Could this possibly be the CLIMAX-the ending-of my story? Yes, I totally believe it is! And guess WHAT? I've started on a short, one-chapter fantasy story called "The Violin Hillbilly Spin Dance", featuring Shadow and Amy Rose in a whacky- hillbilly dance! I needed to write something funny after this story-it's really zapped me and I STILL can't believe I was even to make one ounce of sense with this! Did I truly write this? Reviews, reviews I dare say!

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Sonic, Shadow, etc- none of it belongs to me. They belong to SEGA. Remember that well.

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STORY TITLE: Just A Shadow In the World

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CHAPTER EIGHT: Loved Once and Forever

"You're as the moonbeams shining through the night. One with the clouds. The only love of my life, you're more perfect than all the sunshine." Amy sighed girlishly, again, for the tenth time. All was well in the world-especially Metropolis-ever since Shadow had destroyed Metal Arnus. No one had heard of Eggman since. She figured the old fart was off plotting his next world domination plan that would fail. Rouge and the Chaotix were off somewhere. Searching for the Master Emerald shards because in the last fight, the Master Emerald had shattered. Sonic and Tails were hanging out at Tails' workshop again and Cream and Big were playing in the streams of the Mystic Ruins lush jungle. Yes, life was back to normal. Violet and Jack were going to be by this afternoon and the only thing that could add to this perfection was Shadow waking up in time to go to the beach.

"You tried to hide your soul from me, but I saw you're hurt. I loved you like the sky clear I see, filled with stars of you." She rubbed his cheek affectionately. However long she had been sitting by his bed, she neither cared or worried. Every second, every toss, every expression that passed over his handsome face made her life alive with purpose. He was her purpose. "I leave in an hour. Wake up; you've been sleeping for a week now." No response. "Wake up, I say, this minute." Another gentle nudge. No response again.

"Ames, c'mon, gal! We're waiting for you" Violet laughed through the window"Hurry up or we'll leave without ya"

"Oh, oh" Amy pecked Shadow on the cheek"Perhaps you'll wake up later. You'll be safe here-just don't leave before I come back" Duffle bag: check; sun lotion, snacks, flops: check; straw hat, bathing suit: check. Good, she had everything she needed. "Here I come, hot sand and cold waves! Woo, hoo" A convertible full of her friends and their friends waited for her outside the complex. They were all laughing, having fun, joking, pulling at each other's hair and clothes, all the while motioning her joyously to join them in the back seat. The sun was a blazing hot ball steaming down through the clear sky-almost vertical rays.

"Took you long enough, Ames" Violet squeezed her girlfriend and bubbled over with laughter"To the beach, Jack"

"I always have to drive"

"Ya, 'cuzz you're the only one out of all of us who actually passed for a license! Ah, ha, ha, ha" Not so true but funny nevertheless.
"Tsk, don't be such a tease, Vi."

One of Jack's friends, whom Amy had no clue as to his name or nature, poked her in the side"Yo, what's your name? Amy isn't it"

"Uh-ya, what's yours"

"Flame."
"Interesting name." For the first time, Amy felt disgust at flirting with the opposite gender. She was taken-proud of the fact-and shifted in her seat to the other side of Violet. Shadow's face shot through her mind. Precious, loving Shadow, the only true love and her soul mate for life. Would he ever get tired of her? Surely his love for her was more than mere infatuation as hers had been for Sonic! No, Shadow was many years wiser than any of them, uneasily touchable, and the only emotions he showed were true and solid. She sighed sadly. I wish Shadow could be with us. I'd so enjoy swimming with him in the waves. If only...

"Look'n down, girl, care to tell me? I was so worried when you said that you couldn't go to the beach almost three weeks ago. What had happened-really? You can trust us all, I only make nice friends."

"Um...well...you see... it was...I ran into a hedgehog"

"What" Numerous friends exclaimed at once.

Amy groaned and turned up the dial: Jump5 - One and Only was blaring, heavy base, through the player. "Ok, how many of you know about the battle Sonic and I had against the Bio Lizard with that black hedgehog, Shadow a few years ago" She glanced at the few nodding, but mostly shaking heads and sighed again"Ok, so I ran into Shadow and... stuff happened between us since then."

