Crimson eyes stared straight into the sky; anyone else would think the hedgehog was staring at the moon but Amy knew better. Silently she took a seat in the grass beside him and allowed her own gaze to trail to the stars.
Finally Amy spoke "You still miss your life on the ARK don't you Shadow?"
Without shifting his position the dark furred hedgehog replied "It was my home."
Slowly Amy turned on so that she lay on her side allowing her to face the other "That's not what I asked."
Shadow finally blinked "It's not the ARK I miss; the daily training, the continuous tests… I was young then and they were both an inconvenience and an event to be feared."
Surprised Amy sat up so she could watch the other more closely "You were afraid of Professor Gerald's experiments?"
Laughter so quite that it was almost lost in the empty air filled the artificial hedgehog's voice "The Professor? Never." Ebony lids covered his eyes and for the first time Amy noticed the sharp contrast between his fur and the red rings at the corner of his eyes. It was one of the features that separated him from Sonic.
"However I feared myself and what I might do to those I cared for as I grew stronger; I was young and naïve but even then I understood that whilst I made a good protector I could just as easily be a source of destruction" For the first time since she had arrived Shadow looked at the pink hedgehog "You've seen what I'm capable of, you know that GUN fears me even now… so why do you risk getting so close and bring up the past you know I'm trying to forget?"
Without noticing her fingers had taken to drawing patterns in the dirt below and now she leant forward to study those sketches causing her bangs to fall forward and obscure her eyes "You're not a bad person Shadow." Her voice trembled slightly but her words were strong "You're lonely, you're misunderstood and whether you realise it or not you deserve a chance"
The gloved hand which swept the pink quills aside was swift and efficient and the eyes which studied her face were emotionless; drinking in every detail without giving any indication as to what he thought of her "You intend to give me that chance?"
Lifting her head to meet his strong gaze, Amy felt Shadow's eyes pulling her apart; watched as he learnt every thought that was running through her head and yet he said nothing about what he discovered.
This time she stilled her nerves before speaking "Yes"
"You aren't the right one to do that Amy." His words stung though nothing in the immortal hedgehog's tone had suggested unkindness. Clearly she must have given some indicator to her shock as Shadow spoke again "Why do you follow that blue hedgehog around so much?"
Amy could feel the smile that crossed her muzzle and the blood rushing to her cheeks "Sonic saved my life back when we first met; I was so scared and then he just swooped into my life and made everything better." She laughed and stroked her quills "I looked so different back then Shadow; you wouldn't recognise me!"
"And you could find even in a hundred years as I am unchanging." Shadow's own voice was filled with something Amy was almost tempted to call envy "I understand Sonic protected you once but why follow him now?"
Her smile widened "He's a hero and whether Sonic likes it or not he needs my help!"
"My point exactly" The crimson eyes burned into her as Shadow's usual smug tone returned "You're also a hero now Amy Rose, as am I, Tails, Rouge and the others; Metal Sonic proved that, which begs the question: Why do you need Sonic?"
The smile faded and Amy found herself starring at her companion in shock "I-I don't have an answer for that Shadow"
It was his turn to grin "I shall tell you then. Sonic is safe; when you're following him you don't have to think about things like the future or the true effects of the problems that plague this world, Sonic moves on far too quickly for that. However as you said before you've changed. You've grown up physically at least and now, though you don't feel ready for it, you've got to face your future."
A spark of determination filled Amy and she frowned at Shadow "Sonic's my future!"
Carelessly Shadow closed his eyes and lay back on the grass "Is something that was good for you once necessarily good for you for the rest of your life?"
Reluctantly emerald eyes found themselves drawn to the star filled sky and the shadow of the ARK which remained there before falling upon the shadow which had once haunted its halls and now her night. It would only harm him to return there. "I suppose not"
Silence reigned for a few moments before shadow spoke again "Change frightens most Amy Rose; however I can promise you that even the most extreme changes bring something good even if it is only a lesson."
"You've found something worth staying for then Shadow?" Amy couldn't resist the temptation to lean in closer to hear the other's reply.
The now almost invisible hedgehog laughed lightly helping Amy spot him amongst the rapidly darkening night "I could think of a few reasons if I had to"
Amy toyed with the hem of her dress as she struggled to ask her next question "Do you think I should stop chasing Sonic?"
"No" Shadow spoke slowly as he selected his words "You can keep following him but you should do it because you want to save the world; risk your life because you want to not because you want Sonic's attention."
Amy regarded the hedgehog with the midnight coloured fur; the red stripes and white furred chest being the only things that made him stand out against the night; his muzzle which, much like his personality, was darker than both Sonic's and her own peach tones.
She watched him lying there for a few minutes before she spoke "Shadow?"
A single crimson orb moved to look at her.
Amy smiled "I don't think you're like Sonic at all"
Rewarding her words with a rare smile, Shadow closed his eyes again "Good."