Cut out scene from 'Come Josephine'
New Moon
I hesitated as his sweaty palm reached out towards me, like it was just waiting for me to give him everything I owned… all my memories and thoughts… my feelings and regrets of the past…
As if it was just waiting for me to give him my whole heart.
That was one reason why I hesitated.
I scanned his face once more, examining every single emotion on it. I couldn't help but start to shiver, not from the temperature; it was not cold anymore… just the same sentiment that escaped from his eyes to mine. I saw the same thing in them over and over again… hurt. The soft crimson eyes glittered back at me, slowly changing from a darker red to a lighter hue over and over again. This couldn't be the Shadow the Hedgehog everyone knew. Was I having hallucinations or was I actually being pulled into one of his emotional tugs?
Wait… Shadow does not have any emotion…
He said so himself. And I cannot break in front of him again.
'Rose… no one cares about you…'
I already know that.
"Please…," he pleads. His soft voice rings in my ears once more, making me shudder before consoling myself once again. I never heard him plead before.
I have to make a decision fast; I can't just leave him here pondering if I'm going to dance with him or not. I can't make him think that I'm a coward. I can't just leave him here to rot with a negative answer, either. God knows what will happen to me if I do…
Shadow can never hurt me now. I know him…
No, wait… I know Shadow?
He's a stranger… I can compare him to a traveler and I, a stand by. We are both different. He knows the world better than me and he travels alone. I don't know him at all, for he is always gone. I stay in the same place. So how can I know him if he is always away?
God, he just had to cross paths with me.
'Make your choice Rose…'
One dance. What can it do to me? What harm?
'It can leave you hurt…'
The air around me turns frail once again as I stare back at him…
Shut up.
I take a mental gulp and I close my eyes for a few seconds, hoping that the jade from my stare would just disappear and leave me to be ugly. So I could be unreadable…
I lift one of my arms off the ground slowly, my hand touching the hand that was offered to me and no one else. It startled me, for his hands felt like nothing I never imagined.
His hands are like marble, so hard yet smooth… They are cold also, but they leave my skin all warm and toasty. The touch I feel from them is amazing. They leave my breath… breathless.
Hands like dry ice, I told myself.
I could feel butterflies hit the sides of my stomach as I lifted myself off the ground, still gazing at the ebony hedgehog whose eyes were still mysterious and untold. But they were different. They were more… open to me.
I look around the shack inquisitively. Surrounding us like an ocean, there are torn fishing nets and old cardboard boxes that read 'fishing supplies' all over the floor. Dust flies around us like sappy fireflies and the rain outside roars like an animal just waiting to be released. I wonder to myself, there's not a lot of room for dancing.
"Um, Shadow-"
"There's is not so much room for dancing, I know…"
"…"
I don't speak again.
He glares at me, clutching at my hand like it is the only thing he'll ever have. He'll ever feel… I can feel his fingers fiddle through mine. I suddenly feel uncomfortable.
"We can dance outside…," he suggests.
I flush.
"What-"
"More room", he simply states, his expression so emotionless. I gape down at my feet.
"B-but, it's raining… Worse. It's like a hurricane out there," I stutter. I'm not the biggest fan of water falling from the sky. I also have a phobia towards thunder… But he looks at me with eyes thirsty for something. Something I cannot evoke… I cannot ignore them.
"You're afraid?"
"Never…," I scowl at him, keeping my tone at a minimum. "Just… I don't have shoes."
"That's because you essentially threw them into the water, am I correct?"
"I can't recall that."
He gives a small laugh, one that I had never heard before. Instead of a laugh of anger or greed, he… laughs. One that is just a laugh of laughter... It is hard yet soothing to my ears. Never had I heard something so perfect in my life. And what is so wrong about it? Well, I'm not quite sure if anyone else has ever heard it except for me…
"Well, if you want I will remove my own shoes so you don't have to go barefoot alone," he says, still a small amount of humor stuck in his throat.
"You serious?"
"I do not lie…," he growls lowly.
I consider at his words.
"Oh… well, you don't have to take them off if you don't want to." I purse my lips.
"I'm aware of that…"
"Oh, well do you want them on?"
"I prefer them on."
I, again, notice his hand tighten around mine.
"So… outside?"
"Outside," he retorts and surprisingly, I don't talk back.
We walk outside the shack, the sky greeting us with a big flash of yellow light and a large roar of thunder afterwards. The waves beat down at the shore, begging to be set free from their constant imprisonment but then again to be pulled back from the shoreline and be turned once again into another wave. I let my feet sink deeply inside the cold sand, silently praying that land would take me down somewhere instead of letting me suffer in this crude weather. I could already feel my damp dress soak itself once again, whipping around my bare legs as if trying to scar me for life. My quills slap me constantly across the face, leaving cold marks against my cheeks and a slight regret for ever walking outside into the pouring rain.
I sneak an eye towards Shadow who only lightly shrugs.
"I don't think this is a good idea!" I exclaim loudly, turning slightly around to head back for the shack.
Shadow looks back at me, his eyes sullen.
