Not So Secret Admiring
Chapter One: The Deal
A clear cerulean blue sky brilliant enough to give off its own natural light hung over the city of Station Square and its suburbs. In the city, blinding light reflected off of the many skyscrapers and automobiles that made up the magnificent metropolis. The busy sounds of cars honking, people talking, and feet shuffling echoed through the city. Despite these disruptions however, birds still chirped happily in perfect harmony in the dazzling city. All in all, it was a great start to the summer season for all of the residents— but one!
Sonic the Hedgehog ran at supersonic speeds through the crowded streets of Station Square. The wind ripped fiercely through his quills with every air resisting step he took. He felt his leg muscles contracting constantly as his feet pushed forcefully off the pavement and propelled him forward at an amazing speed. Everything he passed was nothing more than an unidentifiable blur and that was just the way he liked it!
The sun shone brightly as it slowly made its way west in the vibrant and lively blue sky. "This is the perfect weather for running," the hero mused, "Too bad I'm not running for entertainment!" And it was true, for the majority of the day he had been running away from his biggest fan and self-proclaimed girlfriend, Amy Rose. As he ran through the streets at an incredible velocity he analyzed his situation in his head, 'I can't go on living like this every day…! I wonder if Amy will ever stop this constant pursuit.' He slowly turned his head to see behind him, hoping to have lost the girl in the city's crowded streets. However, the pink hedgehog remained hot on his trail, visible in the distance behind him.
"Sonic!" the young girl called out, sprinting after him, "Wait up, won't you?"
'How did she get so fast?' the cerulean hedgehog inquired, surprised to see Amy catching up to him. 'It must be all this practice she's getting,' he noted. He then cleared his mind for the moment and refocused on running, increasing his speed once again and losing sight of the admiring girl.
Amy watched as the distance grew and the blue hedgehog became smaller and smaller in front of her eyes. Her never-dying determination to capture and conquer the love of her life encouraged her heart to continue on after him. Not wanting to give up the chase, she sped off as well. As she ran through the city, she evaded cars, buildings and other people, carefully keeping an eye on her target. However, the sunlight that bounced off the crystal clear windows of the edifices handicapped her vision. But none of it mattered because nothing could stop her from running after the one thing she desired the most in her life: Sonic's love. 'I will catch you Sonic, and then you'll see that we do belong together,' she thought, and on that note, she persistently followed the teasing stream of blue light that would lead her to her hero.
Though he couldn't see her anymore, Sonic knew that Amy was still running after him, 'She's very…headstrong. A little speed won't make her give up that easily!' Rapid steps began to slow down as he took some time to examine his surroundings. He was now reaching the outskirts of the city. 'Maybe I can lose her somewhere…' he placed his right hand over his eyes and began to make out the tree line of a deep forest. The woodland was located to the left of the main street that led out of the city and it looked quite easily to get lost in. As he grew closer to the forest he noticed the deep green trees and shadows that danced between the streams of light that shot down through the thick canopy onto the shaded forest floor. It seemed safe enough to Sonic so he shrugged and rushed into the thick woods.
Meanwhile Amy ran the last stretch that was left of the metropolis. 'I'm at the end of the city now. Where could he have run off to?' she wondered while jogging, taking time to figure out his new location. 'Hmm. Knowing Sonic, he probably wouldn't just go along this open road out of the city. That's too easy,' analyzed the pink hedgehog as she stopped to catch her breath. The warm summer air combined with the constant and persistent running was beginning to make her feel worn out. Her leg muscles burned, her feet ached, and she was sweating from all the effort she had put into the chase.
After a few deep breaths, the rose hedgehog began to look around. Her emerald eyes explored her surroundings and then locked on a deep forest nearby her. It seemed to almost welcome her with its cool depths guarded by towering trees and bushy foliage. "I bet he's in there," she said to herself, walking closer to the green forest.
