*~* : : Prologue : : *~*
A/N: It's a fanfiction full of randomized moments between Shadow and Amy Rose, mostly conversations or (sometimes) events big and small, including their moments with other characters.
Hnn~...
Between the two of us, I don't remember who started it. My memory isn't like an elephant's, because I have the mind of a girl, and a girl's mind doesn't weigh on yesterday's! It's too busy anticipating today's and tomorrow's. Oy! It was probably me who started it! It's always me; I'm one of few to have the power to drag someone into a friendship and forge their name on that life-permanent contract with or without their permission.
Either way, the experience from what started opened up a new perspective for the both of us to learn from. It's not until we started it-or until I started it if you just gotta point your greasy little fingers-did I know what "She Will Be Loved," was talking about when Adam Levine wrote those lyrics, "It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise; it moooves~ us alooong~" Of course, the title of that song has nothing to do with me or him. If you're waiting for me to tell you a fable about how, "he cheers me up when Sonic splits," you can forget it.
...The 'him' I'm talking about would never agree with all this, though. Not out loud. Sometimes, he gets stuck on a fence between wanting to go and wanting to stay. He wants to be the first to get away - yes, I know you do! I can sense the tension in your shoulders when you walk next to me - but he doesn't want me to be the first to leave. He secretly wants me to shut up, but he always stays to listen. His shoulder angel and devil are constantly in a fight about it. But honestly, I think they're bothfond of me.
The way he talked and walked with me the first day hinted that he wanted to stop the conversation when the small talk began. At that point, I think it was his shoulder-angel who made him stick around, because it's true that he has some sense of manners for girls compared to the way he treats boy, and he's one of those people who won't judge me as careless or a waste of time right off the bat. Now, that's not because he really knows me, that's because he has a point of view of me that's based off what he heard from my insight on Ark, so he defines me - us - by our promise and my view on humanity. It's what he judged me on "right off the bat." "I have to keep my promise to Maria...AND you." It's pretty naive of him, if you ask me. Or maybe he's the only person who does really know me; that speech proved who I could be and how my heart worked inside of a situation that didn't revolve around Sonic, but me. I showed a lot of maturity, a lot of belief and faith in things outside of romance.
Still, Shadow's distant when we talk. But that's all it really chalks up to: Shadow is just distant. It's "nothing personal." Rouge and Omega may be his main associates, but if you notice, they're never in his company unless they're all working under a partnership, and he's never shown interest in opening himself up to them, crossing the ally-line, or sharing any social life-lines with either partner. When the day ends and the goals have been reached, they go their separate ways. Instead of being "really close friends," they're more like casual allies who have all grown to have their teammates' backs in the heat of battle. It's almost like his relationship with Sonic, which is only acidic because of their cliche rivalry. Everyone gets that mixed up to where I feel like no one really pays attention to the relationships between our little groups, but fill in the spaces with their own myths and assumptions. I think that's how he prefers it with Rouge and Omega, though. With everyone, really.
But if he wanted to prefer that with me, then he should've tried harder to ward me off the first day I set out to get reacquainted with him again.
I had spied something black and red between the falling snowflakes on the day before Christmas, the day all this started. Heh, the two colors embodied themselves together to make a familiar hedgehog who happened to be standing in front of a display window on the sidewalk.
I wondered what was behind that store window for him to be looking at it so hard...
It mattered not, because he was in front of it! That was the bigger picture, and the nostalgia of that picture was that I didn't ever get to see him. I didn't even remember what he sounded like when he spoke. Something smooth and soft-spoken, I think. Had a bit of an accent to it. But I did, and doremind myself of the things he said to me on the Ark-the things I ached to ask him ever since Rouge didn't let me see him at her club when she said he was knocked unconscious that brief time.
My eyes must've looked like two huge, beaming spectrometers when I saw him that day.
I jogged up to him and chimed my singsong greeting like I would to any old acquaintance, "Shadow!"
He glanced at me at the twitch of his ear.
"...Hi!" I tied my fingers behind my back and smiled really big for him, showing all my teeth.
He looked at my smile and then looked me right in the eye. I, on the other hand, waited for him to open up, willing him to remember that I'm the one his promise is also tied to; hoping that his oath would be enough to make us the friends we could've been had he not lost his memories; wanting him to say what Sonic won't say.
And he said it, with monotone, formal politeness, "...Good evening."
I searched him-eyes running back and forth between his without speaking, and giggled a little giggle. I knew right then and there, that he could only tolerate so much small-talk.
But no one ever told us what this little coincidence had in store for us.
...Isn't that right, Shadow?
...And I think when you see all those things that coincidence had planned for us, you'll call me a masochist for giggling.
