Rabbit: Hullo, citizens of Townsville, I hoped you've enjoyed chapter one of this story because here is number two and it only gets better!
Little Slugger: Yeah right.
Rabbit: (stares at him eerily wide-eyed) …You forever haunt me…
Little Slugger: (grins) I know.
Dark Mousy: Booooo! We're not reading your trash!
Rabbit: (teary-eyed) But, Dark-san, its not like I'm making you read my story. (points a knife at him) Now I am.
Kuzco: Hey, Rabbit!
Rabbit: Emperor Kuzco? Long time no see! Wait, where are all of you coming from?
Kuzco: Your brain.
Rabbit: Oh…I have one of those? Hm, you learn something new everyday.
Prince Zuko: Hey.
Rabbit: (blush) Hi. (!) Wait, wait, wait, how come all of these guys keep showing up…where are the girls?
Pegasus (from Yu-Gi-Oh!): Hellooo I'm here!
Rabbit: Eww, not you, faggot! (kicks him out) Sorry Pegasus fans.
Lilo: Hi, Rabbit, how's it goin'?
Rabbit: Oh, hi cutie! Everything's fine. (clasps hands together) Okay, now that I have an audience, I can read my story!
(Everyone dashes out of the room)
Rabbit: ……….Dammit.
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Chapter 2: A Little Quality TimeShadow heard a lovely sound ringing in his ears. He opened his eyes and found himself still lying on the bed, neatly tucked in. A pink lamp was lit and it gave off a soft light that filled the room. As he checked his surroundings, his eyes fell upon the girl who had helped him. She was sitting on the carpeted floor, playing with knick-knacks in a pretty box. There was a tiny, plastic figurine on the inside of the box that spun with the music. The girl sensed someone staring at her, so she looked to her left and met the black hedgehog's crimson colored eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
"…Well, I've been better." The girl giggled at his comment. "What's that?" Shadow asked, pointed to the box.
"My Sailor Moon music box. It plays 'Galaxia's Locket'. My best friend gave it to me for Christmas." She smiled at the thought.
Friends…Shadow never had any friends, not any that he can recall. But did he really want a friend? He saw it as simply another person to look out for. Before could think any further on the matter, the girl sat next to him and asked, "Are you hungry?" For the first time, Shadow got to see the girl's full stature: She had sapphire eyes, long brown hair that reached her breasts and was wavy on the ends. He also noticed stray strands of gray hair, probably due to stress. Her skin was light brown, just about the color of caramel. Her face was like a doll's, cute, but mysterious and beautiful. But her eyes, oh how those eyes reminded him so much of Maria's.
"Umm," the girl waved a hand in front of Shadow's face. He didn't realize that he was staring for so long. "Is something wrong?"
"No. Its just, your eyes are the same color as someone I knew. I think…"
"Well, actually, these are my contacts; my real eye color is hazel brown."
"Hm," Shadow looked away for a moment. The girl tilted her head to the side, and then straightened it. "My name is Michelle, what's yours?"
The black hedgehog hesitated for a moment. Getting mixed up with a human could mean trouble for him. He knew that if he gave away his name, the next step would be to become friends, and he wasn't sure if she was the right human to associate with. But Shadow figured, what the hell, he didn't have anything to lose.
"Shadow," he replied.
"Nice to meet you," she held out her hand and Shadow shook it, not looking at her.
"So, do you want something to eat?" Michelle asked again.
"…No."
There was an awkward silence.
Michelle smiled, "You're really cute. I like the color of your eyes too." Shadow raised his eyebrow. He's never been given a compliment before. "How long was I asleep?" he asked, clearly changing the subject.
"An hour. Its 9:44 PM. How's your shoulder?"
"Fine. It still stings a little, but its fine."
Michelle smiled, "That's good, but if it hurts again, let me know. You just rest up some more, you can stay here for as long as you need."
Shadow wondered if he should thank her, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. "How old are you?" he asked instead.
"Fifteen."
"Funny, you don't look it, you seem younger."
"Then that's a good thing. When I get older, I'll still keep this lovely form," Michelle did a little pose. Shadow chuckled when he pictured Michelle as a 70-year old woman wearing a bikini. Michelle giggled, "Oh, so its funny? Well what about you?"
"I really don't know my age."
"Hmm, that's kinda odd. Well, you look at least seventeen." She twiddled her thumbs a bit, "So, where'd you come from? Is your family with you?"
"…I don't know where I came from…and I don't have a family." Shadow felt a bit embarrassed and upset after admitting that. The girl's heart sank, "I'm sorry," she said as she scratched her head from nervousness.