Small steps led the petite hedgehog to the edge of the woods. She placed her small, gloved hands on the rough bark of a slim tree and peered into the wooded area. Faint rays of light shined off of the vegetation which kept the location fairly illuminated and made the forest look enchanted. Then, Amy looked down at her white trimmed, red dress and red and white boots. "If I knew I would be hiking, I would've worn something else," she sighed. She lifted her gaze back to the woods and watched the trees longingly. 'He could be so close. I can't just let him get away because my clothes could get a little dirty. I have to try!' she reasoned.
Taking a deep breath, the pink hedgehog started to jog through the forest. She made sure to keep an eye on the ground every once in a while to avoid tripping over tree roots, rocks, twigs, and other objects that were part of the wilderness. She couldn't move very fast because of all the trees and other obstacles she had to doge, but it worked to her advantage. She didn't want to risk passing and missing Sonic by moving too fast anyway.
'My patience will pay off, right?' thought Amy, jogging at a steady pace while scanning the area for the blue hedgehog. The sun's light began to dim down as she proceeded deeper into the forest. The shade from the trees grew more ominous and the darkness from their shadows was becoming almost tangible. "I hope I find him soon," she whispered.
'This place doesn't look as friendly as it did when I came in,' Sonic mentally noted as he continued to run through the woods. He began to notice the eeriness of his surroundings with every step that took him deeper into the forest. Little lighting came through the high canopy above, it was impossible to tell whether or not it was still day time. Dodging the many trees, branches, and roots became a challenge since he could hardly see anything that wasn't directly in front of him.
'Maybe it was a bad idea trying to lose Amy here. Now she's probably lost and more importantly: not safe,' the cerulean hedgehog looked back, 'Maybe I should go back and look for her.' He stopped for a moment and thought about the situation, 'I shouldn't risk her safety, even if I am running away from her. I'll go to her, but maybe I should try a different route for better coverage.' Just as he was thinking about which direction to go, he heard a twig snap somewhere in the distance. "That must be Amy!" he exclaimed and immediately rushed after the echoing crack of the dry, lifeless wood.
His light source was still depleting and much of his attention was focused on avoiding obstacles as he headed to the source of the disruption. Cold wind whistled though the leaves, while the shadows taunted him as he looked around for the rose hedgehog. Sonic relied on his ears and his feet to find at least some source of life, 'How had I not noticed how quiet it is here?' Becoming slightly discouraged, he began to slow down again to gather his resolve when he heard faint footsteps close to his left. Without a second thought, he followed the sound, his feet pushing off the ground at full speed.
The chilly wind became ice through his quills, attempting to freeze the hedgehog still. The light was close to gone as he grew closer to his target location. The darkness around him became solid walls that encased him while he sprinted towards his objective. 'It's so dark, Amy must be freaked out by now,' Sonic thought. The footsteps had become louder, and he could tell that they were close.
The blue hedgehog could barely make out the flat grass of a small clearing from behind the trees. Despite being free of trees, the surrounding boarder shaded the area— though brighter than the rest of the location, the dim light that entered was barely enough to see clear. He figured Amy was probably pacing around in the clearing. Relieved, he took two extra strong bounds and charged into the opening. As he made his way to the clearing, he collided with a strong barrier and fell to the ground. He grunted and leaned on his left elbow, while he rubbed his head with his right hand. Then, he looked up at the cause of his tumble. He blinked once in slight shock and then grinned at the obstruction.
"So it's you," Sonic declared.
A crimson streaked, ebony hedgehog looked down at the blue hero by his feet. "So it is, Faker. I know the light is minimal but surely your vision isn't that weak," he taunted callously, glaring down at him. Shadow had been walking through the woods thinking in peace, when out of nowhere the blue imbecile had barreled into him.
Sonic chuckled at his bitterness, 'Typical Shadow.'
The moment was interrupted when both hedgehogs heard a familiar feminine voice calling out, "Sonic? Sonic where are you?"
Sonic turned to the direction of the voice, 'If she can find me this easily then maybe I shouldn't be worried after all. But still, I shouldn't leave her out here alone… but how can I make an escape and still ensure her safety?'
