Chapter 9: Amy vs. Mina

There I was, face to face with her. The former roads block in my path of Sonic even though I now took a different route-with Shadow. Yet she claims that he has feelings for me now that I'm out of reach. That's so like him to be jealous of others and even more so stupid. Mina glared at me intensely; it was apparent that she wanted me dead.

"What are you waiting for, Rose?" she nagged.

I sighed with annoyance and pulled out my hammer from who knows where. "Let's get this over with."

She was already trying to trip me over with her tail again but I easily dodged it and came crashing down. Her tail burned red in pain. "Now try using only four limbs like me, it'll go much smoother."

"You bitch! Doesn't that damned hammer of yours equal that of my tail!"

I shrugged carelessly and came for her again eyes fixed on the prize-her atrocious face. Furious, Mina jumped out of reach and then backwards, racing to me at a speed I thought only Sonic or Shadow could muster. Then I felt it. Agonizingly sharp, swift claws dug deep into my arm nearly getting to the bone. Almost instantly I let out a horrific scream while watching the blood drip endlessly. Mina retracted her claws which only added more pain and hopped back.

"Hmmm, that wasn't as enjoyable as killing a snake but it was definitely worth it! Now it'll be twice as hard to wield that weapon with only one arm."

Unable to tend to the wound I let it hand lamely against my side; trying to figure out how I was going to do this.

"I'm still standing aren't I?" I was demanding control over my body which was quietly fading.

Mina could see the struggle and took it as my final curtain call. Gritting my teeth I lifted the hammer over my head and swung without any aim at all. Overhead she went and for a moment she stayed until I deflected her attack with my wounded arm, a really dumb thing to do.

The slice grew worse by the minute. "Ugh!"

"Fool, is that stupid hammer so important to you?" she asked, shunning me.

I glared at her with distain. "Yeah, and you know why?"

Caving in I gave her my answer, a severe blow to the jaw knocking her at least 12 feet away. She groaned and stumbled back up.

"Oh, I got it. Without your precious Piko Piko hammer you're utterly helpless, pathetic…USELESS!"

Those dumb words! The way she blurted them out as if they were all that defined me, it pissed me off to high heaven! At first I did not care for this fight but now I was certain-I was ready to kill Mina.

Not a thought other than before came to mind. I became relentless in my assault, swinging at each sight of even the faintest of lavender. Her speed quickened as my attacks grew more frequent. We both started to get short of breath but honestly I think it was worse for me. The wound continued to open even when I wasn't using it.

Once Mina has finished being airborne she let her guard down. The exhaustion within showed plain as day and I put all my strength into this one attack. When I winded up she didn't even flinch and just as I struck her in the shoulder I understood why. She was holding it awkwardly in one arm making it so I could barely move it. While I was stuck she attempted the unthinkable…the one act I was certain she'd never be able to pull off. Mina was wriggling my hammer from my grasp, eventually twisting me up and off the ground.

"N-no…" I murmured to myself.

A sinister grin was marked on her and without any regards she dug her nails into the base of it and caused it to break. Like a cliché slow motion sequence I dropped.

"Now the real beating occurs!" she cackled like a vicious harpy.

Now desperate, I got up and found the courage to use abilities I'd cast aside since my childhood. One of them was the Tornado Spin, probably the only attack that could affect Mina. When she was in a reasonable distance I spun in circles briskly, never able to match Shadow but still quick enough to make a destructive whirlwind. The mongoose was taken aback by this and got caught in it respectively.

"Yes! I got her!" I exclaimed proudly waiting for the tornado to subside.

After a minute or so, my whirlwind died down and I could see the blur of Mina's fur in the distance. Hopefully she'd perished because it took a great deal to create something I haven't done in years. She was on the ground not moving or breathing from where I stood but just to be sure I went in closer. Bending down I checked her pulse. There was nothing.

In my head I was victorious but my body…it didn't agree. Something was wrong. Cautiously I took my hand away from her neck.

What's wrong with me? No way is she…AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Again! It happened to me again! The same ache, the same pain that I experienced in my arm was now in my leg! That witch tricked me, played possum when I thought I had her down for the count! Out the corner of my eye was her vulgar bloody tongue sticking out at me, mocking me! She rolled into the foreground causing me to collapse where she once lay. I now had two limbs that were gored and throbbing, and for as long as I could I could only hold on to them. My only other attacks were the Giant foot stomp and Lovely Kiss, but I couldn't jump now and my opponent was a girl. Could things get any worse?

"Just as I thought. No hammer means no power and even with that little breeze of yours I still was victorious. I don't know what Sonic sees in you but that'll all change once I drag your withering body to him. He'll take me as his woman and forget all about you!"

Even in the way she spoke to me, I felt it was the truth. If I couldn't even defeat this wench then how in the world could I save my friends, or myself! It hurt too much! I needed an answer! I…I needed Shadow!

Mina grabbed me at the nape of my neck and hauled me across the floor as if I was garbage. Right then that's exactly how I felt. I didn't even try to put up a fight since I was too weak. Very steadily I could picture memories in my head, playing over and over again. I was told that you only saw such visions when you were about to die…when the tunnel of light guided you to the Promised Land…

Yet the things I saw weren't what I hoped for now. It was of my friends yes, but most of them were with Sonic. My stomach churned in shame.

How could I still think of him now even in death…oh Shadow…

Closing my eyes foiling my tears, I heard the shrill of Mina's voice. Following it was the splatter of her fluid on my fur; it made me sick just hearing it. I opened my eyes to see the ceiling.

"What in the world?" I said aloud.

"It's okay Amy, I'm here." The passionate voice of my beloved assured.

I glanced over to see him in all his greatness, his utter giving of protection. "Oh, Shadow, I'm so relieved."

Forcing myself to meet him up close, my arm and leg began to throb and I eased back down. My panting worried him.

"Why did you stop to fight her?" he asked sternly.

I could feel it. The anger in his voice… "Please don't be mad at me, I was going to help the others like you said but she was blocking my way out and I couldn't get around her. Not to mention I couldn't even defeat her…"

He sighed heavily, putting his hand underneath my chin. "I could never hate you, and you did your best."

"My best! I wasn't able to beat her without my hammer yet you killed her in one move! How can you still be so faithful in me after this?"

"Well that's a stupid question," he scoffed, "if I didn't give a damn about you, if I were like Sonic, then I could say that you'll never amount to anything. But I'm not Sonic. He and I are two completely different hedgehogs, and the sooner you realize this the easier your life will be."

Shadow, his words are so sincere and true. I'd been alongside Sonic for so long I'd almost lost sight of everyone else. Tails, Knuckles, Big, Cream, Cheese, they were just illusions of my self-proclaimed happiness. Yet now for the first time all my friends had become real and Shadow…he'd been real from the day we met.

"If we don't hurry your wounds will get infected. Let's get out of here."

I nodded gently, allowing him to sweep me off my feet. This gesture I really found pleasing, but then Shadow grumbled thunderously while shaking his head and lowering me onto his knee.

"Shadow! What's wrong say something-"

"Ugh, it's nothing. Don't worry yourself over it."

As if recovered, Shadow stood back on his feet and bound me tightly in embrace and I soon undertook complete submission. Those features when he began to hurt, it scared me worse than anything imaginable. But for that split second I could think of nothing better than being held in a man's arms.

Note: Maybe the violence was a little M rated, but I'm sure you guys could handle it. It's official-Amy is over Sonic, but Sonic is still 'in love with her and isn't giving up. And what's going on with Shadow? Meanwhile the battle for Mobius is still not known to be a lie by the Freedom Fighters and is costing lives. Next Chapter: My Fooled Friends.