"I know it might be wrong, but my feelings for you are stronger then friendship."
Shadow is referring more to the age difference then the species difference. I didn't think Maria being human would bother him. Technically, Shadow is about 16 - 18, while Maria was only 12.
BTW: -san is MS. or MR. in Japanese.
CHAPTER FOUR: The Kiss Good-Night.
Maria, Amy and Rouge were looking for a room for Maria. Cream went off to get blankets and things like that.
"I'm guessing you and Shadow will want to be next dour to each other." Amy said.
"That's probably a good idea. Knowing Shadow, he'll come to check on me." Maria said.
"These two are perfect then, they're connected." Rouge said, going through a dour they hadn't noticed earlier.
"Now, Shadow can see you whenever he wants to." Rouge said.
"Great, wait...is that a good thing?" Maria said.
"Uh...maybe not. It has a lock though." Rouge said.
"It would worry him if I locked it and he'd just break it down." Maria said.
"Yeah, he's gonna be over-protective for a while, I can tell." Rouge said.
"How much time is left?" Amy asked.
"Three and a half minutes." Cream said, walking in carrying blankets, pillows, and sheets piled on top of her.
"Whoa!" Rouge said, catching Cream's pile as it started to fall.
"I thought I shouldn't let you go alone." Rouge said.
"Sorry, Rouge-san." Cream said.
"We're gonna need more time. Maria, can you go tell Shadow? He won't take it well from any of us." Amy said.
"Al right. I'll be right back." Maria said, walking off.
Meanwhile: Sonic was picking on Shadow.
"Shadow and Maria sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Sonic said, with a grin.
Shadow sat there, arms crossed, eyes shut in an attempt to ignore him.
"Aw, lighten up Shadow. Its nothing to be embarrassed about. We think its great that you and Maria are together again." Knuckles said.
"Yeah, we're happy for you." Tails said.
"Hey Shadow, Wanna hear the rest of that saying?" Sonic asked, grinning.
"No." Shadow said.
"Too bad! First comes love, then comes..."
Shadow punched Sonic.
"Grow up." Shadow said.
"Ow! That was not necessary!" Sonic said, loudly.
"Hey, Shadow can we talk for a second?" Maria asked.
"Ooh, Shadow's in trouble!" Sonic said.
"Shut up." Shadow said, walking over to Maria.
"Its gonna take longer then we thought to get our rooms set up. We need more time." Maria said.
Shadow sighed quietly. "Fine." Shadow said, starting to walk off.
Maria hugged him.
"Thanks." She said and kissed him on the cheek.
Shadow blushed slightly.
"Yeah, just don't take too long." Shadow said.
Maria let Shadow go and ran back upstairs.
"Okay, no time limit this time." She said.
"Great, We're almost done though." Amy said.
"Now, we need to find P.J.'s for you." Rouge said, heading to her room.
Amy, Maria and Cream watched as Rouge threw some clothes on the bed.
"You maybe taller then me, but I like my sleep wear baggy so its always over-sized. It should balance out." Rouge said.
They decided on a pink, short-sleeved shirt with black shorts. They fit perfectly.
"I like 'em. Pink's a good color for you." Amy said.
"Yeah." Cream said.
"I agree." Maria said.
"Good. Now, we should get back to the guys." Rouge said.
Maria changed clothes and the girls headed downstairs.
"Its about time." Sonic said, seeing the girls.
"Dose that mean you missed me?" Amy asked, sitting beside Sonic.
"Uh, so Maria, what's it like to be back after 50 years?" Sonic asked, a little nervous.
"Its strange...its like I never left. I know about cell phones, even though I've never seen one until today. Its more like I went to summer camp then being dead for 50 years." Maria said.
Shadow tensed a little. He didn't like being reminded that Maria'd been dead until today.
'Shadow...' Maria thought.
She held Shadow's hand and smiled at him.
Shadow smiled a little, no one else even noticed it.
The rest of the night was uneventful, until...
"Take it back!" Shadow said, loudly.
Shadow had sonic in a choke hold.
"I was just kidding!" Sonic said.
"Don't make me hurt you!" Shadow said, loudly.
"Okay, I'm sorry!" Sonic said.
"What did he do?" Rouge asked.
"Tell them!" Shadow said, loudly.
"I just said I didn't now why Maria would like him so much." Sonic said, with a smirk.
"He said if I wasn't careful, he might steal Maria away from me!" Shadow said.
"Sonic!!" Amy yelled.
"It was a joke!" Sonic said, loudly.
Amy hit Sonic with her Piko-Piko hammer anyway.
Later that night, around 12:00, Maria couldn't sleep.
She walked onto a small balcony and looked at the sky.
"So, this is how the stars look from Earth..." Maria said to herself.
Shadow walked up behind Maria, but stood a few feet away.
It was the firth time he could get a good look at her without anyone noticing.
'She's gotten taller.' Shadow thought.
Maria's hair was a little longer then he remembered.
'Maria has changed...curves and all.' Shadow thought, blushing slightly.
Since Maria was older now, Shadow didn't feel guilty about how he felt about Maria.
The age difference wasn't an issue anymore.
Shadow gave Maria another once over before saying anything.
"You really have changed, haven't you?" Shadow said.
Maria turned to face him.
"Not really. I still feel the same, anyway." Maria said.
Shadow walked over to Maria and sat on the railing of the balcony, making him a couple of inches 'taller' then her.
Shadow held Maria's hand gently.
"I'm sorry...I couldn't save you..." Shadow said, sadly.
"Shadow..." Maria said, quietly. She couldn't stand to see Shadow like that.
She kissed Shadow hard, trying to distract him from the memories of her death.
A few seconds later, Maria pulled away.
"Its not your fault! Besides, I'm here now, so stop torturing yourself!" Maria said.
She kissed him again.
Her idea worked, easily distracting Shadow.
When Maria pulled away, her whole face turned crimson.
"I can't believe I did that!!" Maria said, turning away.
"That makes two of us." Shadow said, a little embarrassed.
He smiled, slightly.
"Come here, Maria." Shadow said, quietly.
Maria's blush stayed a rose-pink color on her cheeks, but had faded from the rest of her face.
She turned to face Shadow.
He reached out his hand to Maria and she took it.
Shadow pulled her into his arms, holding her close.
"I want to tell you...I want to tell you how I feel. I don't want to hide it anymore. I don't
care if the whole world finds out about us. I love you, Maria." Shadow said.
"I love you too, Shadow." Maria said, blushing darker.
They kissed again.
When they broke the kiss, they watched the stars, as they'd done so many times back on Ark.
SO...What'cha think?!
You know the drill, Read and Review.
Chapter 5 up soon!