Hello Readers!

Bet you guys are happy to see another chapter so soon, and you should be! I was planning on waiting a couple days, but I am catching a plane tomorrow for some sun and vacation, so I wouldn't have time to update it this weekend. So as a result, you guys get spoiled XD

Okay, so a few things: One the song Amy sings is based off a Celtic song named: The Skye Boat Song. Please look it up to get an idea of the melody. It's one of my favorite songs out there.

Thanks to my BetaReaders, you guys are tha best XD: Depressing Shadow, ThisVioletofMine, and WolfsLegend.

Thanks to my amazing reviewers: pinksakura271, The-Phoenix-Ninja101, Mihoshi 2.0, ShrimpOnAStick. Thank you for always reviewing I love see everyone's reactions to my story XD

Hope this chapter is good! Let me know what you guys think! I'd love to here from you silent readers as well, since I like you guys just the same XD

Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 11: Secrets Revealed

Shadow dragged Rouge out of the common room and onto the porch. Once they were out of sight, she ripped her arm out of Shadow's grasp and rubbed it, glaring at him.

"You didn't have to be so rough. A simple request would've been just as effective."

Shadow had his back turned to her, and she could see that he was obviously tense and she decided to wait until he was ready to talk. She stood a bit away from him, trying to give him enough space; she didn't want him to feel trapped - otherwise he wouldn't open up to her and spill his guts. Finally his shoulders relaxed and, without turning around, he mumbled, "You're right. I think I do like her."

Rouge said nothing; she knew that although the tough hedgehog exhibited a strong unbreakable exterior, he was actually quite fragile. Maria was an example of this.

"I… I don't know how it happened. I don't know if I like that it happened. And I can't tell if it's just lust or not."

"Well, that's easy to find out." Rouge replied nonchalantly. Shadow turned his head slightly in her direction; although she could barely see his face, she could feel the confusion and discomfort from the conversation coming off him in waves.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, what exactly do you think, or feel when you see her?"

"Why should I tell you that?" He demanded defensively.

Rouge rolled her eyes and crossed her arms underneath her breasts. The pink heart on her adventure outfit rose and jutted forward.

"Seriously? You just admitted to me that you like the girl, and now you're acting defensive when I try to help you out? Why even tell me in the first place?"

"Because…" Shadow's head turned away from her again. "Because you're the only one I can actually talk to."

His voice was quiet and she could barely hear him, and she almost wanted to ask him to repeat it, but knew he would just become angry. Rouge couldn't help but let a smirk curl on her face; for Shadow this was almost like admitting they were friends.

"Well, then talk to me more. I swear nothing I hear I will bring up again, unless you ask. And I will keep it a secret. So spill."

He stood there for a good moment, his back firm and stoic as he weighed his options. She almost thought he was going to leave, but then his head turned so that she could only make out his eye. One ruby eye that seemed more fragile than she had ever seen.

"I feel like… like I want to protect her. I want her to be only mine. I hate that she isn't. It tore me apart when that… incident happened to her yesterday. I wanted to kill that bastard. I did kill him. If he didn't have healing powers he would be dead." The cold truth in his words sent shivers down Rouge's spine. "Rouge, I will never admit I said this, nor will I ever say this again, but… I'm scared."

He snapped his head forward again to hide his face. Rouge felt a chill settle in her body. She hadn't realized he was in this deep; then again, Shadow wasn't known for doing things halfway or for being shallow.

"Shadow, that… if it was anyone else, I'd say you're in love with her."

A silence followed, only broken by the crashing of waves on the nearby shore. The white bat stared at her long-time friend, and Shadow stared at the sand on the beach. He was utterly thrown upside down. He couldn't make sense of all the emotions swirling around in his body, in his heart.

In love. She said in love. Is that truly what this is? I thought it was impossible. How did something that seemed like someone else's dream become my reality? Shadow started to panic.

