Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the characters. They belong to Sega.

Let It Rain

He lays there in his bed now, staring at the ceiling; searching. The tear stains of last night, long since dried on his flushed cheeks, gives the silent reminder crying himself to sleep didn't work this time. He takes little notice of dawn's approaching sunlight as it fills his room with its warmth. I can tell, it's too much for him today, yet . . .

Sonic finally tore his strained eyes from the ceiling and looked at the wind-up clock next to his head. Five-fifty. He sighed.

"New record, huh?" he whispered distantly as if he were not really speaking at all. He normally slept in. Ten, normally, but twelve o'clock was a reasonable wake-up time in his book too, but today . . . oh, today. He knew what today was and it left a haunting feeling in him. An empty, hollow feeling. As he sat up and rubbed his cheeks and eyes, he knew he wasn't going to be okay. He wanted to be but, deep down, he knew he wouldn't. Today would be the two year anniversary of the accident; two years after his world shattered and rained down around him. His dreams were ripped so fast from him that even time was having a terrible run of healing and comforting this hedgehog's soul.

It wasn't that he wallowed in his pain every day, or every week for that matter, but the reality of the events didn't seem to sink in. He knew she was gone but his memory of her was so strong it was just too tempting to think she had gone on a long trip and was coming home any day now. Sometimes he would accidentally call her name when he needed help with something or pick flowers to bring home to her. It was so hard to accept. He whipped back the covers of his bed and threw his legs over the side. He climbed to his feet as he thought of these things, fresh tears pricking his eyes. He wondered often times if something were wrong with him. Shouldn't it be easier by now?

He watched his other friends as they seemed to cope with it well. Yes, they had been devastated at first. Tails quit eating for two weeks, Knuckles withdrew from all of them for two months and Cream couldn't even think about it without crying for what felt like forever.

With tears running freely down his face he made his way to the bathroom. Years ago, he would have reprimanded himself for being so weak, crying like this. But now, he didn't care. Amy was worth crying over; she was worth more to him . . . then him. He shook his head of that thought as he reached the shower. He had already gone down that path and the answer, the peace of mind, wasn't there. He had wondered why he couldn't have died with her. Why he got to live and she passed on. Why couldn't he be with her now?

"They need you here," he said softly; just as quietly as he heard it so long ago. He stepped into the shower, turned it on and remembered Tails. How, one day, the young fox had plunged face first into his chest and cried. How much the little guy needed that. They had both cried for who knew how long before Tails looked up at him with a weak smile saying he was a little hungry. Sonic smiled gently at the memory as he finished up and turned off the shower. He shook off a bit to get rid of the excess water on his fur and quills.

While drying off with a towel he recalled his encounter with Knuckles as well. Five months after the tragedy, what started as a friendly visit turned into an emotional conflict between the two; both throwing insults and fists. Long forgotten was the reason for the fight as it escalated until the guardian finally screamed in absolute anger the point of his frustration.

"It is my fault!"

Sonic was so taken aback by the outburst, all fight had left him.

'This was what it was about' he had thought to himself sadly as he looked at Knuckles who was shaking from raw emotion. It took a moment, but soon they were talking and it lasted well into the evening hours that day; easing tension and guilt. Knuckles had thanked him, even offered Sonic to stay the night on his island.

Another smile, another memory as he made his way out of the bathroom and into the closet for his shoes.

Cream had been confused, lost and hurt by the knowledge Miss Rose wasn't coming back; Amy wasn't coming back. Her mother had explained as best she could, but Cream was upset all the same; never wanting to come outside like she used to or play games with Cheese and her friends. That was until Sonic had offered to go for a walk with her. He remembered sharing back and forth with the young rabbit stories about Amy and their time with her. He told her as long as they remember, Amy would always be there; always.

They made a few flower crowns out of pink carnations and promised each other they would never forget Amy Rose. Sonic gave a weakened laugh as he looked over at the dried crown of flowers that lay on his dresser knowing Cream had her crown on her dresser. Yes, he was glad he stayed to help them and, in doing so, he slowly realized it was helping him too.

He quickly grabbed some socks and gloves from the top drawer and slipped them on as he hobbled out of his bedroom door. He found himself falling into routine; putting his shoes next to the front door, rummaging through the kitchen for breakfast and plopping down at the counter to munch quietly on a bowl of cereal. As he gazed about, his eyes caught on a picture hanging up in the kitchen.

It was a field full of different colored wildflowers and bright green grass, but one flower stood out from the rest purposefully as the red rose was the subject of the painting. He shut his eyes softly as another memory came to mind. He couldn't forget it was a cold day in November. Snow had not fallen yet but the frigid air had bit at every part of him that wasn't covered. He clutched six red roses in his right hand; a stark contrast to the dead foliage around him as he walked on. However, compared to the condition of his heart, the dark, barren landscape matched perfectly.

