Disclaimer - I don't own Sonic, Tails, Tikal, etc, etc.

A/N - Tails is around 15-16 in this story, he's not that silly little 8 year old Sega try to fob him off as nowadays.

Save Me...

Tails crashed through the jungle undergrowth, tears streaming down his face. He didn't feel the branches graze his arms; he didn't feel the thorns of the bushes cut at him; he didn't feel anything. His mind was away, two hours away...

"Mr. Prower?" the doctor looked grim, deathly grim. An already dark atmosphere grew tenser as Tails, Sonic, Amy and Knuckles stood waiting in the ward lobby for the doctor's report. Tails stood up, clearing his sand-dry throat,

"Yes?" the doctor moved over, her face definitely signalling some terrible news, she didn't make eye-contact, as though she hoped that that would make whatever calamity she was to report go away,

"Please sit down." she said gently, her tone was on the verge of quavering, it was clear that this was the first time she had had to report such news; the young canary was clearly new to being a doctor. Tails sat down without thinking, his mind tensing in nervous anticipation of what the tests would have shown. The doctor cleared her throat, and she hesitated for a moment,

"I'm afraid...I'm afraid you have fatal familial insomnia."

"So young?" whispered Tails hoarsely. Fatal familial insomnia usually affected people in their 30-60s. The doctor nodded,

"It's a unique case." the sadness in her eyes at the young kitsune's suffering was evident, "I'm...I'm sorry." she said lamely. Sonic spoke up,

"You can cure this insomnia thing, right doc?" The canary shook her head slowly,

"No," she said quietly, "there's no cure for FFI. It's a fatal brain disease caused by mutated protein." Amy swallowed hard,

"You mean..?" she managed to croak. The doctor nodded,

"Yes, I'm afraid you've got a year to live at most, Mr. Prower." she murmured softly. Tails collapsed in his chair. He knew he should be crying but his eyes were dry. He drew in a raking breath, and ran out of the ward, right out of the Mystic Ruins hospital, ignoring the cries of the doctor, ignoring the pained cries of his friends. Run, escape, was his only thought. Without a care for where he was going, he threw himself into the jungle. Without looking, he pushed past the crowded undergrowth. Without thinking, he tried to escape the inescapable.

The fox was dimly aware that the jungle was thinning out. He looked ahead. He had arrived at the famous Echidnan massive stone pyramid loomed over him. There was no one else there, few people visited the temple this late at night, even during such clear weather. Collapsing underneath the timeless stone monument, he finally broke into tears. His anguished sobs filling the cool and still night air.

He was dying. A year to live at most.

That single thought was all that ran through his head. A shadowy beast lurking in the midst of his traitorous brain. He briefly wondered if his unknown parents had suffered from FFI too. Tails pushed the thought out, he didn't care; all he wanted was the years he had suddenly been robbed of. Years of fighting Robotnik's evil schemes, only to be betrayed by his own body. Years of fighting to stay alive, only to learn that he had no future. He remembered his memories of fighting alongside Sonic, fighting against the evil Doctor. He remembered the happy moments he had spent with Sonic, with Amy, with Knuckles, with Rouge, Cream, with everyone. Surely it was worth a short life, for having had such friends? He had had a good life no? No? Hadn't he? He brushed his tears away, but more fell.

"Make it go away. Please...just make it go away." he whispered, to no one. As the stars twinkled jovially above, he crouched under the pyramid, his tears watering the ground. Life-giving water from a life-despairing kitsune. After a few minutes, he became aware of someone near him, he sensed someone sit down beside him, and a soft hand wipe away his endless tears. He twisted his head round.

Tikal.

The Echidnan princess sat besides him, a sincerely pained look on her kindly face. Tails swallowed, trying to water his dry throat,

"How..?" he managed to ask. Tikal placed a finger on his lips, shushing him,

"I am wherever the Master Emerald is." she pointed above. Sure enough, in all its strange splendour, Angel Island floated above the temple. Tails briefly wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. He thought about Knuckles, stuck alone on that island. Would he prefer that to death? The fox's thought of his own death ploughed on. Would anyone miss him after he was gone? Sonic would, he was sure of it. But he would get over it eventually, and continue with his life. While Tails would have no life.

He felt a surge of irrational anger; towards Sonic, towards them all, they who would survive while he died. The rage died down as quickly as it had came.

"Save me..." he whispered to Tikal. The echidna gently caressed his cheek,

"Sometimes, we have to accept the unacceptable." she whispered softly, "Sometimes, we have to let go."

Was she right? Tails didn't know, did he even care? He was dimly aware of his hand clasping her own against his cheek.

Save me...

"What if I can't accept it?" he murmured to her. Then he did something that really surprised her, and even himself. He leaned in, and kissed her, first on the cheek, and then on the lips.

For a split-second, Tikal, surprised, tried to draw back, then she kissed him back. Tails' hands softly wound their way to Tikal's back, and he felt her own hands do the same. Framed before the time-honoured pyramid, the two forgot the troubles of the night. Under the glimmering stars, Tails forgot his death, lost in the wonder of his first kiss. Then the fox moved back, and, almost like a young child, placed his head onto her chest, his drying tears shimmering in the moonlight, comforted by Tikal's soft hands carressing his head, doing nothing, thinking nothing, only whispering two single words,

"Save me..."