This is Rouge we're talking about here- she is a hopeless romantic. But her voice… it wasn't one filled with pink and fluff. It had sounded as scared as I feel now. What the fuck is happening? What the fuck has Amy Rose done to me?!

They heard a skid and a grunt. Rouge looked over to see Amy wearing a backpack and panting. Oh shit. Speak of the devil.

"Hey! Why are you guys out here?" Amy asked, blowing her bangs out of her face. Shadow glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

She looked hot. He could see every detail of her body, each breath she took made his heart beat faster. Sweat trickled down her chest to rest in her cleavage- she'd unbuttoned her dress a bit to allow some heat to escape after running. He found himself staring and he could feel heat rush to his face as he battled with an urge to touch her. He gulped, looking away. I've become a damn pervert.

"Shadow?" She asked in a voice that seemed quite sweet. Too sweet. A voice that sent unwanted yet pleasant shivers down his spine.

"I'm done here. I'm going home, and you can fill me in if I miss anything. I already know most of it since I was there."

Without waiting for a reply, Shadow shot off the porch and into the jungle.

"What the hell?!" Amy yelled after him, thoroughly confused and now annoyed. She almost ran after him, but Rouge stopped her from pursuing.

"Leave him. He's had enough stress today. You know how he gets around Sonic." Amy's jade eyes were burning, but she relaxed and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm actually surprised he lasted this long without screaming 'Chaos Control!'" She chuckled.

"Even though he has no emerald, I can definitely see him getting pushed to the edge and screaming that out of habit."

The thought made both girls smile- it was highly possible. And entirely hilarious. Amy looked to where he had disappeared, almost as though hoping he would show up. Her laughter faded as she resigned herself to the fact he was not coming back.

"Oh, well. I just wish he got along with Sonic better. I believe they could be good friends if they tried."

Rouge looked at the pink hedgehog. Before today, the bat had viewed the possible attraction between the two hedgehogs as a form of entertainment. But now, after her conversation with Shadow, she became serious. Amy and Shadow were her two best friends- more like her family, and she didn't want either of them getting hurt. So she figured a little investigating was in order.

"Are you saying that for Sonic?"

Amy looked at her with odd expression on her face. Rouge stared steadily back, a serious note in her turquoise eyes. Amy's answer would determine her course of action, whether that be to continue pushing the two stubborn hedgehogs together or to just let it rest and leave them be.

"No... Maybe that would've been the case a month ago, or even two weeks ago, but not anymore."

"So… why would you mention it?"

Amy again looked at the jungle. An image of Shadow appeared in her mind. He was standing in large, cold metal room, turned away from her, back stiff, and yet… he looked so defeated. Like he needed a hug.

"He seems so… lonely, sometimes. I can see it in the way he moves, and how he makes decisions. I can see that he only treats Sonic poorly, because that's the only way he knows how to communicate with him. Shadow doesn't see it, but I think he wants to open up to people. There's just something stopping him."

Rouge was amazed at her observation. The bat herself had always thought something similar about the black hedgehog. How could this girl in front of her figure it out so quickly? It'd taken Rouge at least a couple years of company with Shadow to come to the conclusion, but Amy had only been with him for half a month.

"You must be wondering how I know all this. It's not because of these past few weeks. It's… something I noticed the first time I saw the two of them together. I just never really cared before." Amy turned and smiled at Rouge. "I have always had a knack of reading people. I can sense certain things - it's not really a power because it's so weak. And usually what I sense is completely wrong."

"What are you talking about? I have never heard you mention this before."

"Actually, I have. You and everyone else just thought it was a crazy fangirl thing." Rouge stared at her as though seeing a stranger.

"Tarot Cards. They told me I would be with Sonic."

Amy hefted her backpack into a more comfortable position. Things started to click in Rouge's mind. It was true that sometimes Amy seemed to know how some situations would turn out, and the bat could remember the pink hedgehog mentioning something about how Sonic and her were meant to be. Destined to be together. Because she had seen it in her Tarot Cards. Did that mean… that Amy could see the future?

