The black hedgehog stopped as he heard a familiar cry. Turning, he noticed a blur of pink speeding its way towards him.
I know only one person with pink fur. He frowned.
He hurled the spear towards a group of mesquite trees on his left and glared at the injured lump beneath him.
"Run," he growled, "run and never show you're fucking face anywhere near MY Rose!"
The blue blur nodded his head, although confused at his sudden gesture of mercy, he was grateful, but with a mischievous glint on his eye, he whispered cockily with a wheeze of pain hissing after each word, "I'll stop bothering her, but not you, I won't give up that easily."
"Shadow!" A shrill, high-pitched voice sounded not too far behind him.
With a furious look on his eyes, he slapped Sonic with such forced that it sent him flying across the clearing, hidden from Amy's view.
"Shadow! What happened? Why are you covered in blood and…and what was that light? I could of sworn it was made from Chaos energy! Why?"
She was panting and gripping his arm ever so tightly, her eyes piercing right through his until he could feel her stare burning his soul, making him feel uncomfortable.
"It was nothing, just a bothersome pest. He won't bother us again." He silently wished he was right.
Sonic was not so stupid as too push him too far, but then again, he always looked forward to see his enemies being vexed by his idiotic behavior.
"Shadow, I saw his fur. It was blue." She accused softly but sternly.
She knew who it was, there was no sense in making her think otherwise.
He sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. I had to do this. I don't like watching you in pain, feeling your pain. Knowing that it came from him, I lost control and…let's go back home."
"Shadow the Hedgehog!" She screamed angrily.
This surprised Shadow, she had never shown aggression towards him before.
"Yes?" He replied with a quizzical look on his face.
"There's blood all over the place! You might of killed him! You know how much I hate violence! I…How COULD you?" She broke down in tears.
"Rose…"
He could not find words that described the horrible feeling at the fact that HE, of all people hurt Amy. His beloved flower. He embraced her in his arms without thinking, his body moving on it's own, his mind clouded with thoughts. She slept peacefully in his arms. They spent most of the night like that, only to stop when they heard a small, timid voice of a child.
"Are you guys okay? I just thought that, I…could help." His voice had faltered on the last words, thinking they were ridiculous. Shadow looked up, eyes smoldered with grief, and rasped,
"Tails, it's all right, just…take Amy and make sure she's safe."
Alarm shot through the young fox's eyes, his ears alert. He became stiff as Shadow passed Amy on to his arms.
"Where are you going?"
"For a very long run. I need to clear things out. I know you're mature enough to handle things by yourself with her for a while, keeping her out of HIS hands, and the Doctor's too. Don't let ANYONE harm her. You should have enough experience after being in that Faker's shadow."
Tails flinched at his words.
"Sorry, anyways, tell Rose that I love her." He whispered with softness, his eyes resting on her.
"I will." Tails promised solemnly.
"Goodbye, Kitsune."
He waved his hand as his back was showing itself to the boy.
"Shadow."
The ebony hedgehog turned, but regretted it as pain shot through his heart.
There in the moonlight was his beautiful rose, Amy.
Her eyes were glistening with tears as they fell to the earth, hands crossed with each other as though she was cold, shivering with what he knew was the uncontrollable feeling of extreme sorrow. She had awakened.
"Rose…"
He took a step forward, wishing he ran as soon as he got the chance, now it would be harder for him to leave.
"Don't go!"
She pleaded as she jumped into his arms once more and cried her heart out. He held her tightly, he could not hold any more feelings inside of him, he wept. This took both Amy and Tails by surprise.
"Shadow…" Amy began.
"No! I…I just love you too much! I can't…I can't bear to loose you like Maria. I need to save and protect you from everything, even from me. When I hurt you, I couldn't bear knowing I had destroyed what was so precious to me! I love you Amy Rose! I LOVE YOU!"
He chocked with tears as they slid down his cheeks. The female hedgehog was shocked, Tails took a step back, nodding to Amy when she looked at him with shock and confusion at the same time. Knowing that he had known what Shadow was hiding from her, she smiled sadly.
