girlish crush, but that was barely the truth. You genuinely care about me, and that was something I didn't want to see for myself. If this makes sense, I was so clouded in my own prejudiced judgement to realise the truth, that was, until your sunlight cleared that away."

I could see Amy slowly showing a bright smile as she was listening to all of this, and that let me know that I could continue with what I wanted to say, which was exactly what I wanted to do.

"And I know I've been a real jerk to you. With the way I've treated you, I wouldn't have been too surprised if you turned your back on me, and you had every right to. But you never did; instead, you've always stayed by my side and that's something I know I'll never forget. I've always thought of myself as a hero, but if there's anyone who has earned that title...I'd say that honour goes to you, Amy. And I also want to do whatever I can to make up for my behaviour towards you; I know now it wasn't right of me. And you shouldn't have to deal with me treating you that way, and I want to safely promise you that you won't have to again. You're really that important to me and I don't want to lose you, because if that were to happen, I feel like a part of me inside would be empty. It's like...there's a place in my heart saved just for you, and that's the part I don't know I'd be able to live without."

I then placed a hand on my chest to represent where my heart was, and then I pointed to a small area in the centre to show that was where Amy was; she was possibly the most important part of me, and she was the part that completed me, and I wanted her to know that. I then stopped to catch my breath, and an expression of surprise crossed my face as I realised everything that I was saying.

'How have I been able to say all of this? I think I know...these are my true feelings for Amy. I'm telling her everything I've always wanted to say, but I denied myself the chance to ever let them come out. Well, I'm not going to hide them anymore; it's time that Amy knows the truth!' I thought to myself. I then showed a bright smile and nodded in confirmation, knowing exactly what I wanted to say.

"And there's also something I've always wanted to say to you; I don't just think of you as a friend, I don't just care about you. In fact, I don't even just like you. Amy..." I then reached forward and took Amy's hands in mine, which prompted her to stare at her in awe as she was trying to register what she was hearing me say, and I showed a bright smile seeing how thrilled she was. But then, there was silence as I stopped upon realising what I was saying to her: I was going to tell her the one thing she had been waiting for from me. I could feel my throat start to tighten up from the inside, and I was growing scared that I wouldn't be able to let it out; it was the one thing I wanted as much as Amy did, and I was feeling all my nerves starting to catch up with me, the last thing I wanted. But just as I was feeling like I wouldn't be able to do it, I started to feel all of my fears and doubts wash away from me and I felt a strong sense of calm; this wasn't going to faze me at all. With this, I finally spoke.

"...I love you."

There they were: the three words that I had wanted to say for all this time were finally out in the open for Amy to hear. There was silence as I watched Amy, awaiting her response. She was staring with an expression of shock, like she was trying to register what she had just heard. I then started to show an expression of worry, wondering if I had made a mistake in finally letting my feelings be known; I thought that this was what Amy wanted from me. But then I saw that a big smile was starting to cross Amy's face as it all clicked for her. "Sonic..." she then quietly whispered, staring in awe.

I showed a bright smile at her reaction. "I know, it's something long overdue. But like I mentioned, this is something I had always wanted to say. And I would be lying if I said it wasn't the truth, because that's what it is. I love you, Amy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to do whatever I can to make up for my mistakes in the past, to make up for the way I've treated you, and give you everything that you deserve from me. I know I'm not exactly the kind of person you might want, but I also know that what I can give you will be everything you need. And for me, nothing would matter more." I explained. I then remained silent to watch how Amy would react. I could see that she had tears building up in her eyes, and the brightest smile that I had ever seen her shown. Her eyes were like gorgeous jade stones, the rarest kind I had ever seen, because they only belonged to her, and I wanted to be the one who would always get to see those eyes looking back at my emerald greens.

"Sonic..." Amy stared in silence for a few more seconds before she lunged forward at me and wrapped her arms around me tightly, causing me to nearly fall off the rock we were sitting on from surprise. I looked down at her as she hugged me, with tears falling freely from her face and dripping into my chest, but I wasn't bothered by that at all; I was just glad to see her so happy. "This is exactly what I've wanted to hear you say for so long! You don't believe how happy I feel right now! This is like a dream come true!" Amy cried. I could tell that she was struggling to speak, mostly due to the sound of her voice in the midst of her sobs. I simply showed a bright smile and wrapped my arms around her, allowing her to let out all of her happiness. I then noticed the tears in her eyes and started to gently brush them away; I didn't want to see something like that in her eyes, even if it was from sheer happiness. After a few seconds, Amy let go of me and looked up at me showing a bright smile as she brushed her remaining tears away, and then she jumped up on her feet while I watched in surprise. "Oh, this is so exciting! I can't wait to tell everyone about my new boyfriend!" she happily exclaimed.

"And... who would that be?" I asked, showing a cheeky smile while I said that. Amy then spun around to face me, and she showed a bright smile and touched the tip of my nose with one finger as she replied "You, of course! Who else do you think?"