"It's not that bad…"
"Of course because you usually aren't affected by weather!"
There is no silence, for the rain is the only one speaking. I sigh to myself, waiting for Shadow to interrupt the constant droplets falling gracefully from the sky. I feel annoyed…
"And whom states that?" He finally speaks, a hint of anger in his voice. "That is the only flaw you have, Rose. It is that you judge people before you get to know them…"
I start to think, rain still plummeting from the sky down to my shoulders. Is that the only mistake I have? Or is that just towards him? I inquiry myself silently, thunder still surrounding my body as if trying to suffocate me to not get decent oxygen.
"So, shall we dance or do you already plan to turn me down?" he scowls once again, waiting impatiently for me to make a decision.
I listen as the waves slow down, barely vibrating inside of my ears. The thunder only gives a low growl instead of using all of its breath and the lightning only gives a faint light instead of an intensified flash. The rain… it only falls softly. Soft as snow…
The wind is no longer slapping me across the face like I am making a mistake.
'Make your choice Rose… He won't hurt you…'
What?
I thought of the outstretched hand…
His crimson eyes…
I blush to myself.
"So?" He mumbles.
So.
I walk up to him and stand beside him.
"S-sure."
He gives soft smile. A smile that glows like one of those beautiful angels up in that unknown heaven of mine…
'You love him, don't you?'
Yes.
'And what does that prove?'
Something.
He stares at me, his scarlet eyes tracing every feature of my face. I can tell… He looks distant, yet he is looking straight at me. I slowly wrap my arms around his neck, very careful not to make him angered or anything… I don't want to do something that I will regret. I don't want to lose this… this memory. I want to take a picture of it and keep it with me… without regret.
'Is this the Amy Rose that I knew 5 hours ago?'
Evidently not.
He stands before me, rain dripping down his face and covering his ebony fur. I feel his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to where he stood. He does not smile nor does he give me any type of look. He only stares…
"Do you know how to dance?"
He gives a slight nod and then traces the sky with his eyes. It seems as if he is trying to draw everything out in his mind… I don't know why, though…
"Of course. Did you that I would bring you out here in the rain just so you could get those human colds?"
"No."
"Good-"
I pipe up like a small child, "But I don't have a clue how to dance… I mean I've never danced before. Only the funky chicken."
"Funky…chicken?"
"It's a type of giddy dance."
"…"
We stand there in a type of stillness, rain pouring over us like glitter leaving a container. It doesn't seem realistic at all. I never imagined seeing rain sparkle when it fell.
"We have no music," I suddenly remark.
"We don't need any…," He states back. I frown.
"Then what is dancing without music, Mr. Shadow?"
"The rain."
"Wha-"
A yielding finger touches my lips, indicating me to stop talking. I look up to see typical Shadow rolling his eyes at my sudden observation.
"You judge too often…"
"Huh?"
He starts swaying me slowly in an unbelievable rhythm; one that I have never experienced before. I've always been a cluts when it came to dancing but for the first time ever; my feet were actually not tripping over themselves. I start to follow along, keeping all eye contact away from Shadow. I think he knew that I was ignoring him… I was not sure.
My heart swelled even more when he spun me elegantly in the sand.
"Shadow, how do you-"
"Think of the rain as the music…"
I look down at our feet. I think that he was also aware of what I was about to ask.
"I've noticed that you take a lot out of simple things," I state, my voice daunted. I watch as his left brow raises, his eyes curious. "How so?"
"Well," I breathe in, thinking of the right words to say. I don't want to throw out anything offensive to him.
"You think a lot. Sometimes I wonder what about but you always seem to think at quiet places… Here for example. You seem to enjoy the rain as well…"
"I think about various things, none of which you should be concerned about-"
"Why not?"
I wonder if I laid that question a bit thick or not.
"I question a lot, Rose," he begins, his voice rough. " I question to myself if I have done my purpose for this world and if I am no longer needed. I question some of my memories. My thoughts… I shouldn't have any of these things, I know. I am not a real being, I know. I do not eat like normal beings do; when I sleep, I do not sleep as long as normal beings do. I do not feel, I do not see, I do not taste… I have no emotion. I am not normal…"
He takes in a heavy sigh and looks down at the sand, the rain sprinkling tiny droplets on his fur. I thought to myself about what he just said…
"Rose, I am a danger. I am nothing more. I wish I was more but I am not. I'm danger-"
"Don't say that!" I suddenly interrupt, my arms swinging over his neck and taking the hands around my waist. A slight shade of red comes over his face as he looks at me, his face perplexed.
It takes a while to find my words.
"S-so far Shadow, you are the most remarkable being I have ever met. You are not a danger; I know you aren't. You know the same thing. Because if you were, I would be dead by now!"
His confused look stays the same. I take in a long deep breath.
"If you had no emotion, Shadow, you would have never saved this Earth. You never would have helped me find Cream in that castle, remember? If you had no emotion, you would have… never helped me. You never would've woken me up… by the shore. You never would've taken me to this shack and you would've never asked me to take this dance. Shadow, I-"
I pause once again, my heartbeat pumping as if it were about to stop at any second. I can feel tears coming to my eyes. I never felt this type of emotion for someone and I know; somewhere in his head… he is thinking the same.