Shadow continued to watch him in annoyance and crossed his arms. "Your fan club awaits," he declared, interrupting the hero's thoughts for a moment as they both heard Amy's anxious calls getting closer and closer.
The blue hero brought his hand to his chin. He looked up at Shadow's emotionless face and started to plan his getaway. A steady stream of thoughts flowed through his mind, 'Shadow does kind of look like me… and in this lighting, it would hardly matter what he looked like as long as our silhouettes matched. And they do! Maybe I can get Amy to latch onto him while I find a way out of the woods. At the very least, dumping her on Shadow will give me some time to get away. But Shadow's not one for parties; he's probably gonna leave before Amy gets here, especially if he has his emerald with him.'
"Sonic!" the petite hedgehog shouted.
The cerulean hedgehog's head shot back in the direction of her voice; it was much closer now. As his emerald eyes moved to the source of the voice, he caught a flash of vivid spring green light in his peripheral vision. Curious, he slowly turned his head back to the ground and his eyes locked onto a glowing green gem embedded in the shallow grass of the clearing. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked back to the ebony hedgehog before him. Shadow analyzed Sonic's face before he, too, stole a quick glance of the emerald.
'He must have dropped it when I ran into him,' the blue hero inferred. Emerald orbs met with that of his rival; his dark counterpart grimaced menacingly at Sonic. Completely forgetting about Amy, who was now incredibly close to him and Shadow, Sonic lunged for the emerald.
A defensive growl escaped the dark hedgehog's lips as he reached out his arms to prevent the cerulean hedgehog from reaching the emerald. But right at that moment, a relieved pink hedgehog leapt into his outstretched arms and embraced him happily.
"Oh, Sonic!" Amy squealed, "I'm so glad I finally found you!" She squeezed Shadow tightly around his waist and burrowed her muzzle into the white fur on his chest. Sonic smirked and winked at the ebony hedgehog teasingly, while he, in turn, glared back at him furiously. Shadow wriggled in Amy's arms, trying to escape. The pink hedgehog felt his chest rumble with anger and looked up to see his face with a small frown, "Sonic? What's wrong?" Then her vision adjusted and she realized that she was holding the wrong hedgehog. "Shadow?" she questioned, her innocent eyes widening in shock and embarrassment.
Shadow gently pulled her arms from around his waist and placed them at her sides. Then, he grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I am not Sonic; learn the difference," he said in a monotone voice and then he shifted his gaze back to the amused blue hedgehog.
Sonic was now grinning victoriously as he watched their interaction. 'Now's my chance to get a head start!' he thought. "Catch ya later, Shadow!" he exclaimed, giving a mock salute and taking off back the way he came.
A deep scowl set into the ebony hedgehog's features as he watched the cerulean hero disappear into the woods. 'How could I have let him take the emerald? I should have picked it up immediately after I dropped it. Now I have to waste my time tracking down Faker.'
While Shadow analyzed his situation, Amy was still in his grasp. She looked down, shifted her weight form her left foot to her right, and twiddled her thumbs nervously. 'Why is he still holding onto me?' she wondered, 'Maybe I should say something.'
"Shadow, I'm sorry I confused you for Sonic again. I know you and Sonic look different, but it was dark and I just got confused for a minute… I apologize for latching onto you like that," she said contritely. A few minutes passed; Amy was watching him with nervous eyes. The male remained silent, his gaze turned away from her. "Uhh— Shadow?" she called softly.
'When I find Sonic I shall…' the black and red hedgehog's thoughts were interrupted by a small voice. He glanced downward and realized that the pink hedgehog was still in his grasp. All anger left his face and he stared at her in shock for a moment before he quickly regained his composure and released her. "Hmph. I will be leaving now," he said in a solemn voice. "Wait!" Amy pleaded, but before the words left her mouth, Shadow had taken off after the blue blur.