"Holy. Shit." Rouge gasped. Amy laughed.

"It's not a strong power. Maybe it was for some of my ancestors, but the correct method to use the power was lost in time. Like I said, most of what I 'see' is wrong. And I hardly would call it 'seeing' the future. It's more like I notice things or get promotions on possible outcomes of a situation. So don't freak."

"I'm not freaking out. I just… I'm surprised. And I feel like I should have known."

"I keep it on the down low. It's so fickle and hardly ever happens, so I don't really use it much." Amy shrugged. She didn't know why she told all this to Rouge, or why she'd chosen now. It had just seemed... right, and Rouge was someone you could trust with your darkest secrets. As long as you told her you didn't want them getting out, that is. Rouge grinned and hugged her friend tightly.

"You're quite the amazing girl, you know that?"

"Come on, Rouge." Amy mumbled, blushing. She was happy the bat hadn't thought she was a creep.

"You have to read my love fortune."

"It doesn't work like that," Amy laughed, "Besides, I lost my Tarot Cards, which helped me harness it in the first place. The cards kinda focused the power, so without them I don't really have any control over it. Like I said, it's as though I don't even have any power because it's so weak."

"Aww! That's no fun!"

"It's not supposed to be. Anyways, let's head inside; I need to show everyone the necklace I have, and the materials that I've gathered so far."

The two friends smiled at each other before walking arm in arm to join the rest of the group.

Shadow was taking a nap on the couch when Amy returned at around 6pm. She made her way quietly to the living room table and turned off the TV. She looked at the ebony male- he was on his side facing the television, his jacket was off and his white button up shirt had a few buttons undone at the top, allowing white fuzz to break free. She could see a couple empty chip bags around him, and realized he'd probably worked himself into a food coma.

Amy chuckled and moved to her living room closet, pulled out a blanket and laid it on top of Shadow. He grumbled a bit before unconsciously pulling the fabric closer around him. Amy giggled and watched him for a few moments before looking outside; she saw that there was still some daylight. It was May 30th, and just under a month away from summer, so the sun was taking a bit longer to set. Earlier she'd seen in the weather forecast that the next day would have some rain, so she decided to do a little gardening. She'd neglected her flowers and plants since breaking her arm, but she figured it wasn't too painful now to give it a go. Besides, her arm was starting to feel stronger.

She went to her room and pulled out her gardening tools. She removed her white glove and replaced it with a thick brown leather one. Her cast was probably going to get dirty, but she didn't feel like waking Shadow up to help her put the bag on. She would just have to deal with a little dirt.

When she stepped outside she breathed in deeply, smiling and enjoying the warm temperature of the evening. Sounds from the jungle wafted over to her ears on the salty breeze, and the the water underneath her hut splashed pleasantly against the poles holding up the deck and porch. Her ears fluttered as she closed her eyes and soaked in the evening.

She started down her board walk to get to the shore. She'd chosen a hut that was built on stilts over a little clove of sea that was carved into the land, and instead of sand on the immediate shore, she had some pretty fertile soil where she had started a small garden.

She loved her hut and the area around it, but sometimes she found herself missing her cottage back in Knothole. She still owned it, but it was mostly empty. Cream's mother, Vanilla, had offered to manage it a couple times a year, but Amy was sure the garden she had built there was overgrown and wild by now.

She crouched on the ground and started pulling weeds with her left hand. She made sure that she got the root and all, and she enjoyed the smell of fresh soil that started to mix in with the salty jungle scents. As she got into a rhythm, she thought back to the conversation she'd had with Rouge after the meeting.

Everyone was getting up to leave; they'd decided (after many hours of getting nowhere) that further research and investigation was required before they could get a better understanding of Lyric's plan. Amy had left the necklace with Tails after they determined it might be a device as well as a magical artifact. They wanted to see if it'd be possible to reverse engineer it to see how the artifacts ticked.