He reached the bottom of a hill and glanced up to the all too familiar iron rod gates. It was the Woodson Cemetery and it was the resting place of his love. With a deep breath, he climbed the slope up to the fence only to find that he wasn't alone in his quest. With his back to him, Shadow stood in front of Amy's grave. The black hedgehog was absolutely silent; the only movement came with the breeze rustling his dark quills.

Sonic had thought about going up to his normally disputative rival but decided against it. Sometimes it was just best to be left alone. He silently turned and headed back down to sit on a bench provided by the funeral home. He would wait for Shadow to pay his respects. Minutes passed and so did a few visitors with their own flowers and memorials. They made eye contact with Sonic and, in a way only they understood, greeted one another in somber silence. Then, just as he was about to stand, a flash of light came from behind him. He turned to see Shadow there, arms crossed, eyes closed and features set into a reflective sadness.

"Thank you," he said evenly, but sincerity present as he opened his eyes, "Sonic."

Being Shadow rarely referred to him by name, the blue hedgehog smiled and nodded. The black hedgehog nodded as well before disappearing in an eerie shade of green light; chaos control.

Sonic stood up and gathered the empty bowl and cup, heading towards the sink as he remembered a few of his other friends and how they took the news. They weren't necessarily close to him, or Amy for that matter, but they were bonded all the same. Espio said very little on the subject, only giving his condolences at the funeral and remaining silent through the course of most of his loss of an ally. Vector had been distressed but was more concerned about Cream's reaction as he had gotten close to the rabbit family. Sonic had figured if it wasn't for the old softy, Vanilla and Cream would have mourned a whole lot worse then they did. Even Charmy, the motor mouth, had a lot less to say to the grieving hedgehog.

However, one friend, in particular, was being evasive. He had only seen Rouge about three times since the accident and spoke with her only once at the funeral. He knew why the bat was so withdrawn, from him specifically. She blamed herself for what took place. The problem with that was he knew better. Even though it would have been so easy to blame her for it, he knew way better than that.

Amy had run back in. Amy knew it wasn't safe, knew she might not make it, knew it could be the end. But her drive to help others overrode her survival instinct and she ran back there to save lives. It would be even more natural to blame the pink hedgehog, but the thing is he would have done the same thing, they all would have. They were heroes and that's what heroes did. It hurt, but it was what they did.

Tears began trickling down his face as his mind whirled around memories and thoughts. Days of chaos and confusion, days of pain and relentless emptiness, the day he wished he could have saved. Suddenly, there came a sharp knock on his door. He was startled, nearly dropping the bowl and cup he was in the process of rinsing out. With a look of confusion, he glanced up at the clock wondering who would come so early to visit. He went to the door and opened it up with a practiced smile; tears wiped away. However, there was no one there or, at least, it's what he thought at first.

Chirp. He looked to the railing overseeing his small porch to see perched upon it a little bird. It was white as snow with two shiny black eyes staring right back at him. He was dumbfounded, the smile slipping off his face. Maybe he was hearing things because he knew the bird wasn't knocking. He closed the door with a sigh and headed back to finish the dishes when the same sharp knock came to the door. This time, using his great speed, he opened the door to come muzzle to beak with the same tiny bird.

"Is that you?" he asked, with all the confidence in the world the little bird would answer back. And sure enough, it did with a small chirp. Sonic cocked his head to the side as he tried to figure out why this small animal was trying to get his attention. Suddenly, the bird took off from its perch on the porch and fluttered into the yard. The blue hedgehog, without hesitation, followed. He was used to strange things happening to him and never took anything as just a fluke. However, as his socked feet hit the cold, wet grass he stopped.

"Wait, let me get my shoes on."

The white bird stopped and rested on a nearby tree branch. It bristled its feathers and gave a good shake as it waited for the hedgehog to get ready. Sonic zoomed up next to the bird and gave a crooked smirk.

"Ready when you are."

The bird chirped and took off leading the hedgehog away from his home and, in a sense, his troubles. His mind was temporality brought away from the accident and to the chase at hand.

The journey led him over grassy noels, through moss-covered forests and even under natural bridges of rock made through years of erosion. Soon clouds began to appear overhead lending to a soft drizzle, but he didn't care and, after twenty minutes, the bird finally came to rest on a sapling next to a churning stream. Sonic came to a sharp stop at the edge of the river and very nearly toppled in. He looked back at the bird who seemed to be paying him no mind as it flapped its wings a few times to get the water off so it could take its break.