"Shadow, I care about you. And to me, you are not a danger like the world says you are. You're more than that… You're better. You know that, right?"
He stares at me, his face drained from color. He doesn't speak but only stares… like the time when he found me crying on the sand. I find the same image in my mind of him staring back at me with his soft, crimson eyes. He slowly removes his hands from my waist and backs up. He looks as if he saw death once again. I am then afraid. I didn't mean to offend him. Never. I didn't mean to hurt him… Inside, I knew he was a fragile being. That was what hurt the most. He was just as fragile as me; only he concealed more of what he thought he didn't feel.
I stare as he gives me a sudden crooked smile.
He examines the sea in the distance. His expression is still emotionless… his hands of marble at his sides and his legs as steady as a statue. He is like a perfect sculpture created by an unfortunate artist. He is the one to suffer. It amused me… how much more I was growing closer to Shadow.
He looks at me but then back at the sea.
"That's what Maria asked me… You remind me of her… That's why…," he pauses, his fist tightened by his side as if he was trying to resist something. "I helped you. You're not like everyone else, Rose. You are special. I care about you just as I did for Maria. Though, I question your fate. I know that if you are with me, you will suffer as much as I do. I cannot see another soul hurt like Maria's. I… care…"
I'm speechless; my mouth left dry even though there was rain falling all around me. My ears start to twitch as he steps a few steps closer to me, taking my arms once again and wrapping them around his own neck. We were in the dancing position just as before.
I don't cry.
"Tell me more about Maria," I whisper, my head laid against his marble chest. I can hear his silent heart beating slowly and calmly while mine barely kept a steady pace. He sways me back and forth carefully as if I were a delicate infant he needed to protect.
"She was… like no one else," he began, his voice gentle. "Her perspective on every single thing was optimistic. She had a smile like no other… I barely smiled back to her, but she knew that I loved her. She had this joy for music and every once in a while; she would make up her own compositions. She was talented at the most. She told me that she wanted to be a good number of things once she was allowed to go down to Earth.
"She never made it, though- as you know. She had this type of sickness. I didn't know what type. The Doctor told me that I had to change the world without her. I didn't want to leave her, which put her in danger. I wish that I had left sooner. Then she would not have suffered. She'd be alive…
"I wish she were still alive, so I wouldn't have to deal with such a burden. But nothing is fair. The world is cruel… I have learned that the hard way."
My eyes start to burn with tears begging to come out. I gulp them down and force myself to speak, my voice a little troubling but not too much noticeable.
"I-I'm sorry…"
I look up. The rain had stopped.
"Tell me, Rose… What do you enjoy?"
His voice is like a beautiful hum. It makes my heart skip a beat when he speaks so softly to me. It took me a while to figure out what he had just asked me before I could answer with a small 'huh?'
"I don't enjoy that much… I am always ignored by Sonic. Heh, well you already know that. I have a bad temper and I'm still very aware that I am immature. I try hard to impress others… I try my best to impress. I'm never successful. My parents… I never knew them. When I was young, I had no interest. I was not-"
Shadow's POV
She was about to cry. I could just see the tears glisten in her jaded eyes. Never have I thought that I would ever care about someone this deeply. Never.
But as I look at her now, I know why…
I quickly bring my lips to hers unexpectedly. I could not aid myself, for I had a longing to show her how I felt. So many feelings and memories I had to deal with… maybe just one kiss would show her. I am a coward, I know, and a strong one at that. I do not regret this, though…
My lips brush against hers softly. I cannot believe what I am doing until she begins to passionately deepen the kiss, bringing me closer to her body. Her arms are still around my neck and my hands, around her waist. The only sound that I could hear was the distant thunder clashing in the background. All else is forgotten.
I remember that when we broke apart from the kiss, she whispered something close to my ear, her voice my forever playing lullaby:
"I love you."
The darkened clouds disappear and the new moon rises. The beach is calm. I promise you, Rose…
I will make you happy.
Author's Note: OMFG!? HdjsahedskJSH?! D: I actually edited this?!
After a couple of PM's and what not, I decided to submit this. People kept on asking about the dance scene and where it was so... here ya' go! I actually wrote it before I wrote the actual story 'Come Josephine' so this had to go through some major editing. Most of this I am not officially proud of. I think the effort was not so much. (DANG ME AND MY LAZINESS!! D8) I had to listen to a lot of music to get myself to edit this. I tried my best to keep Shadow IC. Amy, eh... She's kind of easy to keep in IC but she was a much more challenge than Shadow was... She surprised me.
Bleh... I am sick with a freakin' cold...
This story was heavily inspired by the song "Storm" by Lifehouse. Awesomeness, I know...
So, I hope you guys will enjoy the story. Feel free to leave a review if ya' want!
Copyright time! 8DDD X3
All Sonic characters are (c) by Sega and Sonic Team. I do not own any of the characters.