"Stuff! What kind of stuff"

"You know how I used to think I loved Sonic"

"Pssh! Ya but you're mature and over that ages ago"

"I know... but since then, I-I..." She couldn't say it. They would laugh at her, tell her just because Shadow looked fifteen, he was truly her senior-all of theirs-by many years and that she was just crushing on another guy. "Shadow and I are friends now."

"That's great! How come he's not here"

"I left him to sleep for a while. He's been sleeping for a week now. Surely all of you know about the destruction that happened to this city a week ago, but do you know how the buildings came back and all the people came alive again? Shadow saved you all..." More emotion poured through her voice that she had wanted and everyone was gazing on her with new affection and respect, even those that she had never seen before.

"We would have been honored to have him come with us"

"Ya, I really had hoped he'd wake up but he didn't."

"Don't worry about it, he'll wake up soon"

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Crowded as the beach always was on the weekends, Amy and her friends, plus new friends, had to force themselves to find a spot among all the messy patches of blankets and people who were lying all over the place. Amy felt that perhaps she shouldn't have bothered to even sway herself into thinking that today she might have had some fun. She could barely even step around people without almost hurting someone's leg or arm!

"I'm going to the water immediately. This is so jammed-more than I've seen in many months" Violet spread the blanket out far from the beach, baskets, three umbrellas, and six chairs"Who's with me"

"I'm coming" Amy interjected"Anything to get away from this heat"

"I think I'll stay here and watch the chicks" Jack slipped some hot shades over his eyes"I mean, us guys can talk and you cute girls and go have your own fun."

"Suit yourself." Violet smirked. Those two: they liked each other but Amy knew neither dared admit it. All those foolish games of guess or flirt-all of it was so immature to her, so alien now that all she'd been through had taught her the true definition to friendship and love. How stupid she had been. The events of the past two weeks would never fade from her memory. Shadow would never become just one of the people she had liked. He was forever only hers to love.

"Ames, is there something you'd want to let me know? I've neva' seen you so down like this b'for. I'm here if you need me."

"Perhaps I do need some cheering up. I didn't tell you much of what really went on with Shadow and I because it's way deeper than I publicly wanted to say..." She dunked and popped up. "Ah, the water feels so cool."
"Ya, it does. Tell me, I'm here to listen and I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I know. I can trust you. Here goes" She took a deep breath"Shadow and I are in love."

"Woo! Girl! This is GREAT" Violet shook her crazy"When are you getting married"

"I-I-ahh! Put me down" She backed a space between them"I don't know; he hasn't done anything like that. We haven't even been on a real date unless you count fighting as romantic."

"Oh! Girl! I wish I could boast of your luck! Is" Lowering her voice to a whisper"Is this different than Sonic and you before"

-Jump5 - Just A Dream-

"Very different." A deep, smooth voice answered.

"Shadow! Oh, Shadow" Amy squealed with delight"When did you wake up! I didn't even hear you coming"

"No one would when I use Chaos Control." He tossed the wet emerald repeatedly"Mind to introduce me to your friend here"

"Yes, of course! This is Violet" She grabbed the purple squirrel to her side"And this is Shadow, Vi."

"Why didn't you tell me he was so sickeningly hot? I totally envy you."
"Yes, I know, you should. Aha."

"Whaa"

Shadow smirked boyishly for once in his life and it was a sincere smirk of pleasure. "I think I want you all to myself for once. No people, no battles. Nothing. I just want you with me this time." His posture strained openly. This was going to be a deep discussion, Amy worried.

"I guess I'll swim with ya' laterz, Vi" He pulled her away through the splashing water, pasting herself to his chest. Violet openly rolled her eyes, jealously, before back-stroking the opposite direction towards a bunch of her friends.

"Did you want to talk about anything in particular, Shadow" Amy wrapped herself around him as the water deepened. Slowly, the voices, laughter, accusations of the swimmers died away. He was swimming to a remote area, a place where people ventured rarely, away from the shore and she gulped. "I can't swim very well."

