Chapter 34: In Spite of Everything, He Will Run for Her

He had sat in that field for a week. Yes, he had been there for an entire stinking week. With his head buried in his knees and his arms wrapped tight around his legs, the hedgehog had refused to move for anything. Even with all the verbal poking and prodding that came to him, courtesy of the woman in black, he hadn't budged within the seven days he had been separated from his body. In fact, the blue blur hadn't looked up from his spot, dared to speak, or even allow himself to do something as insignificant as twitch. To call him stubborn, needless to say, was a drastic understatement.

For several long stretches of time, neither Sonic nor the woman said anything to one another. Other than the occasional question or statement, which always belonged to the woman, silence ruled the space in-between the two of them. It wasn't until the middle of the seventh day that finally, defeated in whatever quest she had encountered on, the woman sighed and spoke.

"You were never afraid of me before, hero." She supposed, her solid voice spreading into every corner of the air, demanding all attention and finally causing Sonic to stir from his spot and ever so slowly, glance at her past folded arms. "You have faced me time and time again before, and never once have you shuttered. In fact, if I do say so myself, you have greeted me as an old friend during all our brief meetings. It's simply not like you to be so reluctant in our encounters."

Gradually, as he lowered his arms and sat up a bit straighter, the hedgehog turned to face her in full. "So tell me why, hero, you are so hesitant this time to meet me. Why do you ignore me? Is it that girl of yours? Is it the image of your princess that keeps you tied to your life this time?" But the moment she turned to look at him in return, the hedgehog turned back away.

Yet rather than hiding his face, however, the hedgehog readjusted himself so his he could look towards his own body—as strange and messed up as that sounded—and rest his chin on his folded arms. Though he didn't respond to her right off the bat, for he spent a few moments listening to the breeze, he did, in fact, eventually speak to her for the first time.

"If you want the honest truth, then yes. It's Sally that's keeping me from leaving, and it's Sally that's going to keep me from leaving." He explained, his voice both heavy and harsh at the same time. "And there's nothing you can do about that, just so you know."

If it could have been called as much, the woman released a single, short lived chuckle. "Is that so? And why does this… Sally of ours keep you from leaving?"

Gritting his teeth together, the hedgehog growled, already fully frustrated with her attitude. "Why else? I love her, and I don't want her to be alone. Or to be more accurate, I don't want to leave her at all."

Though he wasn't looking at her, he was pretty sure that the stupid woman was smiling smugly underneath that ugly hood of hers. "You love her? That never swayed you before, hero. Even with all of this care you harbored for her beforehand, you never once seemed afraid of what laid beyond the grave without her."

Hissing, Sonic quickly snapped back. "That's because I hadn't realized how much she meant to me back then. Although I've always loved her, I never understood how much is would hurt to lose her until I almost did."

"When she jumped and nearly succeeded, and then again with the chaos spears. Correct?" Sonic nodded, and the woman hummed, as if in deep thought.

"I realized at that moment that there was nothing worse I could think of that I could ever go through in my life, and I realized how much it would hurt to say goodbye to her." The hedgehog explained, his brow creased together to synthesize an expression of pain and rage. "And now, despite everything I've done to keep it from happening, I've had to do just that. I saved her life, but now we've been separated. I've been forced to say goodbye, but the fact of the matter is that I'm not ready for that. There are still so many things I wanted to do with her, and so many things I wanted to say. I love her, for crying out loud! I don't want to leave her, and I know for a fact that she doesn't want me to leave either."

Silence, for a brief moment, descended and claimed the hedgehog. Yet just as the woman opened her mouth to leave some sort of a snarky or wise comment, which Sonic had been expecting, the hedgehog continued once again.

"But if all of that isn't bad enough, I've also left all my family and friends behind. Heck, I've abandoned all of Mobius! What exactly are they supposed to do without me? I'm their hero! I'm the one that's supposed to keep all of them safe! How am I supposed to do that if I'm dead? I'll tell you how I'll do it." The hedgehog exclaimed, shooting up onto his feet without a proper warning, his words gradually becoming faster, angrier, and more passionate with each second. "I won't. Not when I'm dead."

"I've left behind my duty as a hero, my parents, my uncle, my dog, my brother, all my friends, and the girl I love. I know that they could all go on to live long and happy lives without me, but the fact of the matter is that I want to be there with them. I don't want this right now. Even with all of the crap we were going through, it felt as if everything was going perfect!" He exclaimed, his voice having escalated into full-scaled shouting. "We had so many things we were going to do, and we had so many people we were going to rescue. We had so many things that were going right. But what can I do about all that now? What can I do to help Sally out in all of those things we were going to do? Absolutely nothing. And I hate that." He hissed, his eyes narrowing as he grit his teeth together and balled his hands into fists, his fury peaking and causing him to finally lash out in one, final screech.

"I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!"

Taking in a series of deep breaths, Sonic sighed, shook his head, and without another word, dropped back down to the ground. "After feeling like I was going nowhere for so long, I thought I'd finally found that place I was searching for. No, I had found it." He whispered, thoroughly defeated, and oh so very sad. "And you know what? I'd thought I was finally there to stay."