The rose girl was now alone in the woods, both male hedgehogs gone from her sight. Amy leaned against a tree and slowly slid down the trunk, sighing the whole way down. She felt a huge lump in her throat and her eyes watered. "Oh great! How are you going to get yourself out of this one Amy?" she whimpered in self-pity. She balled her hands into fists and hastily wiped her eyes. 'Just like always, I'm going to have to save myself.' Then she pushed herself up from the ground and started jogging after Shadow into the forest.
Shadow skated though the forest, trying to find a sign of the emerald thief. He created a steady stream of wind that beat against his face and quills as he sprinted through the forest. His feet passed gracefully and swiftly over every twig, stone, and tree root in his path. 'This is a large forest; he could be anywhere. He is probably going to the fox inventor's house… or is he? Perhaps he's not foolish enough to run to the first place I would look for him; not after robbing me. So where could he be?' Shadow thought as his eyes examined his surroundings while he ran.
Shadow continued to run through the forest, though not at his top speed. 'There will be plenty of time for his punishment,' he thought, giving himself a satisfied smirk. As he continued to 'jog' through the forest, his keen ears picked up rushed and uneven footsteps about half a mile behind him. Ready to face any threat, he planted his feet into the soft dirt of the forest floor and stood tall as he waited for the intruder. He chuckled lightly to himself. 'Perhaps Sonic got lost.' The thought entertained Shadow and he grinned maliciously. A few minutes passed before a small figure running toward him came into the male's eyesight. Ruby eyes widened in disbelief. 'She's still here?'
Amy was about to slow down; she had been sprinting for a long time and her stamina was running out. Just as she was about to slow down to a jog, she looked forward and saw Shadow standing in one spot with one eyebrow raised and a slightly baffled expression. With a grunt of relief, she continued at her full speed towards the still hedgehog.
"Shadow!" the petite hedgehog's voice could be heard from afar. As soon as Amy reached him, she wiped cold sweat from her forehead, bent over putting her hands on her knees, and took deep breaths as her chest pounded frantically.
The dark hedgehog waited for her to stand up again and control her breathing before speaking. "Why are you still here?"
Amy shifted her weight and responded, embarrassed, "I need help getting out of this forest. I don't know my way around here… plus with all the obstacles around and the dim light, getting out by myself will probably take me hours. But you know your way around here, don't you?"
'I should have realized that she cannot make it out of here alone,' Shadow thought. He looked at her desperate eyes; she seemed distressed and somewhat anxious. He then thought about what she was asking. 'It would be wrong of me to leave her out here, lost and unprotected. And she may know where Faker has run off to. I suppose I will help her.' He crossed his arms and walked closer to the pink hedgehog. Amy watched his movements warily yet hopefully. "Alright Rose; I will help you. But first you must tell me if you know where Sonic may have gone to after leaving the forest," Shadow said. Amy opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Besides Tails' house..." he specified, watching her expression change.
Amy brought her hand to her chin, wrinkled her nose, and looked upwards; thinking deeply about all of the possible places Sonic could have run to. Places like local chili-dog stands and beaches where Sonic was usually found seemed like inappropriate hiding spots. 'Sonic wouldn't hide somewhere he could be found easily. So where else would he be?' She stopped for a moment and gazed at Shadow with a baffled expression. "Why are you looking for Sonic anyway?" she asked curiously. Shadow was thrown off guard for a moment. 'It would be pointless to inform her of the blue one's trickery.' Shadow uncrossed his arms and simply answered: "Business." Amy shrugged her shoulders dismissively and continued her mental search for Sonic. After a few minutes of thoughtful consideration, a location popped into her mind and she snapped her fingers. "I got it!" she said happily, looking back to Shadow. 'Has he been watching me this whole time?' Amy wondered as she noticed Shadow staring at her with intent and expectant eyes.
"Where?" the male hedgehog asked.
"Well, I'm not completely sure, but my best bet is that he's in the botanical garden in Station Square Central Park," she said knowingly, "It may sound a bit public for a hiding place, but he likes to walk through the tall hedge maze at the center. I think it makes him feel at peace or something. That's why whenever I see him going, I leave him alone. And since I've never followed him there, I think that would be the most probable place to find him." As she finished the last sentence, her tone saddened slightly and she averted her gaze from Shadow.
