Chapter 1

Screams. Her screams echoed in my head. How she was taken from me. Her last words were don't hate them. The humans who took her from me, my beloved Maria. We were close until the day they took her. Shot right in front of me. I made a promise I would not hate the humans, not all of them are like that. However, that won't stop me from hunting the ones who killed Maria.

I saw her once more, right in front of me smiling her last warm smile. Her face went suddenly pale, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She slumped over as the surrounding people caught her lifeless corpse falling. My eyes teared up as I called out her name, knowing she wouldn't be able to respond ever again. The glimmer I used to see in her eyes faded right before me. Finally, her warm smile disappeared and the surrounding people engulfed her and carried her away.

Abruptly, I awoke from my nightmare in a cold sweat.

It has been years since I had that dream. Years since her death. Is it a sign to find the murderers? I sluggishly rolled out of bed and changed into some ripped jeans and a black tank top. I slipped on my red and black sneakers and opened up my door. Locking the door behind me, I walked down the hall of the apartment complex I was staying in and out into the streets.

I was walking through the dark foreboding streets, wandering around a bit since I couldn't sleep. Strolling straight down the street for a while, I came upon the small park they had built in the center of the city. Deciding that I'd sit at a bench for a time, I turned into the gate of the park and sat on a nearby bench near a tall oak tree.

Looking up into the bright starry sky I felt nostalgia coming on as they twinkled. The stars reminded me of when Maria and I had looked out the windows of the ARK and saw all the planets and stars. "Aren't they beautiful?" She would say as I nodded in silence

Snapping out of my memories, a figure appeared in front of me with a hand on her hip. Still slightly spaced out of it I accidentally asked, "Maria?"

Not even a second later a hand came across my face as I heard the voice of the never forgettable pink hedgehog, her wrath would not go unheard.

"Shadow. The. Hedgehog. Do I look like Maria?!" The pink hedgehog exclaimed as she became annoyed, I had only called her that one other time before but obviously had forgotten my lesson all those years ago…

"N-no. I was deep in thought Rose." I snapped back as she looked at me skeptically

"Sure." She said sarcastically as she sat next to me on the bench and continued, "I haven't seen you in a while, why are you here after seven years?"

I turned my attention to the pink hedgehog as she shifted around in the cold seat, "I was passing through."

Truthfully I was just passing through. I never stayed anywhere for too long, an organization has been after me for a while. I quit GUN a while back in hopes to find Maria's murderers.

"Shadow?" I heard a feminine voice sing out my name as I came out of my daze

"Sorry." I said apologetically as she smiled at me- hard to believe she had just slapped me a second ago huh?- and I continued, "So what about you and Sonic, are you guys finally a thing?"

I asked this half concerningly, I never liked talking about relationships but I wanted to make sure Amy was alright.

"No. I kind of drifted away from him I guess." Amy said nonchalantly. I looked at her surprised by her answer, but I didn't show it.

"He never really answered my question and soon I realized how stupid I was for wasting my time for an unanswered question. To this day he still probably wouldn't answer it, but I don't care all that much anymore." Amy explained as I nodded, she has gotten mature after seven years. I'm glad of that, although I can hear a slight sad pitch in her voice as she explained herself.

"So what're you doing here?"

I looked up at the stars and wondered that myself, "I honestly don't know."

I heard a soft giggle then a hand holding mine.

"Then you can come hang out with me." Amy said with a warm smile, in some aspects she reminds me of Maria in a way. I wouldn't tell her that though, I would probably get slapped again.

Soon I was being dragged out of the park and into the bustling city. Twisting and turning to maneuver around the crowds, saying sorry every once in a while, she pulled me into a restaurant. It was a small family owned burger joint but was very cozy. I glanced around seeing the walls lined with family photos and old pictures of the town in black and white hung throughout the joint. The floor was carpeted with a beautiful black flooring and gold embroidery of flowers. Still being dragged along, Amy chose to sit near a corner off to the side of the restaurant and ordered for both of us.

Our drinks had arrived and Amy was still talking about anything and everything. How she had lived here in the city after the group disbanded, Sonic, Tails, and Cream's family were living back in the outskirts of town. She came to the city to get over her Sonic obsession and has been here ever since.

I took a sip of my coke, "That's good, Rose."

"Were you even listening to me?" she pouted as I nodded yes

Amy sighed, "Still so quiet?"

I nodded in agreement once more. I like to think more than talk whereas Amy obviously loves to talk more than think.

Amy sighed. Then sighed again. And again. And once more again. I looked at her confused, was this a sign? What am I supposed to do?

"Um… Amy?" I started hoping I said something right

"Yes Shadow?" The pink hedgehog said slightly excited

"Do I need to take you to a doctor? Are you having trouble breathing?" I asked concerned as she laid her head on the table. Does that mean yes?

Amy slowly lifted her head up and shook it side to side, "You haven't talked to people in forever, huh?"

I nodded slowly, afraid of where this conversation was going.

"You are going to stay with me in this city from now on." She said sternly

"Um…no." I replied as she looked at me perplexed as I stayed silent still. I didn't need to explain myself to her, it's my own personal business anyway.

