Note: I honestly did not know what kind of title to give this story, but here it is. I would have never dreamed of creating a story that consisted of Shadow/Peach, but it happened. Someone asked if I could write this. That person is 8Frozen Shadow8. This is for that individual. Anyway, have fun reading...

Um, What?

Inhaling the scent of the endless sea, the black furred hedgehog lifted a gloved hand, putting it over his eyes and creating a shield from the sun's harsh rays. It was a very hot day, and the male definitely was not expecting to run into the ocean during his long journey.

Red eyes narrowed a little as he gazed at the waves. The waves moved forward and backward, brushing and caressing the sandy shore with its smoothness and saltiness. Shadow the Hedgehog watched it for a long moment before turning away. Not thinking much of it, the black hedgehog plopped down into the sand below.

The sand was warm because of the sun's violent light. Like what was stated before, it was incredibly hot today. That was what the Ultimate Life Form thought anyway. Shadow got comfortable in the sand and, after contemplating for a little while, removed his shoes and allowed his bare feet to soak in the salty waves.

It felt nice.

Shadow leaned back a little, resting on his elbows as he watched the sea once more. His feet were soaked with seawater now and bits of sand clung to his toes and ankles. The gentle breeze tickled his wet feet and made him shiver a tad bit. He did not mind though. It was kind of a nice sensation.

As he sat there in the warm sand, his thoughts ceased and his red eyes started to droop with unhidden drowsiness. The tranquility captured him and was now pulling him into a calm and deep sleep. Just when his eyes were about to fully close, Shadow heard a brief noise and his ear twitched in irritation. Who in their right mind would disturb him?

Aggravation pierced him with its ugliness and he felt a growl form in his throat. If it was that blue idiot or that pink ball with a bottomless pit for a stomach, he was going to go on a rampage that consisted of Chaos Blasts and Chaos Spears. He had left the Smash Mansion to get away from all of them. They always bothered him, especially the faker and his pink companion.

Shadow the Hedgehog hated how he had to stay and live with all of those characters back at the mansion. No, he did not participate in their battles, but he did aid them during battles. He would use Chaos Control to slow down their opponents; that was all he did. Nothing else. He got paid, yeah. It was an easy and annoying job, but it paid well. Sonic had called upon for his help a few times and Shadow hated when that happened. The blue fool would always talk to him while he was performing Chaos Control for him. He really did not know how to close that mouth of his.

Still, even though Sonic and his goofy pals (like Kirby, in his opinion) vexed him to no end, he still considered the blue hedgehog one of his friends. There was a lot of people that he looked upon with pure disdain in that mansion, but there were quite a few he got along with too (like Marth, for example).

So, back to the point.

Shadow sincerely hoped it wasn't anybody he found to be annoying or disliked. When he looked over his shoulder to see who so foolishly wanted to interrupt him, he was extremely astonished to see none other than Princess Peach approaching. She had removed her heels and was walking in the sand with her bare feet.

"Oh!" squeaked the blonde princess, bringing a gloved hand to cover her mouth and demonstrating a surprised action. Her eyes met Shadow's red ones and the shock was evident in her gaze.

"Oh." Shadow echoed in a deadpan.

The sweet princess kept walking towards him until she was standing right next to him, towering over him with her form. A brilliant smile danced on her lips and she allowed her hand to drop down to her side. "I really did not expect to see you here, Shadow! It's very pleasant to see you here on such a nice and lovely day."

Shadow tried not to roll his red eyes. Princess Peach was so…bubbly and sweet. She did nothing to disguise that either. The royal female wasn't one of the ones he got along with, but he never held a conversation with her either. The black hedgehog never attempted to get to know her. The only time he spoke to her was when she summoned him that one time during one of her battles against Bowser, Sonic, and Samus. Without a word, he had performed Chaos Control for her and immediately left afterwards. That was it. The lady didn't even attempt to make conversation with him either. Sure, Shadow saw her everyday within the mansion, but he always gave her a friendly nod or a dismissive wave. Nothing else. Nothing more.

So, he didn't dislike her or anything.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?" questioned Peach, raising an eyebrow while suddenly twirling a pink umbrella over her head.

Shadow did not question where she got the umbrella and shrugged, sitting up and pulling his knees up to his chest, his bare feet still visible with his shoes off to the side. "I don't own the beach."

A giggle left Peach's mouth. "It's a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow only grunted in response to that.

"So, what are you up to?" asked Peach while taking her place beside him, sounding too curious for Shadow's liking.

Shadow wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but he felt that he should not. Princess Peach was the sweetest person out of all the people he had met in the mansion. "I needed to get away."

"Away from what?" Peach sent a query his way, a concerned expression decorating her pretty face.

Shadow turned his head to put her in his vision. "Everyone. I just need to be alone sometimes."

Peach hummed and pursed her lips, contemplating. "Well," she said, worry coloring her tone. "I guess I can understand that. Everyone needs their alone time. Are you okay though?"

"Hmph. Fine." Shadow waved a gloved hand at her in a very dismissive manner.

Peach beamed at him. "Good!"

Shadow stayed silent after that and peered at the ocean, trying not to feel so uncomfortable around the pretty princess. His tranquility dispersed instantly and he was left worrying about how he was going to get some more time to himself.

Suddenly, a very nice scent entered his nose and he blinked, recognizing the scent to be peaches. Shadow already knew where that smell was coming from and he honestly did not mind. Shadow sneaked a glance at Peach and flinched a little when he found that the princess was staring right at him.

"Shadow?"

"…what?" Shadow removed his eyes from her.

"I wanted to thank you for your assistance during that battle that I had," answered Peach; there was a very sincere expression dancing along her facial features. "Your Chaos Control really helped me out! I didn't win, sadly, but it was very helpful. I just wanted to thank you properly and I really do appreciate it."

Shadow was tremendously shocked. She was actually thanking him for that? Shadow had only been doing it for the money, but he did appreciate her thanks. Peach sounded so serious and grateful; it made him frown. Nobody had thanked him yet, well, except for Sonic, but that was it. Peach was the only other one.

"It's what I do," responded Shadow, shrugging.

"Still." Peach leaned towards him a little, a wide smile curling her lips. "I really do appreciate it."

Then, Peach did something so unexpected and something that Shadow the Hedgehog would never forget!

She…kissed him.

…on the CHEEK!

Shadow's face colored and his red eyes grew wide. He tried to speak, but his words weren't forming properly. The only thing that came out of his mouth was gibberish and weird sounds. He sounded like a fish out of water gobbling for air.

Peach giggled and got to her feet, quickly slipping on her footwear and patting the top of the Ultimate Life Form's head cheerily. "Have a nice time being alone, Shadow!" Peach then started humming and skipping away.

Shadow just sat there, gaping.