Chapter two: Shadow's heart.
Shadow stood beneath the old tree, the dark hedgehog hadn't meant to over hear Amy's rather odd conversation with the tree, but the black and red hedgehog had found himself, the young pink hedgehogs captive audience.
The dark hedgehog was to say the least shocked. . . Shadow had never even suspected that Amy had feelings for him. . . the red and black hedgehog had heard from Rouge, that the young pink hedgehog had stopped chasing Sonic around. . . at the time Shadow hadn't placed much significance on it. . . but now. . .
The ruby red and ebony black hedgehog still couldn't quiet believe that Amy Rose was in love with him. . . how had that happened? When had that happened? Shadow couldn't help but wonder. . .
When the dark hedgehog had heard, the pink hedgehog tell the tree that she loved him, Shadow had felt a warm feeling fill him. . . a feeling that the dark hedgehog hadn't felt since Maria . . . he still felt warm and strangely happy. . .
Shadow had promised Maria that he would protect this planet and it's people . . . the dark hedgehog regularly kept that promise. . . but now. . . may it was time for the red and black hedgehog to start thinking of himself.
The dark hedgehog was sure that Maria wouldn't begrudge him happiness, in fact Shadow was sure that if she were here, the gentle girl would be probably be telling him to find someone of his own to be with.
"Amy. . ." Shadow whispered to no one softly. "Am I in love with Amy . . .? I know that she makes me feel warm inside and that I want to protect her. . ."
The black hedgehogs eyes widened with a sudden realisation. "I do love Amy. . . that's why I couldn't stand to be around that Faker, he had her love and I didn't. . . but now. . . now she loves me. . . but how do I tell Amy that I return her feelings, without having to tell her I was here? After all telling Amy, that I heard her conversation would be a little embarrassing. . . to say the least . . . I also have to deal with the fact that Amy thinks I am still in love with Maria. . . This is going to take a while. . . but hey, slow and steady wins the race . . . or so they say."
Shadow fell into a thoughtful silence, for a few moments, as the dark hedgehog pondered the way to begin resolving his problem, eventually an idea came to him. "I could. . . no . . .hmm. . . this isn't going to be easy, may be the honest approach would be the best?"
Once again, the ruby eyes went in the direction Amy had gone in and the dark hedgehog sighed deeply. "Well they say honesty is the best policy . . . here goes nothing in that case."
With his mind now made up, Shadow turned and ran in the direction he had seen Amy going in, as he ran the black and red hedgehog prayed and hoped that the young pink hedgehog wouldn't be to angry with him for over hearing her.
Soon Shadow could see Amy in the distance. "Amy!" He called.
Slowly the young pink hedgehog turned, her eyes widened as she saw who was calling her name, the dark hedgehog slowed down and came to a stop at Amy's side. "Hello, Shadow what are you doing out here?"
"I was taking a nap up a tree near here. . ." Shadow deliberately let the sentence trail off.
Amy's mouth opened and closed a few times, the young pink hedgehog began to blush and finally managed to stammer. "You heard, what I said to the tree didn't you?"
The dark hedgehog simply nodded, Amy blushed an even deeper shade of red and clapped a hand over her face. "Oh. . . how embracing. . . I had no idea you were there. . . I'm so sorry if I said anything that distressed you. . . or that you didn't like. . ."
Shadow suddenly embraced the stammering young pink hedgehog, Amy went completely quiet and then very slowly returned the embrace. "Shh, you silly thing. . . I didn't dislike anything that you said. . . but you did confuse me, a lot. So lets start at the beginning shall we?"
Shyly Amy nodded against Shadow's chest and the dark hedgehog sighed. "You said, that you had stopped chasing the Faker and were now just friends with him, are you truly content with that?"
Slowly the young pink hedgehog looked up into the dark hedgehogs ruby eyes, and smiled at him softly. "Yes, perfectly content. . ."
"So if the Faker were to appear here right now and say he was wrong, he loved you and wanted you to be his, you wouldn't want that?" Shadow asked Amy very softly.
Amy shook her head. "No, most defiantly not! Sonic had his chance, had his time and he chose not to use it. That is Sonic's loss. . ."
Shadow completed the sentence for her. "And my gain, from what I heard you telling the tree. . . I want to be as honest as possible, with you Amy. . . I haven't loved for a long time . . . I'm a little apprehensive about it. . . but there is something I want you to know, right from the start. . . though I loved Maria a lot, I most certainly did not berry my heart with her. . . I just hid my emotions well and protected my heart as best as I could from further harm. . . do you understand Amy. . .?"
Amy slowly smiled up at Shadow. "Yes, Shadow I think I do understand. . . Your trying to tell me, that you still have the capacity to love."
"Yes exactly. . .Well, at least now you know that I am both safe and well."
"That is certainly true."
The dark hedgehog looked around. "It's getting dark, I'll walk you home, that is if you'd like me to, I'll walk you home."
The young pink hedgehog beamed a wide smile up at Shadow. "Yes, I would like that a lot. . . Well since you know the way I feel about you, do you think may be we could try going out or something. . . just to see what it's like of cause. . . nothing formal. . ." Amy's sentence trailed off and she blushed once again.
As they began to walk along, Shadow looked down at her, his ruby eyes were slightly soft and a small smile appeared. "Yes I think we should try it and if we like going out together, we could try doing so more often. . . Do you have any were, that you would particularly like to go, for our first outing?"
Amy couldn't help but smile up at the dark hedgehog, some how Shadow seemed to understand her shyness, and was being very gentle towards her. "Oh well, no, not really, I thought some were, we could just go for a walk or something. . . you know. . . give us both time to get to know each other a bit better . . ."
Shadow looked thoughtful for a while and then spoke to the pink hedgehog walking beside him. "Well, how about, we just go for a walk and see were we end up?"
"Umm that sounds like a definite plan . . . so, when shall we go on our outing?" Amy asked Shadow quietly.
"Hmm, unless you have plans, tomorrow will be fine for me. . ."
"I don't have any plans, for tomorrow, so that would be fine. Oh we are at my house already." Amy said, with a rather disappointed note to her voice.
Shadow looked at the house surrounded by white roses, it was most defiantly the kind of place that the dark hedgehog would have imagined the happy pink hedgehog living it. "So, tomorrow. . . How about I come here, to your house at eleven in the morning, we could go for a walk . . and then find some were to each lunch?"
The young pink hedgehog smiled up at the red and black one. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you for walking me home Shadow." Bravely Amy leant up and kissed the dark hedgehog on the cheek, blushing madly the young pink hedgehog tuned and quickly went up her path.
Amy hurriedly opened the door and shut it behind her leaning rather heavily on the other side, breathing hard and still blushing. . . well what had started out as a normal day had most certainly turned into something special.
Amy couldn't quiet believe it. . . she was going out tomorrow, with Shadow. . . A huge smile spread over the young pink hedgehogs face and she hugged herself happily, before heading into the kitchen to make herself dinner.
Shadow simply stood at the top of the path, his ruby red eyes were wide, once again, slowly he lifted one gloved hand to his cheek, then a small smile appeared. . . this had been a rather eventful but fulfilling day for him.
Slowly the dark hedgehog turned and walked away back into the trees, heading back to his own home for the night. . . wondering the whole way what his outing tomorrow with Amy would bring.
(sorry it took a while I was away! Back now and working on the next chapter)
