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Confession
A Shadow drabble
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He thought he was alone… he really should have known better.
The black-furred hedgehog was found in the middle of the woods on that starry night, brooding as always while gazing at the stars. He's already been through so much- losing his only friend, being held in captivity for over fifty years, experimented on during those years, and now in a world that he barely belonged in. But he was willing to put all of that behind him, if only for the sake of one person…
"Bah… why am I still thinking about her?" he grumbled softly to himself. In this refuge of the darkened forest, he felt safe enough to talk to himself, and so he did.
"It's crazy… No, it's stupid! She's just a kid, and I'm… I'm more than half her age. Grr… Why can't she just leave me alone, for once? I can't even walk down a street without her going 'Sonikuu!Sonikuu,isthatyou?'" Heh, Shadow's imitation of Amy Rose's voice was pretty amusing.
"And why does she have to hug my arms so tightly?" he mused still. "That hurts sometimes! …But like I said, she's just a kid. Twelve, I think. Heh… she seems much older than that at times. I have to admit, I admire her courage. But she really ought to know her place by now. She's no warrior…"
Shadow paused as his thoughts ran deeper, into the corners of his mind usually reserved for dreams. He clutched his gloved hands, balling them into fists, as his musings became lighter: "Does he even know how lucky he is? What a jerk, always pushing her away. I mean, if she would just for one time hug me, knowing it'sme… I wouldn't push her away… Well, maybe I would. But only because I wouldn't want her to get hurt. Hmm…"
He sighed and closed his eyes. "I guess… if Maria were here she'd want me to be more open about my feelings. She always wanted me to be happy… Am I really happy, though? I can't tell. I wouldn't know true happiness if it bit me. But every time I see Amy and think about her, I feel…"
"You like Amy!"
Oh, crap. Not thatvoice!
Shadow, startled as he was, let out a gasp and whirled his head around until he saw that someone was perched up the tree behind him. Sure enough, there was Sonic, glaring down on him in eavesdrop. He was the very last person Shadow had hoped to see.
"That is what you were gonna say, right?" grinned the youthful blue hedgehog before jumping down to the ground.
Angered, and totally embarrassed, Shadow growled at him. "What the hell are you doing out here!"
"I saw you take off, so I followed you." It was a simple and honest enough answer. But then Sonic had the nerve to approach Shadow and give him a gentle nudge with his elbow. "So, Amy huh? You sly dog! I had no idea you had it in you."
"Leave me alone," grimaced Shadow, backing away as his quills bristled.
"Oh come on," insisted Sonic, "you gotta tell me! You do like her, don't you? Don't you! …I knew it. I knew it! Okay big guy, gimmie a hug! Come on, gimmie! This is a once-in-a-lifetime-guy-on-guy-hugging moment, don't pass it up!"
Shadow turned his back on him. "Go bury yourself."
"Look, if you wanna keep it a secret, that's fine," smiled the teen. "I promise I won't tell Amy, so long as I can tell everyone else."
"SAY ONE WORD, AND YOU DIE, FAKER!"
"Sheesh, relax! I was kidding. No seriously, I was kidding! I like living."
"Grrrrr…" Shadow took a few more steps away from the annoyance, but it was no use.
Sonic kept creeping up behind him while saying, "You know, if you're worried about how I feel, lemmie just say I'm totally stoked. I mean yeah, I like Amy, don't get me wrong she's cute. But seriously, I only really like her as a friend- or as a little sister or something."
Shadow's ears twitched in reaction. "…Really?"
"Really."
"…But she obviously likes you."
"Well, can you blame her? I mean, I am a stud. Heh-heh…" Shadow grimaced again, which caused Sonic's tone to soften. "Look, to be perfectly honest, I think she would like you more if you would just warm up to her for a change."
"I'm not a softie, you know that."
"But you are a hedgehog, and hedgehogs are pretty sociable."
"In case you've forgotten, I didn't exactly have the best upbringing."
"Yeah, but look at you now; you're your own man. A hero, even! You just give 'em one wink and the girls will come flying to you. Trust me, I know."
Shadow tried to hide it, but he was blushing at the thought of fan girls. "I… I don't know… I…"
"Don't be shy," Sonic grinned.
"I'm not! …I'm just… thinking."
"You think too much. Look, just let go and bear your feelings. You'll feel better. And I'm not wrong about Amy, she would totally dig you!"
Shadow gulped. "Hmm… I don't know if I can take losing another close friend."
Sonic sighed, "Don't think like that, just live in the now buddy. And right now, you've got a good shot at being happy for the first time in a lifetime. …Maria would have been happy for you."
As much as it pained him deep down, he knew Sonic was right, and so the tension in Shadow's body finally dropped. "…I suppose you're right about that. …But I wouldn't know where to start." Yikes, he couldn't believe he was saying this. And to Sonic, of all people.
"Don't worry, I'll give you a push."
"No, don't do that!" Shadow tensed up again. "Look, Sonic… let me handle this. Alright?"
"Alright," shrugged the blue-furred teen. "Have it your way, loverboy. I'll catch you later."
As the younger hedgehog took off in a blue blur, Shadow sighed in relaxation, convinced he was safely alone once again. But not one second later, the blue came back and in his face. "Can I at least tell Knuckles?"
"NO."
"He won't believe me."
"GO AWAY!"
"Fine." Zoom.
It was at that moment when Shadow decided to never speak to himself aloud again- at least, not without certainty that he was alone.
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END