Curiosity having claimed her as its own when the hedgehog stopped speaking, the woman in black questioned, "What do you mean by that place?"

Allowing several moments to calm himself, Sonic eventually sighed and pulled his legs close to his chest again. "I'd found that place where I could be genuinely happy again. I found that place with Sally, but now… now I'm dead. Dead of all things. Can you believe it?" He asked, his voice accompanied with a brief chuckle before it swiftly died down to a gentle whisper. "I'd… I'd do anything to get that back." The hedgehog stated, burying his face once again in his knees. "I'd do anything to see her again. To be home…" And with that, he became quiet.

For a long time, neither of them said anything. Other than the mild murmur of the wind, the world had fallen to a unanimous hush. Of course, given the fact that the woman in black was so curious, that hush didn't last long. "She made you feel like you were at home? But I thought you detested the slow life. Aren't you supposed to be the embodiment of freedom? The physical manifestation of the wind itself?"

Releasing a short, "Ha," the hedgehog shook his head. "The wind already has a physical manifestation, thank you very much. I met him personally."

The woman replied with a low hum, regarded the hedgehog's body before them, and spoke. "But when it comes to freedom, I believed…?"

"The opposition of freedom isn't love or home. And it certainly isn't Sally, either."

"Really?" The woman asked, her voice filled with an odd accumulation of pleasant surprise. "And here I thought you hated the idea of being tied down."

"Tied down?" Sonic asked rhetorically. "You still think I view a life with Sally as being tied down?"

Though she was sure she wouldn't have the chance to, the woman opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but the moment she did, the young man took over.

"I don't remember meeting Sally Alicia Acorn. In fact, I don't even remember a time when she wasn't there in my life in some way, shape, or form. Sally has been a part of my life since before I could walk on my own two feet, and I've been a part of hers since before she could form a single coherent sentence. We've been a part of each other for our entire lives, through thick and thin and good and bad."

"We spent every day together when we were little. As babies, and then as toddlers, and then as kids, we were always laughing, playing, and goofing off together. When I was six and she was five, though, we watched as Doctor Robotnik turned on the Kingdom of Acorn and flip our world upside-down. We lost family and friends alike on that day, and as children, we personally witnessed the destruction of our own home. Together, we saw the fall of an entire kingdom, our whole world, and we found ourselves scampering away with our tails hidden between our legs, more terrified than ever before."

"For a long time, we had lost hope. But when we decided one day that we weren't going to take his crap—when we decided that we weren't just going to sit there and accept his evil—we stood side by side and hand in hand to take him down. Together, we fought for our freedom, along with all of our friend and allies who refused to be stomped on and choked out. Together, we had to fight to be free. Never once did we ever have a 'slow' moment within all of our fighting and day-to-day living. Never."

"Through everything I did and tried to do, Sally was always there for me. Even if I had nothing to show for my bruises and broken bones by the end of the day, Sally was always there, more than willing to comfort me and build up my hopes when I couldn't do the same for her, more than happy to give me a hug if my spirits had been broken. Despite my enormous ego and obvious jerkiness at times, she never once gave up on me. And in turn, I never gave up on her."

Finally pulling his gaze skywards once again, Sonic exhaled heavily, his gaze distant, sad, and yet filled with pride towards the woman he cared so much for. "Even though I did for a time treat a relationship with her as a ball and chain, I never one believed that Sally herself was a prison. To call her something as lowly as a jail would be an insult to her in nastiest method possible. No, calling her that just wouldn't be fair at all."

"After nearly losing her, my friends, and my family time and time again, I've come to realize that they never once served as my jailer. They've never kept me from being or feeling free." Sonic held, his voice soft, barely above a whisper, but so undeniably and incredibly powerful. "No. They've always been so much more than that. Sally's always been more than that to me. She always has been, and she always will be."

The wind, a tender and gentle whisper, swept in-between the two figures the moment the last breath crept past the hedgehog's lips. Though soft and nearly inaudible, it harbored an incomprehensible authority and strength. As impossible as it seemed, it screeched and it screamed, it tore the air apart, and it ripped the heavy and dark aura that had befallen upon the woman and the hedgehog into tiny, bite-sized pieces. All at once and without so much as a single notice, the almighty aura of the woman in black had been torn away, and instead bestowed to the blue hero who at first seemed so small and insignificant.

Ha… how…?

Thunderstruck at the magnificence and majesty the hedgehog's words had claimed, now quivering in her spot, the woman, ever so carefully, shared her query. "Then… what exactly is she, to you, hero?"

Stealing an eternity to allow the breeze to rush through him, to take in the sunlight, and to feel the ground moving beneath him, the hedgehog took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and spoke.

"She is my freedom."

His words, though few in number and so seemingly unimportant at a first thought, struck the woman like a ton of bricks. They caused her to step back and release a quiet gasp as if she was in pain, as if she was in more shock than she had ever believed to be possible. Was—was it—how did—hold on—why did—wait—how—?

Was it really that of all things…? Was she really so… so important to him? Did she really mean that much to him?

