The moment Amy uttered his name Shadow's crimson gaze had locked with her own.

He was looking at her, almost expectantly.

But what exactly was it he wanted her to do? Did he expect her to just climb her way down the gargantuan crater, dust him off and greet him as if all was fine? "Welcome back, Shadow. It's nice to see you're doing well. We all thought you were dead, we mourned for you and everything! I have to wonder how you managed to survive a fall from the Earth's atmosphere, wait! Don't tell me. We can talk over tea." Yeah, she could definitely see that happening.

But Shadow the Hedgehog had lived. He. . .He's alive. The thought hadn't registered until that very moment, relaxing a month long tension in her shoulders. A sense of relief washed over her, reassurance warming her to the very tips of her fingers. Her limbs felt slightly lethargic, her knees threatening to buckle under her weight, the familiar gleam of those scarlet eyes grating away her guilt.

Amy's eyes searched the black and red hedgehog, inspecting every element of his being, scrutinizing him. Her eyes went bleary with solace, but her gaze unwavered. She held her ground, unfazed when a copious amount of helicopters entered the scene, shining their search lights in the brightness of the nearing afternoon. She remained in place, even when GUN agents began clearing the area, ordering Station Square citizens to 'move along' or suffer the consequences.

However, it was when Shadow's gaze shifted ever so slightly did Amy snap out of her daze, his eyes now fixated on her boots. Her own gaze lowered, curious as to what Shadow had found so interesting.

Oh.

It seems Amy had taken the slightest step forward.

And shouldn't she have done so? In the crowd of strangers, Amy was the only recognizable face among them. She reckoned she should speak, acknowledging his presence instead of proceeding with the little stare-off they had going on. She took a breath, prepared to voice his name in a more audible manner, almost fearful that doing so would destroy this illusion, this idea that Shadow was most definitely, unmistakably alive.

"Shadow. . ." She was at a loss for words. How was Amy Rose speak to the Ultimate Life Form, this enigma of a being? "I. . ."

"Can you both hear me? The ARK is close to the Earth. Please hurry up!"

"M. . .Maria. . .".

An image flashed in her head, a now triggered response when meeting the eyes of Shadow the Hedgehog. A picture carved into the very core of her mind: a fading golden light, flickering into nothing.

The familiar tension in her shoulders returned. Horrified, Amy retracted her step, then, unhurriedly, backed another step away.

And another, and another, and another.

Amy was leaving, but if asked, she wouldn't be able to pinpoint the exact moment she ran, fleeing the scene, pretending she hadn't heard Shadow's response.

Chapter 2: Avoiding Old Friends

Amy was out of breath. She was hunched over, her hands resting on her knees. Her heart beating madly in her chest, blood pumping almost painfully through her veins. There was a sharp ringing noise playing endlessly in her ears, drowning out the sound of the party and celebration.

"Yo, Ames. Glad you could make it." Sonic said, distractedly. His gloved hand held onto Knuckle's face, the other holding a Chilli Dog, which he tried to force feed to him as Rouge latched onto the echidna's arm, holding him back. "Come on, Knuckles. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it," he said, making Rouge giggle as Chilli spread across his muzzle.

"Sonic―mmph―cut it out!"

Cream sauntered her way over her hunched form. "Amy," she whispered "Did you forget about the cake?"

Cake? Yes, while the cake was regrettably forgotten on the streets of Station Square, there were more important issues at hand. Hadn't her friends seen the electrifying black hole in the sky, the GUN choppers, the GUN agents? "I. . .sky. . .hole. . .the light. . .Station Square. . .agents. . ." She tried to speak, but found herself too out of breath to utter a single comprehensible sentence. Swallowing a lump through the thickness of her throat, she tried again. ". . .Shadow, he. . .he's back."

A deafening silence hung in the air.

Sonic's Chilli Dog fell to the ground with a sickening plop, wordlessly releasing his grip on the echidna. Rouge also withdrew herself from Knuckles, exchanging looks with Sonic, who nodded in a silent agreement. They dispersed themselves from the rest of the group, heading down towards Station Square in winding flight and supersonic speed.