The crimson striped hedgehog nodded once and then closed his eyes, "Unfortunately I cannot Chaos Control us out of here because of my lack of the emerald's power. We'll have to travel by foot."
"What happened to the emerald Shadow?" Amy asked tilting her head to the side like a curious child.
"I misplaced it," he said with a hint of malice in his voice. Amy could tell that she wasn't going to get any more info out of him so she stayed quiet. Shadow glanced at her before mumbling:
"Shall we get back to the issue of transportation?"
Amy blinked twice and then let her arms fall loosely to her side. "Well, we both know you can run superfast, but I can't. Plus I'm tired from straining to make it this far."
Shadow thought about this for a moment, 'I don't like the idea of Sonic keeping the emerald any longer than necessary.' Ruby orbs watched the tired female as she flopped down on the ground exhaustedly. 'She must have used all of her energy trying to keep up with me.' Annoyed, he rubbed his temple with his right hand, 'We must use my strength and speed then.' The rose girl watched his movements with curiosity as he approached her and offered his hands to pull her back up from the ground. Amy cautiously accepted and placed her hands in Shadow's. He then pulled her up promptly and she almost knocked them both into the ground. Instead, she caught herself and lightly fell into his arms. Amy blushed a deep red and stumbled clumsily out of his embrace. Shadow sighed to himself, with a very slight blush lingering on his cheeks as he turned away from Amy.
"Get on my back," he ordered.
Amy cocked her head slightly to the right and continued to gaze at the male. "Why?" she asked innocently.
The ebony hedgehog grimaced and walked swiftly over to the girl, "I can get us both out of this forest faster with my speed. In your current condition, you won't be able to keep up with me for long will fall behind." Amy nodded bashfully. After reasoning with her, Shadow crouched down low so that she could climb on his back.
"Thank you Shadow!" the petite hedgehog exclaimed gratefully. Amy rested her hands on the dark hedgehog's wiry, shoulders and hoisted herself onto his back. She fitted herself precisely between the two quills on his back that acted as short walls, locking her in place, and then she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Shadow then stood up slowly and turned his head to the right, his eyes searching for Amy's face. "That's not necessary," he said, referring to her legs, "However, I do suggest that you place your arms around my neck. I will be traveling at high speeds and just gripping my shoulders will not be enough to keep you on my back."
The rose hedgehog blushed slightingly as she removed her legs from around the male's waist. Bad move. Now she was holding on forcefully to his shoulders to keep herself from falling to the ground. Shadow lurched backward a few steps and then stood firm. He shook his head and circled his arms beneath her knees, holding her up so that she could move her arms. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled. "Sorry Shadow," she said sheepishly.
Shadow sighed quietly.
"Hold on tight."
Amy obediently squeezed her arms firmly around his neck. She then turned her head to the right and lay against the soft fur between his shoulder blades. The ebony hedgehog activated his air shoes and started to make his way to the city through his own familiar territory. The couple's surroundings had blended together into unidentifiable walls of dark color and hardly any sound could be heard above the roaring of the air in their ears. While Shadow focused on getting to the city, Amy found herself becoming drowsy.
'I guess this day took more out of me than I thought. Maybe it would be best to call it a day and just go after Sonic tomorrow. Yeah, that's what I'll do. As soon as we get to the city I'll just walk home and get some rest.' Amy thought, her eyelids drooping as she yawned softly.
"It shouldn't be long now," said Shadow in response her involuntary action. Not long after this declaration, both hedgehogs caught faint traces of city lights between the trees in the distance. 'Soon I will reach Sonic and get the emerald back from him,' Shadow thought as the dimness around them began to dissipate and turn into silvery-gray light. The moon was a wide, pearly crescent in the deep indigo sky. It was easy to see the vibrant twinkling of the stars above since they were still a distance away from the city lights. The night was chilly; Amy shivered unconsciously snuggled deeper into the warm fur on Shadow's back, but he paid no mind to it.