When Sonic heard her voice again, after an entire minute of silence had passed, he was more than startled. For when he heard her again, when she finally decided to made it be known that she was still there, it wasn't a snarky reply or a shocked sentence that reached him. It was a laugh. A laugh of all things. And no, it wasn't just any laugh: it was a hysterical, full-scale, full-body-consuming and all-powerful laugh that was probably accompanied with tears and an aching diaphragm.

Turning to look at her, claimed by confusion, annoyance, and surprise simultaneously, the hedgehog furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth together, unleashing a low growl within his chest, subtle enough that she couldn't catch it. Excuse me, what on Mobius was her problem? Had she found his words to be funny? Amusing? Weak, perhaps? Though he had half a mind at that moment to shoot up onto his feet and find some way to punch her in the face, the woman's laughing eventually came to an end as she stood up straight and spoke.

"I never would have guessed, dear hero of Mobius, that a single person could ever mean so much to you." She declared confidently. "You truly do love this Sally of yours, don't you? You love her more than most would be able to comprehend. I must admit, your dedication to her is impressive. It's been a long time since I've seen devotion like this."

Huffing, Sonic turned away from the woman. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm dead. No matter how much I love and care for her, I won't be able to protect her if my heart isn't beating. I'm dead, and that's all there is to it. I'm useless. I'm done." And finally fed up with everything that was rushing through his mind and heart, the hedgehog buried himself again behind folded arms, silent, still, and defeated all at once.

Her eyes set heavily upon the hedgehog, even as he refused to move or speak, the woman exhaled deeply. "You have surprised me, hero. You honestly and truly have. Do you realize how rare of a feat that is? No one has accomplished anything like that in several millennia. I now see why everyone looks to as their hero… you are worthy of your title."

The hedgehog didn't respond. So the woman continued. "And perhaps… that is why I'm willing to do this."

Against his better judgment, Sonic questioned the woman. "This…?"

Her voice light, as if a smile was gracing her lips, she replied. "I'm going to offer you a deal, hero." She told him, his ears instantly perking up and causing him to look up once again. "I'm going to give you something that most people would kill to have. I'm going to give you a second chance."

A second chance? A second—had he heard that right? Was she serious? His heart skipped a beat the moment she stopped, or in the very least, it felt like his heart had skipped a beat, and without a second thought, the hedgehog shot up onto his feet and twirled around. "What kind of deal?" He asked, his eyes wide, and his rage all but melted away. "What do you want for it?"

Releasing a soft chuckle as she stood up straight, causing her to tower over the hedgehog, the woman smiled. "It is a steep price to attain what you wish for, hero, but I'm sure that that won't be a problem for you. You said earlier that you were willing to give up anything if you could see her again, correct?" Sonic nodded rapidly, and the smile on the woman's lips widened into a full-fledged, toothy grin. "Your memories then, hero. Of everyone you've ever seen and met, of everyone you've loved and hated, save it be the memories of yourself and your beloved."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Sonic asked, "My memories?"

"Yes." The woman confirmed, her gaze turning skyward. "All of your memories. And no, just in case you were wondering, you'd never be able to get them back. They would be lost to you for—"

"Deal."

The single word, sudden and firm, cut right through the woman, forced her to come to a screeching halt, and caused her to stare down at the hedgehog. "Excuse me?" The woman asked, once again claimed by surprise, courtesy of the blue blur himself.

"You heard me." Sonic stated, his tone sturdy and strong, "I said deal. I'll take your offer."

Flabbergasted, the woman shook her head. "You're not going to stop and think it over? You're not even going to consider all the repercussions that could occur? Don't you realize what you're giving up? These are your memories, hero. You won't be able to get them back. You won't remember your family or your friends, or even that madman—"

"I already know that, lady." Sonic interrupted sharply, his voice filled with an undeniable irritation beneath his confidence. "And I don't care. I mean, yeah, it is going to be a bit harder to deal with everyone when I can't even remember their names, but…" he started, trailing off for an instant, his gaze becoming distant before all at once, his resolve returned to him in full and forced him to stand tall. "It doesn't matter to me. Even if I don't remember them, they're still my friends and family. I can always make new memories with them. And besides all that, won't they be happier to have me there with them? Will it matter if I'm back on Mobius doing what I do best? Will it mean anything if I'm with Sal?"

As had become their tradition, before the woman could add her own thoughts to his words, the hedgehog shot a pointed thumb to his chest and declared, "They're my memories, and it's my life. I decide what happens with them. And I say we have a deal." So with a pointed finger in her direction, the hedgehog sent that signature toothy grin of his to her and spoke. "So let's do this thing."

Quietly, allowing the surprise to run its course through her body and die off, the woman finally nodded, smiled, and chuckled. "As you wish, hero."

As soon as the breath on her tongue died off and without bothering to inform the hedgehog of what she was doing, the woman threw her hand up, motioned it towards Sonic, and with a flick of her wrist, awakened an inferno of pain within him. Without having to physically touch him, the woman reached inside, grabbed hold of everyone he held dear, and pulled.