She planned to do more reading and go to more ruins and dig sites to see if she could uncover anything else. Sonic was going to ask around and see if anyone knew anything about Lyric's whereabouts. Knuckles and Rouge would also be going around to ruins and 'treasure hunt' for anything connected to the Minzens.

Amy was on her way out when Rouge asked to speak to her briefly. When they were alone, Rouge studied the pink hedgehog for a long time. Amy fidgeted a bit under the steady gaze of her sea green eyes, and she was about to ask what the matter was when Rouge abruptly asked, "Do you like Shadow?" Amy stared at her for a second before replying.

"Sure. He's become a really good friend. I wouldn't live with someone that I don't like."

Rouge smacked her lips and rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean. Jeez, both of you are so similar that it's kinda creepy."

"Rouge, seriously, what are you trying to say?"

"Chaos! Do I have to spell it out? I'm asking if you love Shadow!"

Amy looked at her with wide, shocked eyes. At first she wrote it off as Rouge just trying to tease her, but as the silence between them thickened and continued, she realized that the bat was serious. Amy felt a little panic set in her heart, but she covered it with an eye roll and a smirk.

"No. What made you think that?"

Rouge crossed her arms and flicked her ears. These hedgehogs were getting on her nerves.

"Shadow isn't the only terrible liar. Amy, I see the way you look at him, the way you talk about him. It's almost like the time you obsessed about Sonic, only this time you're mature about it."

"So?! That doesn't mean anything!"

"Yes, it does- and you know it! What I want to know is, are you serious about it, or are you just rebounding?"

Amy no longer had a smile on her face. She was upset that she'd been found out, and even more upset that she didn't know the answer to that question. She thought about the surly male and her heart squeezed uncontrollably. She hated herself for not being able to determine whether her attraction was pure or clouded by the need to move on from her blue crush.

"Fine. I may like him. But I don't know if it's real. I can't tell if I'm just latching onto him because I feel empty after letting go of Sonic, or if I truly like him. There. Is that what you wanted to hear?" The pink hedgehog growled in annoyance and frustration. Her green eyes were toxic with anger, and her petite body shook slightly. Rouge looked at her friend and worry began to take root in her heart. The situation was more serious than she'd originally thought. It was obvious that Shadow truly liked Amy, but Rouge could not in good faith push them together if the pink hedgehog was still unsure of her feelings. That would only prove to hurt and harm Shadow, and she wouldn't allow that to happen. Suddenly, an idea came to her. A crazy idea. Rouge smirked; sometimes crazy is what was needed.

"Amy, I think I have a way that you can find out and be sure of your intentions."

Amy's face slackened and hope shone in her eyes.

"How?"

"Remember that movie we watched yesterday? Becoming Happy?"

"Yeah… so?"

"Well, the main character had three guys after her, and she couldn't decide who she wanted, so what did she do?"

"She… went on a date with each one?"

"Exactly! She experimented and found out Dave was the one for her."

"Yeah, but I don't have three guys after me. I'm the one who might like Shadow, so how does this help me?"

The look in Rouge's eyes was sinister and Amy could see the bat was getting some form of pleasure from whatever she had planned. Dread took root and Amy felt instant regret.

"Go on a blind date with one of the guys I know. Then you can see if all you want is male company or if you truly like Shadow."

Amy shuddered at the memory. Rouge was having too much fun with this, but she supposed this is what she got after being the one who did similar things to Knuckles and Rouge. Amy was supposed to text Rouge when she'd thought of a decision on the matter.

Amy's fingers dug angrily into the ground and pulled upwards with fury, uplifting a particularly stubborn weed. She already had enough on her plate as it was with Lyric and her arm. Should she add to it by piling up useless dating time? Than again, romance and love had always been a big part of who she was, and if she was being completely honest, she wanted to form that kind of connection with someone.