After two minutes of running, they erupted from the deep forest and sped through the city. It didn't take long for the ebony hedgehog to find the park; it was one of his favorite places. "Who would have thought the Faker and I would have something in common?" he scoffed quietly as he came to a stop at the front gate.
"What?" asked Amy as she poked her head into his peripheral vision from his right side.
Reserving the comment for himself, he responded: "We're here."
"Oh." Amy replied quietly. She proceeded to climb down from Shadow's back. Then she watched him intently as he turned to face her. A minute passed as they stared into each other's glimmering eyes, as if they both were trying to read the other's mind. Finally ending the silence, Shadow said:
"This is where we will part ways Rose." Amy's eyes softened and she looked at Shadow with gratitude in her glowing jade eyes.
"Well, thank you for your help Shadow. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" the pink hedgehog said politely.
"Perhaps," he answered casually.
Amy waved a hand at him as she started to walk down the sidewalk. "Bye Shadow," she called and then she turned around and disappeared into the city.
Shadow watched her walk away until he couldn't see her anymore and then he turned back to the park entrance. The gate was closed and had a heavy metal padlock on it. He then peered over at the brick wall and approached it slowly. He placed both of his hands in crevasses between the bricks and stepped with one foot on top of another stone. They were smooth and slightly slippery so he decided to try an easier way of getting over.
The black and red hedgehog lowered himself back down and looked upwards. The wall seemed to be about then feet tall, 'Hmm… I could probably jump this wall, but there are a lot of trees with low branches next to the wall that would be easy to climb.' He walked over to a tall, thin tree that was just outside the wall and close to the gate. He bent his knees and looked for the branch that was closest to him. When it was in sight, he pushed off the ground and sliced through the air, speeding right towards the branch. He reached out his arms, swung his body over the side, and landed atop the small ledge. 'In about two more branches, I'll be at the top of the wall,' he calculated. He repeated the same procedure twice and then leapt forward to the top of the wall.
From atop the wall, the dark hedgehog was able to see many parts of the park below. He searched for the flower garden and immediately spotted the hedge maze. From his aerial view he was also able to see Sonic, who was strolling slowly through the bushes while tossing the green chaos emerald up and down in his left hand. "He's so careless," he muttered; then he stealthily jumped down from the wall and started walking towards the maze.
Meanwhile, Sonic was thinking about what to do with the emerald, 'I bet Shadow is pretty mad right now. Maybe taking the emerald from him was a bad idea and he's probably on his way here to get it back now.' He stopped tossing the powerful gem and looked at it closely, 'At least I got away from Amy; plus he had to bring her out of the forest, right?' He began to chuckle, 'My plan worked like a charm! She came at just the right moment, and I was able to escape.' The cerulean hero sighed, 'I wish Amy could see how annoying it is being chased every day. I wonder if there's a way to stop her... since running isn't enough anymore. Maybe I should get a body guard.' He stopped walking when his thoughts stumbled on to something interesting. Then he thought, thoroughly amused, 'If Shadow were in charge of blocking out Amy, he'd make it impossible for her to chase me, which means she'd eventually have to give up and leave me alone.'
"Wouldn't that be something?" Sonic said to himself quietly.
"And what would that be?" a deep voice inquired.
The blue hedgehog tensed up. 'I know that voice.' He turned his head slowly towards the source of the question and found none other than Shadow the Hedgehog approaching him through the wall of hedges. Sonic stood up straight and turned his body toward his unwelcomed company. "Hello, Shadow," he said formally, wearing a poker face as his dark counterpart came closer.
"Give me the emerald, Sonic," the ebony hedgehog said frankly and gravely, stopping one foot away from the hero and putting out his hand.
Sonic hesitated for a moment, 'He looks like he means business; I wonder how far Shadow would go to get this emerald back.' Emerald eyes met ruby; a new challenge, 'Let's find out!' He began by trying to measure the dark hedgehog's patience, "Alright, Shadow. I will give you back your emerald if you do me a favor."