He came so close to screaming. The moment she had grabbed onto that everything within him, his body flared alive with an all-consuming agony that tore throughout his being, caused him to tremble and shake and quake in his spot, and rip at his mind in a furious attempt to destroy it. Hurt—almost as sharp as the chaos spear itself—claimed the hedgehog in full. It took everything he had to simply stand on his own two feet, and it took even more than that to keep himself from crying out.

At first, everything she was reaching for fought desperately against her grasp. Lodged deep within his very soul, they refused to budge in the slightest. They weren't going to leave, and it was as simple as that, for they were a part of him. If they were to disappear, what would become of him? What would he do without them? Would he even stand a chance in the world? Yet as firm as their foundation within him stood, and as strong as their determination to stay with him burned, they were no match for the woman's power.

It took little effort for her to loosen them, pull them from their place, and rip apart all the threads that held them there, leaving them to float freely within Sonic for the first time. The moment the last strand snapped, the hero gasped, stumbled backward, and almost fell altogether. While the aching that had stolen him came to screeching halt, a powerful tremor quickly took its place and made its voyage through him. Riding right alongside it, an overwhelming darkness soared, swallowing up every inch of his being, and forcing his eyes to a close before he could open his mouth in protest. All at once, he plunged deep into the blackness.

He drifted within that darkness for what felt like a millennia, and for a while, he believed himself to have somehow died yet again. Had he fallen prey to the darkness that swept over him? Had the woman instead silenced him and finally taken him away? Had everything she told him been some sort of a cruel trick to get him to leave? Was he gone for good?

Sonic's mind had barely begun to wander when he suddenly became aware of the strange feeling that was budding in his chest. Slowly, as he was pulled back to his senses and as his eyes opened once more, he felt that strange something creep up and through him, eventually traveling through his throat, and before long, reach his mouth, where he felt it try to escape past his lips. Was… was it… were those…?

Though his mouth had been hanging open in a soft gap as he stood there, watching and waiting for that something of his to vanish, they were only able to leave when his lips parted in full. From there, ever so carefully, as if they knew themselves of how valuable they were, he felt them trail away from him, pass his lips, and steal the breath from his lungs. He saw, with his chest lifted slightly and his head and arms drawn back involuntarily, a light mist—a light itself, tinted ever so slightly with blue—escape and trail off towards the woman in black. And deep inside where he was completely alone, he watched as everyone he ever met and saw, everyone he hated and loved faded away.

His mother and father. Uncle Chuck. Muttski. Bunnie. Antoine. Rotor. Knuckles. Shadow. Amy. Cream and Cheese. Silver. Blaze. Even Doctor Eggman and Snively. Slowly but surely, the images of them, their voices, their actions, their choices, their personalities, their care for them, his care for them, and even their names; every bit of it was stolen away. Every hint of it was taken from him, never to be returned, never to be seen again.

It hit him in full, only as he watched his little brother disappear, only as Tails disappeared, how much it hurt to say goodbye. The moment the last bit of it passed his lips and left his being, he closed his eyes and slowly covered his mouth, releasing a weak gasp, suddenly aware of how much he cared for everyone. Suddenly aware of how much he loved them all.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, breathless as a single tear ran down his cheek, as he stood there, slumped over, with his eyes clenched closed. "But it will be worth it. It… it will all be…" Yet even as he stood there, fighting his hardest to even finish his sentence, he felt the words slip off his tongue, his form loosen altogether, and the pain die off. "Worth it."

All that was left was himself and Sally.

When the hedgehog opened his eyes, feeling oddly weak on his feet and rather out of breath, he was shocked to find that a single tear had streaked down his face. "What… what the heck?" He asked himself, quickly but discreetly wiping it away. "Ugh, what are you crying for, Sonic? Man up."

As he took in a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, doing his best to steady his breathing and regain his balance, the hedgehog questioned the woman in black, still aware, somehow, of her and who she was. "Hey, lady. You say you've met me time and time again before, but I still don't know your name. Who are you, anyway?"

Silence was Sonic's answer at first, and for a split second following the silence, he believed she had disappeared on him. "Who am I?" But when the woman responded, her voice powerful and strong, yet undeniably empty and cold at the same time, her words sent a wicked shiver up and down the hedgehog's spine. "You ask who I am, hero?"

Against every voice that was screaming in his head that told him not to, and against every hint of better judgment he possessed, in both curiosity and fear, the hedgehog looked up to the woman. The moment his eyes finally met hers, he froze solid. She towered over him, and her cloak was nothing more than shredded black cloth, and she had black feathery wings outstretched on her back, and her hands were bone even though they hadn't been like that earlier, and she was holding a huge scythe, and it felt so dark around her, and, and, and—

Her eyes. They were so cold. So empty. So merciless. So completely, utterly, and incredibly—

"I," The hedgehog blinked, jumped, as he realized that she had rushed at him and was suddenly standing mere inches away from him, "am Death." And realized too late that she had swung her scythe at him—

And he screamed, threw his arms up to shield himself, and sat up off the grassy field, his heart racing, his lungs pumping, and his eyes opened wide. He had… he had just… she had almost… whoa.