I nearly jumped from shock at this: I was Amy's boyfriend? But what about...? I then jumped up on my feet as well, showing an expression of surprise at Amy's sudden enthusiasm. "But... what about Dexter?" I asked. Amy stared in silence for a few seconds before she waved a hand like she wasn't bothered by that anymore.

"Dexter? I just made him up to make you jealous. Who needs an imaginary guy like that when I have the real deal in front of me?" Amy asked in response, showing a bright smile. I could only stare in shock: Amy made Dexter up just to stir me up? But after a few seconds, I showed a cheeky smile and crossed my arms.

"Well, that couldn't have fooled me." I replied, turning my head away. Amy covered her mouth as she started to giggle seeing that I wasn't making myself look convincing. I then opened one eye, noticing that Amy wasn't fooled, and then I showed a genuine smile.

"Well, it was fun messing around with you while it lasted." Amy commented. I started to laugh a bit to myself before I turned my head back to her and took her hands in mine as we looked into each other's eyes.

"I guess this whole situation was a bit of a wake-up call for me, that I should probably do something before I never got the chance to. It's pretty surprising how that works, doesn't it?" I asked. Amy simply showed a bright smile and nodded, apparently having the same thought that I did. "Sorry to keep you waiting so long like that, though." I then added, looking down uneasily as I remembered just how long Amy had been waiting for me to tell her the truth. But, to my relief, she didn't seem fazed as she slowly shook her head.

"That's okay, Sonic. I guess I'm just glad to finally hear it. And you need to remember that as my new boyfriend, you need to treat me the way I deserve to be treated!" Amy replied, showing a firm expression at that last statement to let me know that this was a big deal. Luckily, I understood the message clearly as I rapidly nodded.

"Y-you got it, Amy. I wasn't planning on treating you anyway else, because that's exactly what I would have done in the past. But from today, you'll be seeing a new me: someone that will give you what you deserve. You can be sure of that!" I replied, showing a confident smile as I was feeling more confident about doing this and then winked at Amy to let her know I was telling her the truth about everything.

Amy showed a bright smile and nodded, knowing that I was being honest. "And I know you'll be able to keep it that way." she added. I showed a bright smile before letting out a sigh of relief that I completely forgot I had been holding.

"Hey, guys! You ready to get going?" Hearing that call, Amy and I turned their heads seeing that it was Tails letting us know that it was time to go: we were on our way to Nocturne.

"We'll be right there, Tails!" I replied. I then turned my head to Amy as she heard Tails calling as well. "Well, I guess it's time for us to get a move on, don't you think?" I asked.

Amy cheerfully nodded in agreement. "Yep, it sure is. We have a world to save... together!" she replied. I simply nodded in agreement and the two of us started to walk back to the Cyclone side by side. But as we got close to it, I felt Amy tap me on the shoulder. "Hey, Sonic?" she asked.

I turned around to Amy to see that she was showing a big smile. "Yeah?" I asked, wondering what was up. Amy looked down with a shy smile and then, without any hesitance on her part, she leaned up to me and pressed her lips against mine. I could only find myself staring in shock as my eyes went large and I nearly felt my heart stop as I registered what was happening. Amy... was kissing me! I turned my glance to her to see that she was showing a bright smile, knowing that she had made another one of her dreams come true. After a few seconds, I felt a bright smile cross my face and I slowly closed my eyes before wrapping my arms around her, letting the two of us become lost in this moment.

'Sweet Chaos... I can't believe how amazing this feels! Who would have known that I would find myself enjoying this that much? And it's with the girl I've always loved for the longest time... That's what I would call a win-win situation.' I found myself thinking to myself. I felt all of my insides burn with a feeling of compassion and my heart felt like it was burst from the experience; it was like I was being lost in a world where there was just me and Amy.

After a few seconds, the two of us slowly parted and we looked at each other with matching big smiles. We were both silent before I was the one to speak. "So this is what my first kiss feels like..." I could only whisper, feeling at a loss of words to properly describe what I was feeling right now; it was a completely new experience for me. Amy watched me with a bright smile and then she let out a giggle noticing my complete wordlessness.

"Feels pretty special, doesn't it? I don't blame you; I've been waiting for this as long as I'm sure you have." Amy commented. I turned my glance to her and slowly nodded; this was something incredible, and I was sure looking forward to it happening between me and Amy. "So... you ready to get a move on back to the Cyclone?" Amy then asked.

I simply nodded with a bright smile. "You got it. Let's go, Amy. And no matter what waits before us, we'll face it together." I replied. With this, the two of us made our way into the Cyclone to meet up with the others, hand in hand.

I turned my head to Amy showing a bright smile and I saw her smiling back; once all of this was over, I was going to treat her to the date she wanted all this time. That was a promise I knew I couldn't break.