"That's ok, I can hold you." He came to a stop"Besides, the Chaos Emerald will keep us afloat pretty well. I needed to talk to you about us."

"Us" Frightened, Amy clung harder"What about us"

"You know very well what I'm referring to, Amy Rose. You know I want to know if this can go a ways successfully between you and I."

"I believe it can" Between heartbeats"If you can. I love you passionately Shadow, I just don't know if you can love me back in the way I do since you've had so much confusion and sadness in your life. It's hard for you to find happiness, isn't it, with everything you've been through"

"Yes, mostly it is." He fingered a swirl of her wet hair"But I did find it with you. You're a special girl and I want you to know that I do love you the same way you love me. I want you to be mine but we can't be hasty about this.

Logic always had to spoil all the thrills of a crash romance, Amy thought, but Shadow knew best when it came to this sort of thing and she trusted him wholly. "I agree, if not reluctantly." He smiled close to her face at that humorous remark but she want on"What are you saying between the lines"

"I want... I want..." No, wanting wasn't right. Wishing was futile. Hoping wasn't logical. The something in his soul was filling but it wasn't yet to the top. The last time anything was necessary for him to survive was when Maria and he had been together on the ARK. Funny how, when things change, the objects he thought he needed, he did not, and what he felt he didn't require, was necessary. "I need you. Will you..."
"Yes, I will." There was a long pause. Peaceful ripples of love passed by the couple. Shadow held her as close as he dared without damaging her fragile, tiny frame. His dreams the past week had been of soft lullabies, love, peace, joy-all those things that had evaded him for so long. Who would have known that the remedy would be a single hedgehog who forced herself rudely into his life? Well, Shadow was grateful for every ounce of stubbornness she held, every speck of self-will and independence.

Even now, Sonic hadn't truly betrayed him. Shadow realized their pat intentions were good and pure, but his will had not been. Selfish he had been but not anymore. People did things that their hearts couldn't understand. Not everything could be analyzed as he had once thought could. Most things weren't meant to be defragmented-love being one of those most mysterious elements. Like the wind, it could be felt, but not seen as any solid object. The rain would fall cold, but it came and went. Love stayed if true and real and everything about Amy was firm and founded.

"You're the true power that flows through my veins" He whispered near her mouth"No Chaos Emerald could pulse harder through me, with more passion, than when I kiss you." And he kissed her, alone, where no one could intrude on their perfect moment. Her lips were soft as the petals of deep, rich roses, pink and as a lily, full as the dewdrops on daisies, and more responsive than the wind blowing through their hair. It was the perfect fantasy ending for them, an ending nothing could spoil. A purpose in life is what they make of it and the future was still fresh. Whatever they wanted, they could work at, for nothing came free, not even love. And love was worth all the fights, ails, sicknesses, and trials that life had to offer.

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I had such a blast writing this story although, it is true, that I felt like some of the emotions and thoughts could have been more completely written! Things like this happen in stories and sometime in the future I will probably edit and enhance it! For now, I just want to thank the faithful readers who took the time to review and read this small fic. I hope I got the personalities correct-it's hard to write Shadow's emotions, but it was a total thrill to feature my favorite Sonic character and in such a way as this! Sonic used to be my favorite character until I played Sonic Heroes and I couldn't help but pity Shadow's life. I mean, it's once in a decade that ANY game company can create such an attaching character like Shadow! He's like so awesome and pathetic at the same time. My favorite thing about him is his wonderfully smooth voice. Dude, it's ultra-powerful. What's the saddest thing about him? Is it that he's not totally organic? MAN, I AM SO GONNA BUY ALL THE SHADOW COMICS (Archie).

Amy likes Sonic far too much in the games so I had to change it around. In a strange-and if you think so, deranged-way, Shadow and Amy just fit each other's molds. There's tons of stuff she could teach him. Who knows what stories I might write next. Perhaps a sequel with their kids? I don't even wanna think about it… I'm writing "The Violin Hillbilly Spin Dance". Look forwards for it soon, I just love writing. When I'm not writing, I wish I was and when I am, I'm am an ultra-critic on my phrases, sentences-just everything. Perhaps my harsh self-examination of my work helps me writing? Think so? I dunno..