For too long she'd fantasized and dreamt about dating, but she'd never really experienced it herself. She was a 20-year-old who'd never had a real boyfriend. She didn't count that creep Paul. Their dates had been nothing special; they'd hardly even held hands. In fact, her first kiss had been the one from the night before.

Amy stopped mid-yank. Images of the previous night started flooding her mind. She could feel bile surge up her throat as she once again felt his cold, smelly hands search her body. The sick tint to his eyes as he glared at her hungrily. His voice-

She shut her eyes tightly and tried to purge him from her mind. No matter how hard she tried, he wouldn't leave. She sat back and put her hands to her ears. She started to sing a song that she remembered from childhood.

I'll sing you a song,

Of a tribe that is gone,

Say, could you hear them cry?

.

Forced from their homes,

By their greed and their pride,

Over the seas to Skye.

.

Billow and breeze,

Forgotten at sea,

Grey misty mountains rose.

.

All that was good,

All that was fair,

All that was them is gone.

.

I'll sing you a song,

Of a time that is gone,

Now they all sleep in peace.

.

Gentle as breeze,

Born from the sea,

Over the land, to Skye.

It was a song that her mother had sung to her whenever she'd been upset or couldn't fall asleep. Her mother said the melody had been passed down through her family. It never failed to calm Amy down, and even now it worked. She felt peace spread through her body and she removed her hands from her head.

Tilting her head to the sky, she sang it again, feeling the breeze touch her face gently. The air moved through her relaxed quills, causing them to dance gently. She allowed her body to relax and feel the atmosphere around her. She started to imagine herself melting into the sea spray and letting her soul fly across the salty water. She breathed in deeply in between verses, her lungs filling with air that carried the promise of rain and the crisp, fresh scent of life. She sang into the wind, letting her worries be carried on the torrent and away from her heart.

"That's the song you were humming on the ferris wheel, wasn't it?"

She jumped slightly at the sudden sound of a deep voice. She twisted her body around and looked up to see Shadow standing a few feet away. His shirt was still unbuttoned, and he was barefoot. He scratched the back of his head and opened his muzzle in a large yawn, blinked several times, trying to get used to the bright light of the late evening sun.

"Finally decided to join the land of the living, sleepy head?" She teased.

Smiling, she tucked a bit of her quills away from her face. They fell back into place. Her eyes were playful, and her smile soft and welcoming; he couldn't help but return it with a small curl of the lips before walking towards her and taking a seat next to her. Her grin grew wider and he chose to ignore her teasing comment.

"What're you up to?" He asked curiously.

"I should think it's fairly obvious - I'm gardening." She replied, holding her dirty hands up with a happy expression on her face.

"Hmm. Why didn't you wake me up? I could help, you know, plus you should be wearing your cast bag so that dirt doesn't get caught under your cast."

Amy giggled, holding the sides of her ribs. Her face had little smudges of dirt in her pink and peach fur, and her eyes crinkled with humor. Shadow looked her over with a furrowed brow; he wanted to be royally pissed at her for laughing at him, but his emotions would not obey his command, and instead he just felt a little annoyed.

"What's so funny?" He asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Sorry. It's just... I was thinking about my mother- that was a song she used to sing to me, by the way - and I thought if she were here, she'd probably say the same thing."

Her eyes shone with a little loneliness, but mostly they were bright with laughter. Shadow scoffed, looking away.

"Well, whatever. I'll go get your bag, and then we'll garden together."

He got up and stalked back to the hut. Amy smiled after him, but she suddenly became conscious of what she was doing. She made her face neutral again and stared at the ground.

He's actually a really sweet person. Why did I never notice before?

The sound of her front door opening brought her back to reality. She looked up and saw Shadow making his way back to her. He held her plastic bag in his hand, and he'd put his gloves on again. He was still barefoot, though, which she found oddly adorable. His red stripes down his leg ending in a sharp point, right on the sides of his feet, stopping at the base of his pinky toes.