"What do you mean he's back?" Knuckles inquired, clearly not understanding her breathy announcement.

"Amy?" Tails said, his voice sounding farther away by the minute.

She attempted to respond but found herself far too fatigued. She was feeling light headed, the shrill ringing in her ears increasing in volume. White spots danced across her vision. "I. . .I can't." She was out of breath, still not used to tapping into the natural speed of the Hedgehog species, and she had yet to cope with the shock of Shadow's living status. It was no wonder she was growing faint.

Her surroundings began to dim to a dark. Unable to stand upright, or maintain her balance, Amy stumbled across the fields for a few moments before tripping over her left boot, passing out as soon as she hit the ground.

OoOoOoO

Maria was sweating under her blankets, hacking painful sounding coughs. Her too pale, too small fingers, balled into a tight fist which was brought to her face as she expelled the NIDS infected air from her lungs. She was trapped in her solitary confinement of a room with only Shadow left at her company, sitting by her bedside. A sad sight indeed.

One of the scientists abroad the ARK had contracted NIDS, which had come to as a shock to all. Despite the myths, NIDS was, in fact, not contagious. The whole facility would be set in a temporary lockdown until Maria's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, was to bring forth his decision to further proceed or cease all research.

"What do you think Grandfather will do?"

He shook his head, unsure.

Maria sighed. "I guess living on Earth really is a dream I should put behind me."

"Dr. Gerald has promised you would live on Earth one day, just as you wish. He has dedicated over a decade of his life, doing his best to fulfil that promise. My very existence lives to serve for that purpose."

"What good does that do me?" She snapped.

His eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time he had ever heard Maria raise her voice at him. He'd often seen her scolding the son of one the scientists working aboard the ARK, the one with Heterochromian eyes, but to actually yell? Never. Shadow conjectured that it was the crippling pressures of her sickness beginning to weigh in on her decaying optimism.

"I'm sorry, Shadow. I'm just. . .I'm running out of time," She blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. "I'm running out of time." she whispered.

OoOoOoO

Amy's eyes fluttered to an open, unconsciously thinking about a whip of blonde hair as she woke up groggily and confused. She was met with the painfully pink ceiling of her room and a cool, wet cloth placed over her forehead. She blinked, squinting against the criminally pink ceiling, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room.

How had she gotten back? She couldn't recall coming home this evening. She remembered waking up early this morning, she'd gone down to Station Square Park, and then. . .no that wasn't right, something had happened before then. Something. . .

Shadow.

She sat upright, the wet cloth falling off her forehead and onto the folds of her blanket. How could she forget? She pulled at her covers, breaking out of her blanket cocoon, bouncing off her bed, ready to leave her apartment and meet with the others. There was no doubt they were already with Shadow. Oh, she just couldn't wait to see him. There was so much she wanted to―

She paused by the knob of the door. Amy Rose, what on Earth do you think you're doing? She couldn't meet Shadow. She'd already established this before. Nothing good came out of meeting ruby eyed hedgehogs. Only death and long term grievances.

The door was pushed open on the other end. Surprised, Amy stumbled a few steps back.

"Amy?" Cream asked, peering her head through the door way. "Are you alright?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Fine," she said smoothing out the creases in her dress. "I was just a little shocked."

She giggled. "I would think so! It's not every day a hero comes back to life. I remember hearing the news of Mr. Shadow, it was so sad." She frowned at the memory, but she soon broke out of her solemn with one of her bright smiles. "I'm glad he's back."

"Me too."

"Are you going out now? I told the others I'd stay with you until you got better. I'm sure you'd like to see Mr. Shadow. He's staying at GUN headquarters."

So they were already beginning to stake their claim on Shadow? Disgusting. "No, I'm actually not feeling too great." she answered. Cream was taken aback, her lips pursing disapprovingly, shaming Amy with her look. "But I will soon. Tomorrow." She added quickly.

"Good."

