Little Secret
By: The Nevermore Raven
Chapter 1
Under the Rainclouds

* * * * * * *

Now I am in trouble... How did I just let someone find out about this? In anxiety, I watched the pink rose before me as her sparkling emerald eyes widened, staring into my own rubies. "Shadow?" I glanced away in embarrassment, aware of her newly implied knowledge. Now what? What will she think of me now? I was caught in a dangerous balancing act above a bottomless pit, and I just fell off the wire... So much for effort. "Shadow? Why didn't you tell me this?" I heard the rose ask.

"Because, Amy. I didn't want you to know," I answered in my rich and smooth voice, a wry smile curving my tan lips. How can I explain my way out of this mess? I doubt I can do that at all! You may assume the mentioned secret is love. That is a good guess, but that isn't the secret; I hesitantly confessed my love to this rare flower a week or so ago. We were on our first date, and it was going wonderfully - until now.

I harbored deep feelings for this girl. She was gentle, graceful, and caring. She was beautiful, intelligent, and she had an apparently stubborn attitude, which I found to be rather endearing and cute.

But she wanted him. Sonic. She obsessed over him, chased him, using not a single trace of the rationality or common sense that are so plentiful in her mind. And he would run away. If she stubbed his toe, then he would have walked. If she broke his foot, he would simply crawl, determined as ever to escape her frantic babbling and outrageous proposals. Honestly, I can't blame him for that. She was just a kid, after all...

Now she is maturing into a graceful, beautiful teenager that spends less time obsessing. She has more self control and carefulness about her, and she wouldn't endlessly chase Sonic half of the way to China. He had become interested in her, and they naturally paired up. I presumed she was off limits for good, considering her past obsessions for the blue fool.

I was disappointed at first, of course, but with some time I got over it. Almost... I never found any other good options after I tried Rouge. She has changed recently, no doubt. When we first dated, I felt belittled. She gave forth great effort to seduce me, and I was uncomfortable with that. She is quite pretty and she has a beautiful pair of eyes, but the relationship was casually rushed. There is more to a relationship than that! It seemed so shallow, so empty...

Patrick Henry echoed in my mind as I considered the two of us. He was the fiery orator that spoke against King George III at the dawn of the American Revolution with his famous quote. "Give me liberty, or give me death!" That was not the statement that was in my mind. In that same speech he also remarked, "That which we gain too easily, we esteem too lightly."

Unlike many guys I don't think with my dipstick. I feel with my heart. Once I told Rouge that, we then parted. Since we didn't become intimate, the loss didn't leave scars behind. But it changed her. She has transformed for the better now. She has done a complete 180 and cares about the more important things regarding love. But alas, she soon was dating Knuckles.

Rose didn't feel emotionally satisfied with Sonic, and now she's finally mine. I felt elated when she accepted me. My heart was about to explode as it pounded my ribcage and I felt dizzy from the erupting warmth in my chest, but I felt great nonetheless! So where do I start? The beginning is always good. It started one afternoon when a rainstorm decided to visit the city...

* * * * * * *

It was on a rainy, muggy afternoon that I decided to waste time by wandering aimlessly about, with no destination in particular and no planned route to get there. My head and quills were wet to a point, but the rest of me was dry thanks to the charcoal-grey overcoat I managed to buy the week before. It was double breasted, with a belt which I had tightened to keep snug from the rain. It had large, securely fastened buttons, and a fleece lining that I left back at home, for just the outer coat was plenty warm. It was a good fit for me, as it covered my form to just below my knees, keeping my entire body dry and warm. Getting soaked to the skin in a rain spell was no longer a problem, and I was quite content with the fact.

I lived comfortably in the guest room of a familiar and friendly fox's clubhouse with his parents. They were quite generous to give me a place to stay, and I still am grateful for their kindness. For once, my life was going along smoothly and without much hassle.

Surrounded by medium rise buildings, I was apparently within the residential area of town, rows of apartments all around me. From the distance, I heard two things I don't like to hear together. I heard a girl scream, and with it, the menacing laughter of several men. I shook my head in disapproval as I quickened my pace to solve the problem ahead, about ready to kick some ass and give them something to cry about...

I tuned the corner of a shopping window and saw a shape with a head of pink. There is only one person that came to my mind as pink. Amy Rose. Surrounding her, three idiots watched her as a fourth pushed her back and continued laughing. Two of them were human, one was a wolf, and the unlucky fool pushing the girl was a brown hedgehog. He will be first. With my trademark speed, I rocketed forward and slammed my fist into his stomach before I jumped up and kicked him in the chin, earning a startled yelp as he fell back and the others shouted out in surprise. The next got a swift kick in the groin, rendering him more or less on the cement as he clutched his privates in agony. The wolf got pushed down in my rage, and then I made a quick grab of Amy's arm and pulled her with me away from the buffoons while they still were struggling to find out what was going on.

I picked her shaken body up in my arms and carried her away from the mess, leaving the bastards behind us. Green frightened eyes looked into my own, and they recognized my deep crimson irises. "Shadow!? What are you doing out here?"