Shadow narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and then he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you want?" he inquired.
The impish blue hedgehog blinked once in surprise and thought, 'I didn't think he'd even consider doing anything for me!' Sonic secured the green gem firmly in his hand; 'The emerald sure is useful… If I knew he was going to agree I would've thought of some errands ahead of time. Hmmm, what would be something useful that Shadow could do for me?' Then, Sonic remembered his previous thoughts and came up with the perfect demand. His lips curled slowly into a mischievous grin and then he looked to his right, trying to contain his laughter. When he overcame the urge to laugh, he faced Shadow and named his request.
"I need you to be my body guard," he said simply, curious as to how his dark counterpart would react.
The ebony hedgehog raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Excuse me?"
"I said that I want you to be my body guard," the hero repeated.
"I do not understand— why do you need a body guard? You can protect this whole city and not yourself?" Shadow asked.
The moonlight drenched the smooth, cobblestone ground in a pale blue light and made their surroundings visible as the cerulean hedgehog strolled closer to the center. 'Will he actually go along with it?' he wondered, surprised that Shadow had not tried to fight him for the emerald yet.
The black and red hedgehog was thinking: 'I am curious about Sonic's intentions. I'll listen to his explanation and then take the emerald back when he least expects it.'
"Well," Sonic began, clearing his throat, "I need someone to protect me from Amy. Maybe you can stop her when she's chasing after me, or follow her around to keep an eye on her and more importantly: keep her away from me."
The dark hedgehog glared at Sonic, "Why do you want me to do such a thing?"
"I'm sure you remember what happened in the woods, right?" the hero asked, positive that Shadow remembered it all too well.
The crimson and ebony hedgehog's face became more serious and his eyes glinted with disgusted anger, "When you stole the emerald from me? Or when you left your defenseless pink friend out in the cold to fend for herself? You have the audacity to call yourself a hero and then you throw a child into the unknown. It disgusts me," Shadow growled, his expression radiating disapproval now. Sonic dropped his persuasive façade for a minute and stared at Shadow forlornly. "Amy," he whispered. Then he regained his composure and cleared his voice.
"Is she okay?"
"I'm sure."
"Did you bring her back?"
"She is not of my concern, but unlike you, I went out of my way to help the girl back to safety," Shadow sneered. Sonic became aggravated at Shadow's malicious taunting.
"I would've done the same thing!" he declared, raising his voice.
"Oh would you? Is that why you led her into the woods and dumped her on me the first chance you got?" Sonic's face flushed bright red with anger.
"Amy's not a child anymore; she knows how to take care of herself!"
"So you actually see her enough to know this?"
"Since when do you care about Amy?" Sonic yelled.
Shadow bowed his head slightly and thoughtfully gazed at the ground for a moment. "I have no particular preference or worry for the girl; however I would assist her again if she should ever need my service. She seems to have a good spirit." Sonic returned to normal color and sighed.
"Right," Sonic nodded and added, "Anyway, I'm sure you remember when she caught you in her death grip because she thought you were me. And I'm pretty sure you know this, but I want to confirm that this happens to me almost every single day. And if she hasn't already caught me, then she's running after me and trying her hardest to reach me. I know she's just a young girl… but I can't as much as eat a chili-dog without having her after me. And I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain to you how… inconvenient it is to be caught by Amy."
Shadow scoffed and closed his eyes, "Get to the point, Faker."
"I can't stop her," Sonic finished and then waited for Shadow's reply.
"And how is that my issue?" the black hedgehog inquired.
The blue hero thought about an explanation to give Shadow, other than simply relying on him to solve his problems. When he thought of something presentable, he spoke in a knowledgeable tone, "You're the Ultimate Lifeform! Maybe you can stop her from chasing me. Think of it as a mission!" Then he brought up his hand with the Chaos Emerald tauntingly and continued, "Plus I have something to bribe you with."