Inhaling heavily, Sonic swallowed and shuttered. That had been close. Too close. One more second, and he would have been… well, what would he have been? If he was already dead and she proceeded to sliced him in half, would that just make him doubly dead? Dead and a half? Or just a half-bodied spirit thing? As he questioned himself internally, Sonic sighed, scratched his head, and took in another deep breath. Such odd questions he asked himself. Did he really have to be so odd about things all the time? Exhaling, Sonic shrugged to himself, shook his head, and—

Hold on a second, back it up just a bit. His heart was racing? As in it was beating? As in he was…?

The moment the dots connected together in the hedgehog's head, his heart skipped yet another beat, and without a single word, he looked down at himself, at his body itself, and grinned. He was alive! His heart was pumping, his lungs were inflating and deflating, holy freaking crap, he was actually alive!

A laugh resting just beneath his lips and an energy sparking within his chest, Sonic jumped up onto his feet and twirled around to inspect himself, feeling each muscle on his body as he laughed. He simply couldn't believe it. It had actually worked! He was back! And goodness, there wasn't a single thing wrong with him! There was no gaping hole in his chest, no bloody fur, no unfortunate breathing problem or case of heart failure, nothing! He was one hundred percent ready to go, and without a single—

When his left hand met his right shoulder; when his fingers brushed against a single patch of skin that felt slightly softer than the rest, the hero stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened ever so slightly, his heart paused, and gently, as he pulled his hand away, the hero turned to examine it. The single patch of skin he had felt, to his wonder, was several shades lighter than the rest and possessed the same shape of what had once been a deep gash in his shoulder.

It was a scar from the first chaos spear that had ripped into him after destroying the Eggxterminator, a reminder of the wound that had set off all the alarms in his mind. It had been the first warning to him that Sally's life was in danger. Now, it only served as a reminder to what had happened. Well, truthfully, it served as only one of the reminders to what had happened.

When that single thought crossed his mind, Sonic's gaze shifted from his shoulder to his fluff of chest fur. Ever so carefully, as if his actions harbored the power to rip him apart, he ran his fingers through the fluff of fur, shifting it off to the side so he could properly see what he was searching for. And sure enough, as he had known, there laid another light scar, resting just above his heart.

There laid the proof of what he had done for her.

Taking in a deep breath as he placed his hand over the scar, Sonic closed his eyes and faced the sky. Exhaling heavily, he whispered that single name that was ruling his world. "Sal…" And he smiled softly, opening his eyes to stare up the reddened sky that was gradually becoming darker.

He had done it for her. And now, he was coming back.

With a toothy grin that would have outshone the sun itself, Sonic nodded, turned towards his home, and ran.

Sally's migraine had returned, stronger than ever, only a day after Nicole had first created her nanite body, and no, medicine didn't help. But then, as she had expected, neither did sleep, or plenty of water, or healthy foods, or special herbs, or anything she could think of. No matter what Sally did, nothing would silence the drumming in her head. And no matter how hard she tried, nothing could calm the storm raging within.

This storm of hers, at the surface, appeared absolutely nothing like a storm at all. Instead, at a first glance, it looked like an abandoned home, an empty wasteland, a forgotten world long since left hallow. On the surface, it appeared as if Sally felt nothing. But underneath, she felt nothing but grief.

She did her very best to hide her storm from Nicole. Whenever her friend would speak to her through her new wristwatch computer from, or whenever she'd round the corner in her nanite body, she'd quickly perk up. She'd speak as if nothing was bothering her and she'd stand tall as if she was confident in everything she was doing. And even though she didn't completely stomp out her sorrow altogether, for the two of them still made an effort to talk about how much they missed Sonic, Sally did everything within her power to drown it out.

But as she learned over the days she and Nicole spent in Knothole, there was going to be no quick fix to the bitter mix of numbness and pain that had claimed her, body and soul. It was going to take numerous late nights of talking and crying it out, of laughing over dumb things that usually wouldn't be funny in any other circumstances, of pigging out and freaking out over how much weight she had gained as a result. Most of all, though, it was going to take time. It would take lots of time… loads of time… years, maybe… time Sally didn't want to spend without him.

The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, with only a faint breath of sunlight lingering in the sky when Sally decided that she needed to take a breather. After a long day of trying to accomplish things but not being able to do so, Sally finally was overpowered by the load weighing down on her shoulders. When the stress finally broke through, she came close to tears, shook her head, and ran her fingers through her hair. "I hate this." She said to herself, the migraine pounding heavier with each breath and every heartbeat. "I'm done. I'm so done with this."

So without bothering to finish up what she had been working off, Sally took off, her brisk pace almost a run. Mere moments after she had gone, Nicole's nanite form materialized behind her. "Sally, are you alright? Do you need me to get you some water or headache medicine?"

The princess shook her head, taking in a series of deep and even breaths in an attempt to keep herself from crying. "I'm okay. I just need some time to think."

"Are you sure?" The AI asked, tempted to reach a hand out to her friend for comfort. "I'd be more than happy to grab you something. It really isn't any trouble."

Fighting her hardest to keep her friend from seeing her expression, Sally continued onward. "It's fine, but thank you for offering, Nicole. That means a lot to me."

