i actually wrote this a while back ago, but wasnt sure if i should've posted it. but after having my friend sneak onto my computer and reading it, she insisted on having it up -_-
and so, here it is. a very fluffy, emotional, lovey-dovey oneshot.
enjoy :P
** ~** Distant ** ~**
16 days.
It had been 16 days since Amy had last seen Shadow, and to her, it felt like ages.
Amy sighed miserably as her bottom lip quivered, cautioning her that tears were about to erupt. Her feet dragged her out of her home that was situated deep in the forest and now she was miles away from it. The sun had rested over the horizon, the moon now taking its position. It was her only light source as she continued her dreary walk. She looked up and saw a lonesome oak tree on a hill. She made her way toward it.
She believed that Shadow could help her recover from her heartbreak. She thought that Shadow would be there to listen to her past, just like she had done with him. She hoped that they could be best friends, so that she had someone to fall back on.
And it was like that, at first. They had actually been in contact quite often back then. She discovered that they had this connection she never thought would exist with anyone. She knew, deep in her heart, that if their bond continued to grow, it would blossom into something beautiful. And that was when things started to go downhill.
As soon as she started having those thoughts, Shadow was slowly starting to pull away from her. Their encounters became less and less frequent, and even when it happened, it was short and brief.
She didn't understand. Had she done something to upset him? Did she hurt his feelings? She kept questioning herself, trying hard to find the answers. But she always came up empty-handed. She would never do such things to him. And even if it did happen, she would catch herself and apologize quickly for it.
She stood in front of the tree and looked around. She didn't recognize where she was, but it didn't seem to worry her at all. The ache in her heart was far too great to make her concerned about herself right now. A single tear had managed to escape from the corner of her eye. It rolled down her peach muzzle and landed onto a blade of grass, making a small flick sound.
"Why do you have to be the same?" she whimpered silently. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make the tears disappear.
"Why do you have to push me away?" she said in an uneven voice. Her fists clenched and they shook at her sides.
"Why, Shadow, why?" she screamed to the tree. "You know how I feel about you! You know I can't take another heartbreak! You know!"
Her weak legs finally gave out and she collapsed onto the ground. She hid her face in her hands and cried out helplessly, dozens of tears now running freely down her face. Her broken sobs shook her frame as she unleashed all of the pain and anger she felt. She removed her hands from her face as a wave of rage washed through her.
"You're just like him, Shadow! You're just like Sonic!" she screamed angrily.
"Don't you dare compare me the faker" said a husky tone that came from behind her.
Her body seemed to freeze. Her breath got caught in her throat. Surely she must have just been imagining it. But it sounded just like him. There was no mistaking it.
Why would…he be here, especially now? she thought to herself.
Very slowly, she turned her head. Sure enough, the dark hedgehog stood firmly, a few feet away from her. If it wasn't for the moonlight outlining his body, she would have never been able to see him. She blinked a couple of times, making sure she wasn't going delusional. He was still there. She quickly got up on her feet as anger swirled inside of her.
"You…" she hissed through her teeth as her faced creased into a frown.
Shadow stood completely still. His natural frown deepened. Some of the moonlight passed through his eye, revealing its stunning ruby color. The little pink hedgehog was captivated, just for a brief moment, before her anger turned to fear.
Once she got a good look at him, she felt intimidated. His chest puffed out more than usual, his fists were clenched tightly by his sides, and only half his face was visible to her.
She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Her heart hammered in her ribcage, the sound clearly audible to both her and Shadow. Her ears dropped and she took a step back from him. He took one step forward.
"Shadow…" she whispered.
"You think I'm just like him?" he said in disgust, the venom seeping through his voice. His lips curled back, the light hitting against his fangs. He took another step toward her.
"I-I…" she stuttered helplessly. She took a step back.
"You think I'm pushing you away?" his tone was getting louder now. His eyes were alive and burning with…anger? She couldn't tell, but it wasn't the first time she couldn't tell what he was trying to express.
"It certainly feels like it" she countered as she got herself together again.
He raised an eye at her.
"It's been over 2 weeks, Shadow" she told him. "It's never been this long…"
"That still doesn't give you an excuse to think that I'm like…him" he said in a dangerously low voice. He took two steps toward her.
She backed right into the tree. Her hands spread against it, trying to support her from her trembling legs. Her chest rose and fell quicker now because of her breathing. She knew how much he loathed Sonic, and to be comparing Shadow to him, it was a pure insult. But she was too scared to apologize right now.
He continued to walk closer to her until he was directly in front of her. She could feel the heat coming from him on her, as well as his rich, earthy scent. It made her mind spin, making it harder to concentrate.
If only you could feel how I feel… she thought to herself at that moment.
"And 'push you away'?" he said in a questioning tone. His arms stretched forward and he placed his palms on either side of her head. She tried to back away as far as the tree would let her. That didn't seem to stop Shadow from leaning in. Their faces were barley a breath apart.
