Disclaimer: Once again, as if you haven't read this lovely message enough, I do NOT own any of the Sega characters. Melody, on the other hand, is a figment of my imagination, therefore belonging to me. And now I'll try to stop sounding like my English teacher and get on with the story. Oh yeah, Lizzey the hedgehog doesn't belong to me either, I just gave her a personality.

Melody: So, I guess I'll have to spew my so-called big secret now? Sounds like fun…but if everyone reads it, will it be a secret anymore? Can't I just whisper it in her ear or something?

Me: No, then people would throw tomatoes at me!

Melody: Hmph!

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Melody hesitated for a minute or two then finally said in a painfully quiet voice, "My hands are stained with the blood of my family...ever since I was five years old." Her voice sounded like it would break soon but her face was void of emotion. "I need your help finding a certain item…it's the only way I can save the lives of others close to me…"

Amy's mouth was agape and she was paralyzed with horror at the thought. She stammered, "y…you killed your family? When you were five! How a…and why!" Amy backed away really slowly.

Melody sighed and sat down, staring at the ground with shame and helplessness toward the situation. "It wasn't my fault…I am evil…I was born evil…I can't help it…"

Amy became even more horrified to the point of holding her hands really really tightly until her knuckles (under her gloves) turned white.

Melody continued, face still showing no expression whatsoever, "Please help me break this curse…I don't want to worry about the next one I kill…I don't want to be a mindless hateful killer…" Then she broke down crying into her hands, skinny frame shaking uncontrollably.

After a few awkwardly uncomfortable moments, Amy embraced her and whispered soothingly, "I'll help you…no one deserves this much pain."

Melody looked up at her, "Thanks…"

After several hours, just as the pale moon began to rise higher into the star speckled sky, Melody finally said, "We need to set out while the going is still good. Don't worry about robbers and stuff…they usually sing a different tune once I decapitate one or two with my sword." She grinned.

"Wait a minute…" Amy said, raising an eyebrow, "What happened to the whole 'I don't wanna be a killer' speech you delivered an hour ago?"

Melody shrugged, "That's self defense. I choose to kill to keep you and your friend over there alive…my curse inflicted on me since birth…that's a different story…"

Amy sighed to herself and muttered to Lizzey, "I really don't understand her…do you?"

Lizzey shook her head and quietly murmured, "Sounds like she should be in some kind of institution for the disturbed…Maybe we should put her in a straight jacket and leave her here!"

"She almost reminds me of Shadow in a way." She mused to herself, picking up her hammer and the tracking device.

Melody noticed Amy furtively glancing at the tracking device and offered, "We'll find your friend first, then we'll help me, okay?"

Amy didn't answer.

As the wind blew quietly, swishing through the long grass stained silver by the moonlight, Melody distinguished the sound of footsteps through the normal nighttime chorus of crickets and owls. Her ear twitched and she drew her sword, tensely surveying her surroundings. "Amy!" she hissed, "Someone's approaching! Get Lizzey to safety NOW!"

A whizzing filled the night and Melody, thinking quickly, leapt five feet in the air, evading a dagger which was slicing through the air toward where she was standing a minute ago. It landed quivering, point first in a tree semi-far away. "Two can play at that game…" Melody thought, pulling the dagger free and, with a lazy flick of her wrist, flinging it back in the direction from whence it came. Her endeavor was rewarded with a sharp grunt then silence.

Melody ran towards the sound, discovering an old hedgehog pinned against the tree by his throwing arm. She stared boldly into his face and inquired, "Are you finished throwing sharp objects? If you continue, you might just get hurt!"

He sneered at her, ignoring the hot blood oozing through the wound. His voice held infinite contempt, "You'll never find the black and red hedgehog…not after you've done this…" He disappeared into thin air, leaving the dagger embedded in the tree trunk still covered in blood. Melody yanked it out and wiped it on the grass before deftly throwing it into her sack. "He knows where this Shadow guy is…" Her lips turned into a smirk, "And by leaving his blood, I can find him easily..."

She reported her findings to Amy who immediately answered, "Let's find him!"

Lizzey shrugged and thought sarcastically, "Yeah…just go ahead…ignore me as if I weren't there…"

Melody borrowed Amy's tracking device to locate the owner of the blood and she immediately got pale in the face. "Great…" she muttered sarcastically, "Just great…"

Amy looked at her inquisitively, "What's wrong?"

Melody sighed with resignation, "I guess I have to pay a visit home…that strange hedgehog is in the Angel Realm..."

"This is turning out a cursed friendship…" Melody admitted to herself.

Amy was full of questions, "Angel Realm? Is there such a place? And are you a—"

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Well…can't say that wasn't fun…lolziez! I'm prolly gonna change the rating to T soon…b/c for what I have planned, this story might need it. So, what do you guys think so far? Please send me some feedback and I'll gladly accept criticism and/or praise. Just go a bit easy on me, the first few chapters of anything are hard on me cuz I'm busy trying to introduce the characters and make sure I don't leave anything important to the rest of the story out. Well…TTFN!