"Give me your right arm." He commanded in a short voice. She looked up from his tiny toes and into his blood red eyes. She nodded and lifted her right arm obediently. She waited as he secured the plastic onto her arm. He'd become a pro at this after doing it for almost half a month.

"You could be a great nurse, you know."

He looked up at her with a blank look.

"I'm only doing this for you." He said it with conviction and so bluntly that it made Amy blush.

"Why are you so nice to me?" She asked him while he finished tying the bag together.

"Don't put too much meaning into it." He replied gruffly. "Now - what are we doing?"

She felt happy that he said 'we,' but kept it to herself. She held up a weed for him to see, dirt and roots falling off the bottom from the movement. She grinned at his curious gaze and tossed the weed onto the growing pile next to her.

"I'm just getting rid of the weeds for now. It's going to rain for a couple days, so I thought it would be a good idea to do this while it's dry. The plants can last a bit longer without pruning."

She showed him how to pull the weeds from the base of the stalk, rather than the leaves, so that the roots came up too. They worked in peaceful silence, Amy started humming that song again, and Shadow didn't mind in the least. Occasionally he would glance in her direction and observe her movements. He admired the way she was gentle with her flowers, and the forceful judgement she enacted on the pesky weeds. She had a true green thumb, and the plants around her seemed to grow brighter and more beautiful with her tender care. They sprouted up and around her, framing her with colorful wall, enhancing her own beauty. Even though she was covered from head to toe in soil and uprooted weeds, she had never looked as gorgeous as she did in this moment.

Shadow shook his head and snapped his attention to the task at hand. It was better to channel his attention to ripping weeds from the ground rather than drowning in her intoxicating aurora. Amy felt a pressure on the back of her head, but when she glanced behind her, Shadow wasn't even facing her. She shrugged slightly and watched as he expertly tore a plant from its grip in the soil. He'd rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, and his gloves were becoming brown from the dirt. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his flexing forearms, and it wasn't until she noticed the sun finally starting to disappear that she brought herself back to reality. Amy got up with a grunt and patted herself down.

"Alright! I think that's good for now."

They'd gotten through most of her flower garden. Although they hadn't reached the vegetable section, she wasn't as worried for them. They tended to be a bit stronger than flower plants, so they could last a bit longer without care. Shadow stood up and glanced over to his right where he saw that creepy gnome, smiling at him with its nasty, crazed smirk.

"Why do you have that thing?" He asked, gesturing towards the little man.

"Oh. That's the only thing left from my parents' home. Metal Sonic burned my childhood house down. When I went back, only this was left. It's kinda creepy, but it's all I have." She shrugged. A pregnant silence followed her words, and she felt stupid for talking of her parents. The subject always seemed to be a downer, and people would become awkward at the mention of her deceased family. It was the last thing she wanted, and frustrated tears threatened to spill at her tactlessness.

"Rose."

Her heart jumped a beat; she was nervous about what he would say. He didn't say anything else, which forced her to look up at his face. His expression wasn't pitying, nor was did it look uncomfortable at the sensitive subject. Instead he gazed at her steadily, his ruby eyes never leaving hers.

"Y-yes?"

"That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life." He smirked, shaking his head and heading inside, leaving her standing and staring, mouth open, after him.

She'd never met anyone who was so… blunt. He probably understood she didn't want sympathy; he, too, had lost his only family. He probably hated it just as much as she did when people lied to 'make him feel better.' Everyone knew her parents were dead; no one knew details- except maybe Sonic- but whenever she'd been questioned about that hideous gnome, they'd all said just about the same thing.

"Oh… well, it's, uh... lovely."

No one had been honest. He was the only one who was sincere with her these days, and she found that she treasured that about him. She didn't want him to leave, she didn't want to go back to an empty house and an empty heart. She realized that if she were going to continue living with him, she had to find out the truth. She flipped open her watch and quickly shot a text to Rouge. She would take the bat on her offer.