Shadow opened his eyes just as the impish blue hedgehog showed him the emerald. His chest started to rumble with impatience and rage, "Perhaps I should just fight you for the emerald instead!" He crouched down close to the ground and got ready strike.
'I should've known that he wouldn't accept this easily, but I'm really starting to like this idea. I'll have to find a good reason for Shadow not to take the emerald from me,' thought Sonic.
Silence fell over the two and Shadow was losing his patience rather quickly. Right as he was about to strike, the cerulean hedgehog turned away from him. The dark hedgehog straightened himself and waited for the hero to speak.
"I guess you could fight me, Shadow," Sonic said nonchalantly, peering over his shoulder at his rival, "But I have the advantage with the emerald. Remember that I can use Chaos Control as well, and I can easily teleport away, taking your emerald with me."
The cerulean hedgehog's words seemed to sink in, as they sounded reasonable. Shadow considered his options while Sonic patiently stood by. 'He does hold a valid argument. If I can't take the emerald from him, then what should I do?' he thought briefly and then he realized something. 'There are six more emeralds besides that one. I can just go and find any one of them tomorrow. I don't need that one; I will let the Faker do what he pleases with it,' he reasoned. The ebony hedgehog walked past Sonic and said while smirking: "I don't need that emerald Faker. I will just find another to suit my purposes."
Thinking quickly, Sonic followed him and caught up to him. Shadow shifted his gaze over to the blue one, who was now at his side, "Wait Shadow!"
'He is persistent,' the dark hedgehog mentally noted and then asked, "Yes?"
"You can't just go find another Chaos Emerald," Sonic said hastily.
"Oh? And why not?" Shadow asked skeptically.
Sonic thought quickly, "Because I hid the others earlier! The rest have been in my possession for a while to avoid Eggman from taking them! And I knew you would go looking for them so I hid them!"
The ebony hedgehog ground his teeth viciously and spat out, "Oh did you now?"
The cerulean hedgehog nodded and tossed the emerald once again in his palm, "Yup, it's a hero's job to keep the world safe you know!" He paused and then continued teasingly grinning at his rival, "The only way for you to get emerald power now is by helping me out."
"So you had our little encounter earlier today planned out then, hmm?" asked Shadow, seething at his point.
'I might as well let him think that if it helps my side,' Sonic thought passively. "More or less," he began, "I didn't exactly plan on crashing into you, but in the end my plan worked out anyway."
The crimson and black hedgehog growled malevolently and glared at the emerald thief before turning to leave him. "I suppose I will consider your terms," he grumbled, and then he walked around a sharp turn in the maze and disappeared.
Sonic blinked twice and gazed down at the emerald, 'I can't believe that worked. But now I'll have to hide the remaining emeralds tomorrow; knowing Shadow, he'll probably go looking for them.' He grinned, 'I can't believe he might actually stop Amy! This should be interesting…'
"My mission now is to stop Amy Rose from chasing the Faker… it shouldn't be too difficult. I suppose I will start tomorrow morning," Shadow the Hedgehog muttered. He jumped to the ground and started to walk back to the forest at the edge of the town. He preferred living outdoors, even though he had a room at the GUN headquarters.
It was almost midnight now and the ebony hedgehog immediately regretted not fighting Sonic. 'Now I cannot use Chaos Control,' he thought angrily, 'I shouldn't have become dependent on its power. For now, running will suffice.'
The dark male sprinted down the main street at his fastest speed. He sliced through the air so quickly that he only felt wind resistance with the strength of a feather. After a few minutes of high speed running, he reached tree line of the forest and stopped.
The crimson and black hedgehog climbed up the nearest tree and laid his back against the rough bark, trying to drift off to sleep. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been until his back muscles relaxed and curved to fit comfortably with the trunk. He closed his eyes and folded his hands over his abdomen, debating Sonic's offer. 'Though the idea does not please me, I will complete my mission and take back what is rightfully mine,' he thought determinedly, right before falling into a deep and dreamless slumber.