Though she knew for a fact that she was, indeed, not fine, Nicole nodded, her expression overcome with concern toward her friend. "You're welcome. Do you mind if I go back to my computer?"

Sally's response was quiet, but quick. "Yeah, that's fine."

So Nicole nodded, mostly to herself, and took one last glimpse at Sally before dispelling her nanite form and returning to the computer. She was worried for her friend, and it hurt to see her in such a sad and lowly state, but by this point, she didn't know what to do to help her. She was broken, and even with all the knowledge she possessed and could attain, Nicole didn't have the slightest idea as to how her pieces would fit back together. And even if she did know how, she was certain that she wouldn't be the one who could do it.

"I hate this." Sally whispered, a fresh wave of tears finally spilling over onto her cheeks and causing Sally to quickly wipe them away. "I want him back. I want him home."

He was soaring across the ground, flying through the land, running so fast that he could barely even breathe in-between the elated laughs he released. Nothing more than a blue blur to any passerbys who might have seen him—nothing more than the title he had been gifted with by the people and world he saved—Sonic ran. He ran to his home, to Knothole, and more important than any of that, he ran to her. He ran to the girl who made it home for him.

He dashed faster than he ever had before in his life, a smile unlike any other adorning his lips. Excitement, jubilation, pure euphoria in the purest form coursed through his veins, spider-webbed and electrified his blood to the point that, even though he was exhausted, he couldn't find it within himself to stop. Even if ended up passing out afterward, he simply had to keep going. The faster he ran and the fewer stops he made, the sooner he could see her. The sooner he would be home. To him, nothing else mattered.

The sun had fallen behind the horizon long before Sonic found the forest, with the last glimmers of daylight dying off before he even came close to spotting the mass of trees and greenery. Shortly taking its place in the sky was a host of stars and light, and a moon that slowly began to ascend and claim its throne in the sky. As it rose, its light gradually began to spill in-between the leaves and branches of the trees, pour down onto the ground beneath, and light the path that lay before the hero.

Before any of it was able to prove beneficial, however, thanks to a lighting quick combination of the foliage thickening and a dense layer of clouds that had rolled in above the forest, the moonlight died away, hidden for a later date. Luckily, by the time droplets of rain had begun to slip past the tree-tops above and onto the ground below, Sonic had already found the place he had been searching for: Knothole village. It was quiet and empty, dark and mostly untouched, but the moment Sonic noticed the first hut and literal treehouse, he felt a familiar warmness bloom in his chest.

It felt just like the home he had laughed and played in, the home he had struggled and fought in, the home he had grown up in all those years ago. And yet, as he ran through the expanse of the hidden village, he couldn't help but notice that there was something missing. There was one key factor not present; the one thing that really made it home.

Where was Sally? Was she in her home, fast asleep and burrowed in her dreams? Was she in his home, sifting through possession and memories and dumb little jokes? Was she was in the mess hall, fixing herself a snack or simply reminiscing? Or perhaps, maybe she was—oh yes. Yes, that's where she was. There was no doubt about it.

Sonic didn't miss a beat when he made his turn. Before he could blink twice, he had twisted himself around and took off in the direction of the Lake of Rings, his heartbeat and breathing pace finally catching up with him so that a steady drumming started up in his head. He was almost there, he was so close! So close, so close, so close to her, and—

All at once, the hero came to a silent stop. Smiling softly, he placed his hand on the tree next to him, both to catch his breath and to take a moment to steady himself. There, sitting on the mini dock in a slouched position, her feet dangling above the water, was none other than Sally Acorn. It was her.

At the sight of her, the hedgehog's heart fluttered and skipped a beat. There she was, there she really was, alive and there, and oh so very real. She was there, right there, and all he had to do was walk up to her. That was it. But… what exactly was he supposed to say to her, anyway? What wasn't he supposed to say? What did people usually say in such crazy situations as the one he had found himself in?

A subtle surge of anxiety crept up on the hero and threatened to claim him as he stood there and stared at her, but as soon as that fear had been born, Sonic shook his head and shoved it back down into the pit it had crawled out of. No, he wasn't going to let something as stupid as nerves get the best of him. He wasn't even going to consider it. This was Sally Acorn right before him. This was his best friend, his closest comrade, and the love of his life. Nothing was going to stop him, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Nothing.

Standing up straight with a smirk on his face, Sonic stepped out from under the tree and into the open space surrounding the lake as he called out to her casually, "Hey Sal," He said, causing her to jump from her spot on the dock. "Isn't it a bit late to still be outside? Shouldn't you be heading to bed right about now?"

He paused when he reached the beginning of the dock, and waited until, ever so slowly, she turned to face him, eyes wide and unbelieving. The moment her eyes met his, his smirk morphed into a modest smile, and Sally's mouth fell open into a gap.

Nodding to himself and taking another few steps towards her, Sonic spoke again, closing his eyes as Sally stood up on the dock to face him. "Not to mention, it is sort of raining right now." He told her, opening his eyes when he was standing a mere few feet away from her. "Wouldn't you rather be inside where it's dry? If you stay out here for too much longer, you might end up getting sick."