Amy's face sank at my response. Her facial expression and entire attitude took a downslide. Suddenly the pink hedgehog slammed her hands on the table exclaiming, "That's not right Shadow." Tears streamed down her light pink face - I suppose she knew very well of what I was up to -as it scrunched up as she continued, "Do you think Maria would want you to hunt them down? Weren't her last words somewhere along the lines of 'don't hate them'?"

Our eyes met as she continued, I didn't think she would get this emotional about my response. Although for a second her appearance changed in my eyes and I saw as if Maria were the one yelling at me about all this. Amy truly was like Maria in more than one aspect, she had a heart like hers, caring and kind.

I calmed her down to where she was only slightly sobbing, "I suppose I could stay here for a month."

The pink hedgehog's face lit up when I had said that, "Only a month Rose."

She nodded her head in excitement as finally our food came.

Surprisingly the burgers were huge. As I inspected the huge burger, Amy was already halfway finished with her own. I stared at her surprised at how fast she could eat food as I started on my own.

I followed Amy with my small baggage thrown over my shoulder as she led me down the dimly lit road. We had spent the entire day together and I was beat. The small pink hedgehog was still blabbing on as I nodded my head every once in a while, hoping she wouldn't notice I wasn't actually listening. I was too tired to pay attention anyway but the joy on her face made me happy. I tried my best to listen honestly but I was too tired and spaced out to listen.

Soon enough she came upon a small house and turned up the sidewalk to the front door. It was a cute small house that suited Amy. It was a two story brick house with flowers here and there in the front cascaded across the yard in small sections. Looking towards the top of the house I noticed a chimney peeking over the rooftop.

Rose opened the wooden front door that swung out silently revealing a cozy living area. When you walk through the door to the right side of the doorway was a kitchen countertop and stools lined up underneath the siding while the floors were tiled with pink and black flooring. Wooden cabinets lined the wall as well as the kitchen countertop looping around half the kitchen from near the doorway. I glanced over the countertop and saw the sink directly in front of a window to see the whole front yard. Straight across from the sink on the opposite side of the room against the wall was a tall double door black metallic refrigerator where a cabinet separated the fridge from the black oven and stovetop.

Taking off my shoes and leaving them near the front door, I followed Amy past the entrance and into the living room. The living room floor changed from the wooden floor entrance to a shaggy black carpeted area with three black leather couches angled in three different areas surrounding a coffee table with coasters casted across it in random places and a single remote in the center. In front of the couches mounted on the wall was a huge flat screen television. Beneath the TV was a small book shelf holding some books and DVD's with a DVD player on top of it.

Past the couches revealed beautiful sliding glass doors leading to a large backyard prospering with plants and flowers. Glancing into the backyard I could see a fairly large gazebo with a table that could probably hold quite a number of guests. Fairy lights were hung throughout the top of the yard to light the place up at night.

Off to the left of the glass doors was a staircase leading to the second floor while to the right was another entranceway to the dining room. In the dining room from what I could tell was a black wooden table with a bouquet of pink roses in the center. It was a pretty empty room but it was still quite beautiful nonetheless.

"Come on Shadow!" I heard Rose cry out to me from atop the staircase as I stopped admiring the place and headed up after her

Walking up the wooden staircase, the walls were lined with photos of everyone. I mean everyone. Where did she get this picture of me?!

I stared intensely at a picture of me actually smiling when Amy and I used to hang out a couple of years ago.

"Like it?" Amy asked appearing out of nowhere right next to me slightly startling me, "It's one of my favorite pictures."

I rolled my eyes in disagreement as I trailed after her down the wooden floor hall as it creaked beneath us. There were very few doors along the hallway, one of which was the bathroom that was the first door on the right of the hall which looked like any other but with a black and pink color scheme inside it. Past that door almost diagonally from the bathroom was a bedroom, a black room with black walls but a single white horizontal line looping around the room on the walls along with black shag carpeting. There were dressers along the left side of the wall next to a window while the black wooden bed sat in the center of the back wall up against it.

"This will be your room." Amy chimed as I laid my luggage on the bed admiring the black sheets and pillows

"Thanks Amy." I replied laying down onto the bed and seeing the entrance and noticing a small flat screen against the wall to the right of the doorway so the door couldn't swing open and bust the TV.

"Do you like it?" She said as I could hear a slight nervous tone in her voice

"Yes Rose, it's nice." I replied reassuringly as she smiled widely as laid next to me on the bed. I moved my bag so Amy wouldn't accidentally kick it off and turned on the television.

We ended up watching a movie but I had nodded off to sleep. Upon waking up from my nap it was still dark out as I felt a weight on my left arm. Finally awake enough to be aware of my surroundings, I found Amy snuggled up on my arm with her own arms snaked around me. Feeling a weird feeling deep within me I shake the notion from my thoughts. Right now I have to put Amy into her own room to sleep, but deep inside me I didn't mind her snuggled up to me like this.


This is my first attempt at a Sonic fanfic, so please support me and tell me how it's doing. Every review helps me overcome writer's block and encourages me to keep writing. Review and critic it as well, I try to proofread as much as possible so I hope not too many errors slipped past myself.

Well, please review and tell me how you liked or disliked it. See you round then~