"Shadow, it's okay. I love you too." Shadow's eyes widened and his weeping had stopped. His eyes held her gaze. They looked into each other's eyes, and deep into their soul. She held his hand and stroked it.
"Stay, don't go." She whispered.
"Very well." He smiled softly.
The sun was beginning to show.
The horizon was a golden brown of some sort, almost autumn colored. She smiled and his heart quickened. He felt the urge to do something he had seen Maria do with her dolls.
He cupped her chin and raised her head up to his lips, leaned in closer, and kissed her softly, full of had stopped. His world had suddenly merged with hers, and now he was complete. He had found love. Something that Maria had given him, but he couldn't take. Something that Gerald had put in him, but he couldn't use it. Now with Amy, it seemed possible.
Amy felt her heart sewed up back into the way it originally was before she had met Sonic. Whole. Her world had been shattered, she was blinded by a blur of blue, but darkness had proven stronger and rescued her from the cave of despair and sorrow. No longer does she wander in every tunnel, hoping for a way out, for an exit leading her into a meadow with a shining sun and a bright blue sky. Happiness. She had found her true love, not someone who would hurt her in the end, not someone who would find someone else, not someone who would abandon her and rescue her, only to let her suffer.
Amy loved Shadow, and she knew she'd want a future with him.
"Shadow, I want to go home. I'm exhausted."
She blushed. It sounded childish, but it's only natural for her age, he did not seem to mind, if he were to know about such a thing, he did not show it. Only a smile had planted itself on his face as she nodded.
"Sure, anything you want."
He had carried her in his own special way, not like Sonic would usually do. He picked her up bridal style, but instead of leaving it just at that, he made sure his tuft of chest fur was comfortable and provided as a pillow for her. She protested, saying it would only make him slow down, but knowing it was for her own comfort, she agreed and enjoyed the rest of the ride home, only to find out that Tails had prepared her shower and bed. She thanked him by giving him something that Sonic would of never approved on, Cream's number and the password to hack into any technological device.
"Where did you manage to get this?" He asked, surprised that she had any knowledge in technology at all.
She replied with a wistful look on her face, "Before the Freedom Fighters went their separate ways, I had asked Nicole to teach me everything she knew about computers and such, how she can have access into everything in the world, she gave me this."
She had handed him a golden bracelet from one of her pockets. She explained that Nicole did not want anyone to know what both of them now knew, so she had transferred all of the information on to an item that no one would suspect as being so dangerously packed with secrets and power. Amy told him she already remembered it all from the years of holding it on her wrist, and it's powers absorbed into her.
He gave her a hug and called her Aunt Amy.
She liked that.
After the shower and a small snack from the kitchen, she walked to what was now her room, everything she had ever owned were either in boxes in one of the closets, or in appropriate places. Tails had painted the room a color that was now her favorite, a dark, Smokey Grey with specks of black and red with white borders. Her window was big enough for her to enjoy the view of the city. She crawled into her black, violet bed sheets and found out they were made out of silk, she blushed.
She felt uncomfortable with Shadow spoiling her. As her thoughts were drifting to the black hedgehog who was now her mate, she felt a pang in her heart, she missed him terribly, but she knew he needed space, and she vowed she was to make sure she was not to become clingy like she was to Sonic.
Comforting thoughts of her beloved had soothed her fears and stirrings of emotions, and had turned them into the feeling of warm nursery milk, a baby safe in it's mother's arms. Safe, protected…and loved.
She fell asleep.
Shadow had finished his sprint and came back home, knowing he would probably have the clinging smell of an outsider, he bathed and went to Amy's room. There was no need to be secretive among the house, but he did not wish to wake the girl up, so he quietly opened the door, and took careful, soft steps towards her, got on to the bed, nearly hovering, and wrapped himself on her body like a second blanket.
"Sleep well, my precious, morning will come, and so will the new beginnings of our love life. Everything will be perfect, I swear it to the Heavens and Maria that you will be treated like a queen, you are too fragile to be broken, to be shattered. My heart belongs to you, as yours belongs to me. Sweet dreams."
He had kissed her one last time before sleeping for the first time since the Ark incident, and slept soundly, dreaming of his Rose.