Her eyes as wide as dinner plates as she stood there and looked at him, her gaze racing across his body from head to toe, Sally shook her head. "You… you're…" She stuttered, carefully reaching a single wobbly hand out towards him, scared that if she touched him, he'd fade away.

"Yeah, I know." Sonic sighed, carefully taking hold of her outstretched hand before he closed the space in-between the two of them, gently wrapping his free arm around her, and thus causing a soft gasp to pass her lips. "I'm here."

The moment his hand had grabbed onto hers, the very second his skin and her fur met, Sally felt her heart skip what must have been a thousand and one beats within her chest. Ha… how was… how…? But he couldn't be. He… he had…

Her initial thought when she had heard his voice and seen him standing there was that she had started hallucinating, and that finally, all of the stress and heartache had caught up with her. There was simply no way he could have actually been standing there, smiling at her, alive and well as if nothing was wrong. It simply wasn't possible. No, it wasn't even conceivable. She had held him in her arms when his heart stopped beating. She had watched him die. And yet here he stood, holding onto one of her hands with his other arm wrapped gently around her, smiling at her and speaking like nothing had really changed.

Disbelief and a crippling sense of fear claiming her, Sally found herself incapable of looking away from his emerald green eyes. "And you know what? Now that I'm here, I can feel that something's a bit off with your natural chaos energy. So if you give me one second," but the moment he pulled his hand up, touched two fingers to her forehead, and whispered, "Chaos regeneration." She felt all the pain from her migraine melt away, and along with it, she discovered a hidden reserve of courage. "I can fix it right up. Does that feel better?"

She didn't respond to him with spoken words. Instead, though she did so slowly, as she waited to see if anything else would happen or any additional words would be shared, the girl eventually allowed her eyes to trail downward to his chest. Had… had he always been that much taller than her? She barely reached his shoulder, even when she stood up straight. Had he always towered above her like that? Or had that just been when they had met up in the woods for that first time in years?

Shaking away the silly thoughts and questions, Sally swallowed, took in a deep breath, and with the same shaky hand that he had released to heal her, carefully ran her fingers through his chest fur. The hedgehog watching her was completely silent as she did so, standing still and tall as she searched for it. As she searched for the proof that he was real and alive, and here and not a dream.

It took so little time for her to find it. The moment the right fluff of fur had been pushed away and her eyes met the light scar, a gasp forced its way up Sally's throat. Covering her mouth with the free hand, Sally took a step back (which stood undisturbed, as Sonic released her as soon as she had moved), and gawked at the hedgehog, trembling in her boots as she stood there, the rain gradually picking up at the same time. It was… he was…

When the princess stepped away from him, her heart racing and her breathing picking up in speed, Sonic's own heart skipped a beat, both from surprise and a hint of guilt. Not knowing what exactly he was supposed to do, after a few moments of silence had passed, the hedgehog glanced off to the side, his cheeks burning red as he pulled his hand up behind his head nonchalantly in an attempt to appear calm, cool, and collected as he voiced his apology.

"Sal, I'm really sorry about everything that happened. If I had stopped to think about what I was doing, maybe we wouldn't have ended up in this big mess. Maybe we wouldn't have had to go through all this crap. I guess even now, I still never really learn. Kind of sad," He told her, a light and brief chuckle resting at his lips before he turned to look at her once more. "Right, Sal?"

The smile faded away from his lips and the cool aura whisked itself off into oblivion the instant his gaze met hers, causing the hedgehog to slowly lower his arm and raise his eyebrows in surprise. Burning within her eyes was something so powerful and mighty, something so over-whelmingly strong that it silenced Sonic right then and there. Accompanied with a fresh wave of tears that was steadily growing closer to spilling over with every second and a shaking body that barely seemed capable of holding itself up, the very sight of her eyes effectively wiped his slate clean. Without even having to open her mouth and say his name, Sally picked every word right off his tongue and stole every thought away that was jumbling around in his mind.

What… what exactly was going on in her mind, her head? No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he thought about it, Sonic couldn't place what was raging within her. But even if he could, the hedgehog was sure it wouldn't have mattered in the slightest.

One moment, Sally was standing there, shivering and staring and soaking wet with her hand clasped tight over her mouth. The next, she had thrown herself at the hedgehog, wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in her chest, and released a heart-wrenching cry that was followed by a multitude of sobs and hiccups. There, safe with the man she loved, the princess allowed the tears to fall freely. He was here, and he was home, and he was alive, and she simply couldn't believe it, and she couldn't let him go, and she never wanted to lose him again, and he was…

Stunned, to be completely honest. Utterly and totally astounded by her single action. Never in his seventeen years could he recall a time when Sally had cried so hard. Not once could he think of a moment where she had quite literally sobbed out loud, dropped her walls so quickly, and suddenly revealed how broken she really was. Never had he seen her like this. And never did he want to see her like this again.

Relaxing his body as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her shaking form, burying his nose in her hair and closing his eyes at the same time, Sonic allowed a soft smile to decorate his expression. "I'm sorry, Sal. I didn't mean to hurt you."

