He took my hand, and I looked him up and down. My concious told me he looked.. okay, though my heart was pouding against my chest, threatening to break out of its cage, and blood was also threatening to rise to my face in a heated fashion; I refused to do so. I denied my body the only way it could express my shyness, my nervousness, my, my.. my --- longing! Yes, longing would be a sufficient word. The strange longing to feel his arms around me, his mouth coaxing my own into his world of fantasies and-- oh, Gods no! I will not give in to such.. to such.. childish things!

He smiled at my internal struggle, and for once, my mind will not concoct an insult. My heart says I cannot bare to tear him down, but what do I care what an organ lacking any sort of intelligence has to say? I.. I don't. There it is again; that goddamn blasted smile on my lips. It played there like a child, laughing around me while its innocence stayed intact, my own tainted and ruined. I turned around socked that child in the goddamn face. I won't have it. I won't have anyone laughing at me, hear! And yet.. everyone seemed to laugh at me at the same time..

His look was no longer admiring, it had exchanged itself for a new emotion: worry. Fear. Anxiety. He was concerned and fussing over me? ..How sickeningly like a man. Yet, his concern did not sicken me. Oh, how dreadfully much I hate these goddamn emotions. They insult my very intellect and logic I grew up by! He lives by feeling and imagination. Everyone is real to him. Everyone. The fact that he himself didn't seem to exist to his own mind made me angry, far angry than I'd ever been before. I suspect this showed on my face, for he sent me a strange glance and a raised brow.

"Amy, is something wrong?" His voice soothed me, and for that I damn myself.

"U-uhm, no, of course not." A nervous smile was given to him then. How I hate myself. Stuttering, too.. goddamn emotions..

"Mm.. are you sure? Is it the food?"

"N-no! The food is.. wonderful.." And it was, to be honest.. peppered steak made to perfection..

"I'm glad to hear that.. but what is troubling you?" ..I have to do it..

"..T-this.." I leaned over and kissed him. A few moments later, we parted, both slightly dizzy it seemed. ..Did I just do that?

"Goddamn emotions..." I mumbled, a secret smile on my face. He returned it.

Hey, we might not be in love.. but you never know what the future may bring.

"Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real."

"Everything you can imagine is real."

..And that's what I've learned from Knuckles, at least in due time. You may be confused now. Well, this is my reflection.. and those are two things he's taught me.. and the future brang lots of things. Love, marriage.. hell, children! I'm Amy Rose.. and learn the lessons I did, before you lose your imagination.. and your dreams.

x----------x

Sorry for the late update, and for the shortness X3 This is finally finished, and I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have:3 This was fun and slightly challenging to write, getting into characters moreso than usual.. which is why I'm starting a new story, this time in the Tales of Symphonia area. It shall be called "Nobody".. and will be an AU KratosxRaine. And Rems', read it anyway, even though me knows you don't enjoy the coupling. XP Maybe some OOCness can make it work for you!