"I should be asking you the same, Rose. Did you need a bit of help?" I asked in reply, leaving plenty of distance and rain between her and the fools behind us. I turned a corner to lose the men for good, and walked in one random direction, away from the men that dared to touch this rose.

What audacity! The fact they preyed on her left a bitter taste in my mouth as my stomach twisted in a decidedly unpleasant manner. I glanced at her as we neared a quieter part of the city. "Do you mind explaining to me what was going on back there, Rose?" I softly asked.

I set the young maiden on the sidewalk as we waited on a shaded city street under a planted sycamore tree, standing beneath its spreading crown of distinctive, large and toothy leaves. The tree was greenish white up in its branches, and its trademark mottled bark covered the trunk in large flakes of brown, tan, and grey.

"I was just walking home when these guys jumped me! Shadow, if you didn't show up, I would've been toast!" Without warning, Amy embraced me and I suddenly, briefly felt a soft pair of lips caress my damp cheek. "Thank you, Shadow," I heard the girl softly sigh.

"You are welcome, Amy," I replied, feeling a wave of heat crawl up the back of my neck, erupting in a rosy blush on my tan cheeks. Amy softly laughed as she saw my burning cheeks. "Where is that blue hedgehog? I thought you were together. I don't see that moron anywhere," I remarked.

"Shadow! You are so mean," was the reply filling my ears from the pink rose, her green eyes glaring at me as I withheld a chuckle.

"I sure am. He needs to be taught something every now and then, Amy. The idiot's devil-may-care attitude will end up getting him in the rear," I smirked at her, showing my prevalent attitude. Sonic and I are friends, but that doesn't mean I don't tease him, just like when we first met. He does the same to me, though not as much.

"He's Sonic, Shadow! Lay off." The girl held a tone of annoyance, and that left me feeling satisfied. I will tease him, whether he is here or not. I prefer to when he is here, though, since then he gets mad and follows with some idiotic comment...

Amy revealed a hint of hesitance as she explained where the blue buffoon was; burdening someone with his goofy grins and those stupid phrases he loves to say. "Sonic and I broke up, Shadow." Her answer caused my mind to stop its constant barrage of thoughts and ideas as it digested that one simple fact, causing me to remain silent for several seconds while I watched the girl I had saved minutes before.

"Oh. I am sorry, Amy. I didn't know," I started to apologize for my comments as a twang of guilt consumed my mind. I was clearly guilty of wronging both of them, and I would have given my second apology if Amy failed to interrupt my thoughts.

"I broke up with Sonic, Shadow," the green eyes watched my own as honesty swirled within their blackest depths, my mouth gaping in disbelief.

My following inquiry was very simple, as simple as "Why?"

Amy gave me a wry grin. "We broke up two weeks ago. He is a really nice guy and all, but," green eyes darkened briefly as I watched them in earnest, waiting for the girl's finishing remark. "I don't feel... fulfilled with him, Shadow." I remained unchanged, daring not to disturb her any further. "Our emotional bond, it wasn't deep enough. He cared for me as a friend. I just felt like something was missing."

"I have changed my interest to someone else..." Rose looked to the ground before looking back at me. Someone else? Who? "You like someone else, Amy? Well, who do you..." I asked before trailing off.

I noticed her start to shiver as she wrapped her arms around her shapely form, inciting me to promptly unbutton my coat while she stared unknowingly at the sidewalk. She wore a sweater, not something that will keep you dry in the soaking rain. By the time my belt was unfastened, I draped the coat over her shoulders, earning a gasp from her softest of lips.

"Oh, Shadow..." It was her turn to blush, and my turn to smile.

"You are cold," I remarked as my body now was exposed to the rain, which wasn't terribly bad under the sheltering tree. I heard the girl emit a soothing, almost musical giggle. Rose stuck her arms through the sleeves as I shyly buttoned the coat's top button, earning another glance of her gorgeous emerald eyes.

"Shadow, you're quite a gentleman," Amy stated as she looked into my eyes, causing me to stare into hers.

"And you're quite beautiful," I replied, earning a second blush from Amy, causing her face to redden more than it had the first time. Her eyes... So deep... So pretty... I drowned in the emerald pools of her eyes as she continued watching mine. I failed to notice that her eyes were drawing me closer to her. And just like that... we kissed. The kiss was shocking. I didn't expect it to happen, but ending it when it started sounded like a terrible idea. My cheeks burned several shades darker than they did originally as I felt soothing heat envelop my body and my heart thump madly in my chest. On impulse I embraced her and pulled her towards me as we held the kiss.

I felt like I would have burst into flames at any moment. Her lips were soft. Fragile. Sweet. Our first kiss was tender, gentle, and precious. Just like she is. With bashfulness overwhelming my senses, I slowly pulled back from her and sighed. Amy watched me with her glimmering, emerald green eyes. "Shadow..." She laughed again, her cheeks burned with as much heat as her very pink fur.

"Amy," I softly spoke to her. "Amy Rose, I believe I luh--" Before I could finish, I felt a finger land on my mouth as I was hushed by this lovely girl.

"Shadow..." Amy whispered. "I love you, too." Her response to my confession was followed by a firm and warm hug...

To be continued...