"I would do no such thing to you, Amelia Marie Rose" he breathed as he pronounced her full name. Her ears perked up. His eyes closed and he leaned against her forehead.
Amy stared at Shadow, in complete fascination and confusion.
What fascinated her was how affectionate her name had come out of his mouth. It made her mouth droop limply and made her muscles loose tension. What confused her was how drastically his emotions changed. One second he was completely enraged, then the next he was full of passion.
His eyes cracked open slightly to look intently at her. He observed her reaction, trying to figure out what she was feeling. While her breath was shaky and quick, his was slow and steady. While she had her head firmly pressed against the solid tree, trying to escape him, he had his forehead against hers with no intention of letting her flee.
"I apologize if it feels like I've been avoiding you. Truly, it is not my intention" he told her in a deep, velvety voice.
"Then why do you stay away?" she wondered out loud.
He pulled back and sighed, his breath making her bangs flow gently. He looked into the darling jade-colored eyes she possessed. She looked up at him, pleading for a response.
"It's my way of protecting you" he told her.
She cocked her head to the side, preceding him to elaborate.
"Amy," he started as he removed his hands from the tree. "I work with Dr. Eggman and G.U.N is after me. Need I say more?"
Amy looked down, feeling ashamed. So this was the reason all along. She felt like an imbecile for thinking such illogical things about him.
He took his index finger and placed it under her chin. He tilted her head up so that he could see her. His eyes turned grave.
"I've already lost someone close to me. I will not lose you, Amy, do you understand?" he told her harshly. He closed his eyes as a pained expression overcame his face. "I would go insane…" he whispered.
Without even thinking, she moved away from the tree and wrapped her arms around Shadow's torso. She gave him a comforting and loving embrace as she buried her face inside of his chest. Hesitantly, Shadow returned the hug and pulled her close.
Amy finally began to grasp what he was trying to tell her. He would be devastated if something happened to her. Knowing him, he would probably blame himself and she certainly did not want him to do that.
They stayed in that embrace for a long time, until a familiar voice broke the moment.
"Shadow? Shadow, I have a new mission for you and Rouge. Where are you? Rouge is already at the base! Stop wasting time and get over here immediately!"
Amy looked up at Shadow, confused. He pulled away and brought his gaze to a device that was placed directly over his power ring.
The voice belonged to the mad scientist himself, Dr. Eggman.
Shadow did not respond him, but instead, spoke to Amy. "You're very far from your home" he stated as he gently removed a few loose strands of her pink quills from her face. She nodded in response.
His green chaos emerald seemed to magically appear in his hand. He held it up, so that it glistened in the moonlight. Amy could see a faint smile on his lips.
"You know the words" he said and winked at her. Amy laughed. She took Shadow's hand and linked her fingers with his.
"Chaos Control" she murmured and closed her eyes.
She felt a pulse of energy flow inside of her as the chaos emerald did its wonders. As soon as she felt the emerald's power fade, she opened her eyes and found herself inside of her pink bedroom, safe and sound.
Her fingers slowly slipped out of Shadow's grasp as he started to step away. She suddenly panicked, a question still lingering in her mind.
"When will I see you again?" she asked sadly while extending her hand to him.
She heard him sigh and he made his way towards her again. He placed his large hands on her shoulders and smoothly backed her into her bed. She sat down and kicked off her shoes as she began to lie down. Shadow pulled a red quilt over her body, seeing that her eye lids were beginning to droop. Amy pulled out a stuffed teddy bear and held it close to her.
"Soon." he said and placed a hand on her head, removing her headband and placing it on the bedside table. He stroked her forehead with his hand, pushing away her bouncy bangs from her face.
"Shadow! Don't make me send my robots after you! Come to the base this instant!" hollered the impatient scientist from the device on Shadow's wrist.
Shadow now had an annoyed look on his face, along with a flicker of worry. He grumbled something unintelligible, sounding like a curse word, but Amy wasn't sure.
"How soon…?" mumbled Amy, trying hard to stay awake.
She heard him chuckle and then felt something warm press against her forehead. Were those his lips? At this point, she had to fight against her tired eyes. As soon as she opened them, his mouth was on hers. The kiss was enough for Amy's sleepiness to wear off, being replaced by thrill and happiness. Too quickly, Shadow pulled away from her.
"Soon. I promise" Shadow told her. He backed away from her bed and stood in the middle of her bedroom.
"Amy?" Shadow suddenly asked.
Her ears perked in his direction. "Yes?"
"Take care of yourself" he said in a tender voice.
And with that, a bright green light emitted from him. Amy pulled her bear in front of her face, trying to shield her eyes from the intense glow. When the light disappeared, she looked up to where Shadow had last stood only to see him gone.
She sighed sadly as she rolled onto her side. A part of her was sad because she didn't know when she would see him again. But she rid herself of the gloomy thoughts when she played his promise in her head.
Soon. I promise.
It was a fact that Shadow was true to his promises, and that was enough to make Amy feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
** Fin **