In-between the sobs that ruled her body and the tears that choked her out, Sally uncovered the energy to force out a single string of words, "Don't… don't leave me again." Before the sobs took over once more.

With a slight nod, Sonic chuckled, "Wouldn't dream of it." And held her tight.

She cried for a long, long time. And in fact, when she pulled away to finally look at his face, tears were still streaming down her face and sobs were still driving hiccups up her throat. There simply was no hope for her crying to end right off the bat. Yet in spite of the fact that she couldn't find it within herself to control her tears or calm her breathing, as she gazed into those emerald green eyes she had missed so much, she discovered enough energy to swallow the lump in her throat, stand up on her tip-toes, wrap her arms around his neck, and pull him into a kiss.

There was no saying how long their kiss lasted. The rain poured around them and their hearts beat within them, but there was no way to keep track of the time. To the hero and his princess, it felt like only a second had passed when they both pulled away and ended the kiss, their lungs begging for air and their hearts pumping wildly.

"I love you, Sally Alicia Acorn." Sonic told her, both breathless and blissful. "Always have, always will."

"And I love you, Sonic Maurice Hedgehog." Sally replied, her voice a combination of a laugh and a cry, heavy tears still streaming down her face. "So don't… don't you ever think of leaving me again. Cause if you do… I'll—"

"Use my middle name to threaten me, then proceed to hunt me down and gut me like a fish?"

The princess shrugged, "I was going to say stalk you and give you nightmares about having to go swimming without a life jacket or life guard, but that works too." And together, the two Freedom Fighters laughed and held tighter to one another, Sally resting her head on his chest, and Sonic pressing his nose into her hair. Never again, they promised, would they have to say goodbye to one another. Never again would either one of them have to walk alone…

"Wow," A single feminine voice whistled, filled with an equal mix of shock and amusement, and thus causing the two Mobians to jump in their spots and glance around wildly, "I missed a lot, didn't I?" Before they realized in unison that the voice had come from Sally's wristwatch. "What all just happened, anyway? How on Mobius is Sonic alive?"

As the princess pulled her wrist up to eye level, wide smiles decorating both of their faces, Sonic laughed. "It's a long story, Nicole. But trust me when I say this," He said, stealing a moment to glimpse at Sally, smile, and tighten his grip around her. "It was worth it."

Smiling in return, Sally nodded, giggled, and wiped her eyes before throwing her arms back around him. "Yeah, it was." She agreed, her heart and lungs finally regulating as she closed her eyes and pressed her head back against his chest, causing him to rest his chin on top of her head as a result. Oh, she was never letting him go again. Never, never, never…

"You know what, Sal?" Sonic supposed aloud after a time, his voice soft, warm, and so perfect to the princess. "It's great to be home."

Nodding in return, Sally answered him, "Yes, it is. It really is."

And other than the tender pitter-patter of the rain, it was silent, peaceful, and safe.

It was home.

The End ~ To Be Continued

Mobius has been saved. The price has been paid. And the hero and princess have been reunited. But the tale isn't over. No, it isn't even close.

Today, I am happy to share with all of you the final chapter of my fanfiction, Fragile. Your favorites, reviews, and follows have meant so much to me, and your support has served as the driving force behind this story. Thank you so much for joining me, Sonic, and Sally on this wonderful journey! Your support has meant so much to me! XD

In addition to releasing the final chapter of Fragile, today, I am happy to announce that after I spend a bit of time on a few other writing projects, Fragile will be getting a sequel. If you all want to stick around to find out what has happened to the Freedom Fighters and Geoffrey, and if you want to see what will become of Sonic and Sally in their journey to find them, make sure you pay close attention to the future stories I'll be releasing. :) The title to Fragile's sequel is Last Breath, so be on the look out for it in the near future!

Thanks to heroman45, BlazingEdge, the Guest, Sapphireflame31, Cypheron94, and karygarcia21 for your reviews last time! Thank you so much for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews you have left, and thanks to all of the silent readers who have been following this story as well!

A very special thanks goes out to Thomas Holmes II, Solarknight117, brave kid, ShadowEmpress76, Spider-Guy, and SSJ04 for all of your constant support to this story and the reviews you left. Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me from beginning to end, to those who joined halfway in, and to those who left early. Even if you weren't here to see the end, your support meant a lot to me, and you words always brought a smile to my face. Thank you so very, very much.

Along with Last Brief and my own personal story, I'm also working on several other projects right now. I'm currently finishing up my 100 theme Sonsal/Sonally challenge, A Hero and His Princess, and I'm also working on two collab projects with two authors right here on Fanfiction! If you want to know more about them, feel free to check out Solarknight117's profile, and the S.C.A.L.E.R. one-shot of my SuperSonic One-Shot Collection! Additionally, in the future, I plan to write an Attack on Titan fanfic. But that's another tale for another day...

So with all this being said, I leave you with the fully completed tale of Fragile. Though I will be going back and updating a bit of things in the earlier chapters, Ia ask you all to enjoy the story now! Thank you all so much for everything you've done! :D

Espionage247 out! Until next time! :D