When Cream had left, Amy paced around her apartment, looking for something to preoccupy herself with, when she finally settled into the couch, deciding to watch some good ol' fashioned television.

The moment she turned the T.V with her remote, she was hit with a close up of the crater down at the heart of Station Square, immediately catching the words 'Shadow the Hedgehog' and 'Great Return' in bolded letters. Quickly flipping to the next channel, Amy found a similar Breaking News Report, news crews filming the tapered off area.

Amy turned off the T.V

"Baking." She decided. "I'll bake."

She walked over to the kitchen, pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the area. The dishes were washed, the counters spotless, and floors swept clean of flour. She would have to remember to thank Cream later.

Amy flipped through her recipe book, pausing at a strawberry muffin recipe given to her by Vanilla. The sight of the page eliciting a faint strawberry flavour on her tongue. The muffins had been surprisingly delicious. Trust Amy not to doubt the ever more superior baking skills of Vanilla, the very name of the older woman suggesting her profession.

Just as she was about prepare her ingredients, bowl and muffin tray, Amy heard a soft rapping noise. Her emerald eyes searched the kitchen, endeavouring to find the source of the noise when her orbs halted by the window. She saw the shadow of a curvaceous figure, flapping her long spiralling wings out by the cill of the windows. Rouge, she thought just moments before the bat revealed her fanged smirk.

Amy propped open the window. Rogue sighed in thanks, sitting by the pane. "I didn't see you today. Cream said you weren't feeling well, but I didn't think that would be enough to stop you from coming." she said in her usual thrilling jazz, but Amy could pick the slightest hint of crestfallenness in her tone.

She was disappointed in her. That was the second person today.

"I'm visiting tomorrow―"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Rabbit-girl already pleaded your case."

There was a silence. Amy shifted uncomfortably, Rouge checked for dirt under her well-manicured nails.

"He wondered where you were."

"Huh?"

"Shadow."

"Oh." Amy stared off to the side, avoiding Rouge's line of sight. "Is he doing. . .okay?"

She smiled smugly. "Looks like you'll find tomorrow." She shot her a two-fingered salute. "See ya." She winked.

Amy watching as she jumped, dipping down a few stories before she flew out into the night of the city.

She sighed as she closed the window. "She never uses the door."

Amy woke up the next morning nervous and unrefreshed from sleep. She'd been up most of the night, counting down the hours until her promised meeting with Shadow. Why had she even consented herself to such an agreement? She groaned. She should have considered making up an excuse. Granted, it wouldn't seem as plausible to Rouge and Cream as it would to her, but at least she would have had an extended rest period to cope with her deep rooted fears before proceeding onwards to her fateful meeting.

Perhaps if Amy had told the others the truth, the real reason why she was so emphatic in evading Shadow, maybe they would accept her reasoning.

Amy considered it for a moment before ultimately scrapping the thought. They wouldn't understand. She knew they would insist on telling her Shadow's supposed death was in fact, not her fault. Amy didn't need to hear excuses, she didn't crave for the false reassurance. Amy had moved past that long ago. All she wanted was for someone to conclusively agree with her thoughts, for someone to understand.

Amy slowed herself through her morning routine, trying to stall for as much time as possible, but once her teeth were brushed, her breakfast eaten, her clothes changed, all she had left to do was head out the door. She stood only a few feet away, glaring at her door indignantly, as if it had committed her a personal offence.

She turned away, inhaling softly. "I can do this. I can do this―"

There was a knock.

She almost yelped in surprise before clearing her throat."Y-yes, who is it?" Amy wasn't expecting anyone, nevertheless, she indulged in the euphoria of the unexpected visitor, at this time, a heaven sent gift to her.

She unlocked the chain, twisting the lock on her door before she opened it.

And out her doorway stood Shadow the Hedgehog, standing in all his poise and grace. His arms were crossed, a not-quite-smile-not-quite-frown practically sown onto his face. His glassy, scarlet eyes haughtily supercilious, but still sparked with the kindness Amy and her friends had witnessed during the last moments of his life.

"Nice to see you, Rose."
"Nice to see you, Rose."