"Don't be, being alone isn't too bad. I'm used to it." What Shadow said was true, but at the same time, he wanted a companion.
"But you must get lonely sometimes, I know I would…I'll gladly be your-"
"No", the hedgehog cut her off, "No thanks. I don't need anyone getting in my way. I have personal business to take care of."
Michelle raised her arms in frustration as she spoke, "What if you get hurt again? You could be on the verge of death and no one will be around to help you."
Shadow knew that Michelle's words were true, but he refused to admit it. "I can take care of myself," he answered stupidly.
"Not the way I see it…" she crossed her arms. "C'mon, Shadow, please? I promise I won't be a burden."
"You're a stubborn one."
"So are you," Michelle smirked.
"Hmph, fine, I'll think about it."
Shadow felt a mix of strange emotions. He wasn't fond of humans, and yet, he felt different around this girl. Humans always treated him like a criminal, while Michelle treated him like a friend…supposedly. He knew that he owed her his life. Could she really be a useful ally? She looked like she could barely kill a fly, let alone a human or alien. Then again, you can't judge a book by its cover. He did need someone to assist him on his mission. One thing bothered him though; being around Michelle made him feel uneasy and a bit nervous. There was no way that he could actually…
"I'll make the bed for you," said Michelle. She bent down and pulled out a mattress on wheels from under her bed. "My sister used to sleep here before she moved out. You can sleep here now." She reached into her closet and pulled down a blanket and pillow from the top shelf. After neatly setting everything on the bed, she stretched and said, "There you go!"
Shadow jumped onto the new bed and lied on his back with his hands behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. It was then that he realized that his shoes had been removed, and that they were sitting by the door.
"Comfy?"
Shadow glanced over at Michelle, "Yeah."
Michelle clapped her hands together and gleamed, "Good, I want to show you something!" She went into her closet once again, pulled out a book, and sat next to her hedgehog friend. The book was black with gold cursive text at the very top, which read, "Easton High Ravens We Strive For Success!" Below was a badge of a raven holding a red ribbon in its beak. A second phrase was printed on the bottom of the cover, "Class of 2003".
"This is my yearbook from last year," said Michelle as she opened the black book. She fingered through the pages and said, "Ah!" when she came upon the freshmen page. "Here we go. Let's have a look at the student photos." She explained her relationship with each person she knew, and their personality. Shadow noticed how Michelle's voice and facial expressions changed as she pointed out each person. He saw how her eyes lingered over the picture of a boy who moved away, a "boyfriend" of some sort. He sympathized for the girl. Michelle continued to show more photos and talked about their band, clubs, sports, and dances.
"Hey, come to think of it, the Valentine's Day dance is coming up next weekend!"
"!…What's Valentine's Day?"
Michelle blinked, "You don't know what it is? Hm, well, it's a holiday where people give presents to the people they love; like, candy, roses, stuffed animals...There are also three main colors for this particular day: Red, pink, and white. It's a day of love."
Love was something that Shadow could barely comprehend. He had never been in love, nor did anyone love him.
"Do you want to go to the dance with me?" Michelle asked.
"…?" A dance? Shadow had never been to a dance before.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to. I usually go to dances for the food, I don't actually dance per say."
"Do you always invite others?"
"Yeah, but sometimes my friends back out. They're afraid to go when they don't have dates. I don't have one anymore since…Hm, but I still go just for the hell of it. Besides I like looking at the other students when they're dressed up; most of them look really nice."
"Hmm…" Shadow pondered. Should he go? He was sure that he'd be the only hedgehog there, so he might get strange looks from the humans. He knew that if he got mad, he'd make a scene…
"Well, that's enough of that. I need to get my rest, I've had a tough day at school; four friggin' tests! Oh, I'm going to the mall tomorrow morning, do you want to come?"
Shadow shook his head, "No thanks."
Michelle frowned a bit, "Okay. Good night." She embraced the hedgehog. Shadow was shocked by the girl's action. He couldn't even wrap his own arms around her due to his numbed mind. "Uh- good night," he replied. Michelle turned out her lamp and buried herself under the covers. Shadow was in his bed thinking of a way to get the other Chaos Emeralds, but his thoughts shifted to Michelle. He didn't want her to get hurt during his mission; however, he wanted to be with her. She was the first person to accept him, then again, wait until she found out about what he'd done that evening. He wasn't sure of the feelings he had for the girl. Did he really like her? Him, liking a human…was that even legal?
The black hedgehog stared at the glowing sticker-stars on the ceiling. His mind calmed and he fell into darkness.
A yellow eye stared through the dark window of Michelle's room…
End of chapter 2!
Reviews please! Do I have to say that every time? (sweatdrop)