This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

Chapter 3: Disaster in Pink

Rouge floated back to Knothole and started to search for Shadow; hearing that he had returned, she quickly trotted to Bunnie's hut. She opened the door and was shocked by the sight before her.

"Oh crap! What happened to you?"

Rouge walked over to Shadow who was half covered in bandages and Bunnie who was playing nurse. Although there didn't seem to be any serious injuries, the bruises that covered his form suggested volumes of a story.

"I had a run in with the devil."

"Then I guess you're too occupied to hear my news then."

"That depends, is it serious?"

"Not really."

"Good, then I want to hear it; it'll take my mind off of 'him' for a while."

Rouge sat down in front of Shadow. "There's somebody looking for you."

"If he goes by the name 'Knuckles', tell him I'm not here."

"No, you've got someone else on your tail, or more specifically, on Sonic's tail."

"What, and old friend of his?" Shadow shrugged his shoulders, and quickly let them fall as the pain shot across his back. "With my luck, it's probably an enemy of his."

"Yah shouldn't go squirming like that, su-gah." Bunnie checked the bandages running over his upper torso, then massaged the area. "How's that?"

"Hmmm… better."

"I wouldn't say it was friend or foe in this case, but it seems that Sonic had a fan club, with a membership of one."

"Small fan club."

"Yeah, well this one member is very anxious to met the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog. Not only that but this member happens to be a hedgehog as well; a female hedgehog; a very amorous, female hedgehog."

"Well my day just went to Hell. Couldn't you stop her, tell her what happened to him?"

"I tried, and did, but she wouldn't believe me. Before I saw her, she had seen a stranger running like the wind through the forest. And you can guess who it was she saw."

"She thinks I'm him."

"Yep. I tried to explain it to her, but it seems that she didn't know what the real Sonic looked like, so she saw you and is convinced that you're him. She called me a liar for telling her that Sonic is dead."

"You didn't tell her where I am."

"Of course not, but she already knows about Knothole, it's just a matter of her finding it."

"Well, that should give me some time."

From outside, a voice almost totally muted by the hut's walls echoed through the air. "Sonic?"

Rouge smirked. "Not as much as you think."

* * *

Amy was wandering around Knothole asking around if anyone knew where Sonic was, but she was mostly prancing around in a love-drunk stupor, imagining her fateful meeting with the master of speed.

"Sonic!"

"Excuse me, but would you please keep your voice down, this is supposed to be a secret base."

Amy turned, and standing before her was the love of her life. "Sonic!"

She immediately ran up and gave him a hug. Resulting in a horrid scream from the huggee.

"Watch it, that's a very sore spot."

"Oh Sonic, I'm so sorry." Amy goes off by herself for a bit. "I finally meet my hero and I almost kill him."

Shadow stood in shock at Amy's odd behaviour, but snapped out as Amy charged back.

"I'm so very, very sorry. How can I make it up to you? Oh, I haven't properly introduced myself; my name is Amy Rose, and I'm your biggest fan in the whole world!" It was here that Amy took a pause to notice Shadow's current condition. "What happened to you? Did someone do this? If so, I'll make them pay."

"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down, let me get a chance to get a word in edgewise."

"I'm really sorry."

From behind Shadow, Rouge and Bunnie walked up.

"You!" Amy charged the bat. "So, he's dead huh? What do you have to say now?!"

"Go play with your dolls little girl." Rouge shrugged her off and moved to Shadow. "Are you alright?"

Bunnie didn't approach Shadow at first, but instead stood behind Amy and whispered. "Look at her, droning all over him."

"A ha! So that's it! You want him all to yourself, so you try to throw me off the trail!"

"Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

"You won't get away with this!" Amy pulled into her best anime pose and brought out a massive mallet, holding it above her head with one hand. "Pico Pico Hammer!"

Rouge jumped back just in time to avoid the mighty hammer. She leapt again to avoid a side sweep from the pink weapon. Another strike almost got her as the thief tripped and fell backwards, only to have the cylindrical steel block crash right between her legs, just rubbing her breasts and inner thighs on the way down.

"Die you Sonic-stealer!"

Amy brought the hammer down one more time, but Shadow got up to stop her, only to be paid in kind with a face full of metal.

"Sonic!"

Shadow's form slumped to the ground.

"Oh no! What have I done?!"

Bunnie came up from behind and picked up the severely injured hedgehog, who was mumbling in his catatonic state.

"What hit me…"

"A really mean woman, named 'Amy'."

"My Cleveland uncle in Grover told me that trouble are women…"

"Perhaps he was right."

"I gay he was think. I never liked really him…"

"To each his own."

"Are a you woman…"

"No, I'm a lady."

"Oh, like I then you…"

* * *

Back inside, Bunnie was placing more bandages on Shadow's head when Rouge entered.

"She's out there bawling like a two year old wanting her mommy."

Bunnie cast a sharp glance in Rouge's direction. "The nerve of her, coming in here and claiming Shadow for herself."

"Exactly." Rouge looked at Shadow. "How are you?"

"Considering I almost got killed twice in one day, I'm pretty good. So what going on with her?"

"Total panic. But how would you feel if you came thousands of miles to meet your hero and almost killed him?"

"I wouldn't know; I don't have any heroes. Just nemeses." Shadow rubbed his head. Outside, he could barely make out Amy's whining. "That does it!"

Shadow got up and tore the bandages off, then stormed out the door.

* * *

Sitting on a bench, bawling her eyes out was the pink hedgehog who came here seeking her great hero.

"I'm a total screw up. Why did I even come here in the first place?"

"Amy?"

The girl looked up to see the black hedgehog standing before her, seemingly much healthier than before.

"You, me, now!"

Amy was a little shocked by the declaration, but went along with it. She took his outstretched hand and his grip tightened firmly. Before Amy could figure out what was going on, Shadow hit his phase run and they were soon out of Knothole.

* * *

"Where are we?"

"I wanted to go somewhere quiet to talk, but then, talking hasn't been much good so far."

"Huh?"

Shadow turned slightly, then reached out with his right arm and pointed down to the ground next to them.

Amy looked down at the simple wooden cross, planted in the earth; etched on it was a name: "Sonic the Hedgehog".

"But, what? Who?"

"My name is not 'Sonic', he died about four months ago. My name is 'Shadow', and I suppose you could say that I'm his replacement."

Amy was totally dumbstruck; she had come many miles to find Knothole and her hero whom she had heard great tales of far and wide, but she arrived to find that he was gone. She didn't move, she didn't speak, she did cry; it was all too much for her to really understand.

"Amy?"

Shadow got no response.

"I'll leave you alone. When you're up to it, Knothole is a few hundred metres back that way."

Amy didn't flinch, and stood there in shock.

Shadow passed behind her and headed home, leaving the pink hedgehog with her hero.

Amy stood solemnly with tears rolling down her cheeks. "How did this happen?"

To be continued