"Don't tell me I'm just crazy and followed this little guy for no reason," he moaned as he too turned out to face the landscape over the stream. If he was honest with himself, that statement might have been true. He was so ready for a distraction from his pain any adventure or misadventure would do. In some way, he had hoped this bird would run him across something, anything, that he could dive right into. But with a heavy heart and bruised soul, he sat down on a nearby rock and watched sadly as the rain continued to pour. The sun came up over the horizon as if asking him to keep looking up; see the bright side, it's a new day, it will get better, never give up hope . . . but he couldn't.

"I . . . I can't see the other side. Why did I have to be so slow that day? What were we thinking?!" Sonic shouted as he stood up quickly, violently waving his arms around as anger surged up in him. It had been a while since he had been angry. He had tried to quill that emotion for fear he would go too far and not be able to stop himself. Guilt also played a role in bottling up resentment and frustration over the day they lost Amy Rose. He knew in his head it wasn't anyone's fault, but in his heart, deep down within him, he wanted to blame something, anything.

"Why can't I quit, huh? Why do I have to keep smiling, keep hoping, keep lying to myself," he yelled. He let out a frustrated scream, putting everything he had into it. When it was all over he collapsed back onto the rock, face in his hands and a strange sense that he was not alone?

He looked up sharply only to see the little bird had flown down to rest in front of him. It looked back at him with a sadness in its eyes. He couldn't stop himself from bursting out into sobs. Here he was, Sonic the Hedgehog, out in the middle of nowhere screaming and yelling and crying in the rain with a tiny white bird worried about him. The rain intensified. He just wouldn't stop weeping. Here it was, two years after Amy's death and it hurt now more than ever. He shouldn't stop. It wasn't okay, but this crying helped. And it was finally in the silence of his mourning that he heard it. Another set of shouts and screams were coming from downstream. The bird fluttered its wings and turned to him with what seemed to be . . . wonder.

Sonic looked at the bird and then down the river where the yelling had come from. This wasn't crazy. There was a reason. He jumped up and ran downstream where he spotted three chipmunks struggling with a boat that appeared to be taking on water from the now rough rapids. They were young, the oldest among them looking not a day over seven. Tears were welling up in the two younger children's eyes as their older brother fought the white water with his cupped hands. Running up the opposite shore screamed a pair of chipmunks, obviously, the parents winded from their attempts to rescue their children from the rivers rage. The father broke branches from nearby trees and thrust them towards the boat trying in vain to fish them back to shore. The mother shouted directions hysterically and Sonic could tell by the look in her eyes she was seriously considering jumping in after them.

"Hold on!" he yelled, checking his surroundings and judging the situation. All turned to him and their faces lit up with hope and relief.

"Sonic!"

They knew they didn't even need to ask; he would help them. The blue hedgehog noticed the boat was going to pass under a tree overhanging the river. He ran to it and climbed out over the waters at record speed. Though he had a slight phobia of water in general, the thought of the children in danger overrode his fear. He couldn't pull them all up to safety but if he could get the boat to the shore they could get off without incident. With one swift motion, he jumped down into their passing boat, positioning himself on the back end.

"Have a seat, kids, and hold on to the side. It's going to be a rocky ride," he directed as the three did as they were told. Sonic threw his legs over the side of the boat, followed by his waist. With a firm grip on the side, he began kicking like crazy against the current. There was a moment of floundering, but it passed in the wake of the hedgehog's powerful speed. Soon the boat was by the shore and the mother and father were helping their children to the safety of dry land. Sonic was helped by the whole family as they pulled him up and away from the doomed vessel. They all watched it float further down the troubled river until it was overtaken and plunged downward.

The children wiped water from their faces both from the river and their tears. They smiled up at the hedgehog who in turn gave a small smile back. The father shook his hand vigorously thanking him all the while not knowing what they would have done. The mother hugged her children tightly before looking to the blue blur and crying happily.

"Thank you so much. You really are a God-send."

Five hugs, two more handshakes and about twenty 'thank you's later found the family heading back to dry off and Sonic to wander on into the woods. He found his way up to the top of a ridge overlooking the valley feeling a sense of awe as he watched the sun peek out from behind the dark clouds over the mountain peaks and give its brilliant shine to the raindrops on the grass below. It was still pouring both out on the landscape and in his heart, but it was going to be alright, not perfect, but good.

He looked out to the skyline and saw the little white bird he had followed out here drift off, gracefully sailing farther and farther from sight.

Amy was gone, that was true, but he was still here. He had a purpose. People needed him. He needed them. And one day he would see her again if he just kept the faith, the hope and the love alive.

"Let it rain . . ."

. . . weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Ps. 30:5

The End

Author's note: This story was written a while ago. I still like Sonamy, I don't want anyone to think I don't anymore, I just wanted to write a sad story is all. Hope you enjoy.