AN: Alright Shadamy fans. I know some of y'all have been waiting for the fluff or Shadamy moments, but I've purposely been doing a slow and gradual buildup. Now, I think this will be the chapter for you guys. You all have been super patient enough. So, please enjoy.

•~•

In her bedroom, Amy pulled out a few outfits and packed them in a backpack. Passing by her open door, Rouge halted when she spotted Amy packing clothes into a backpack. It was a bit alarming to see her packing up like she was going away forever. "Hey there, what are you doing?" Rouge asked curiously.

Amy looked over her shoulder at the white bat standing in the doorway. "Oh, I'm just packing some clothes for my trip."

"Trip?" the bat repeated. "I don't remember you telling me about taking a trip." Rouge blinked a few times in befuddlement. Amy had made no mention of a trip as far as she was concerned.

"Yeah, that's because I didn't tell you. It came upon very short notice," she explained continuing to pack more belongings.

"Oh, well…where are you going?"

"I'm heading back to Tech City for my friend's funeral," Amy replied.

Rouge placed a hand to her mouth, instantly recognizing this instance. She had remembered the morning Amy had told her of her friend's passing. Amy had been quite distraught over the news. Even after weeks of the news breaking of her death, Amy still dealt with it very roughly. "Oh, my…well, don't you want someone to accompany you there?" Rouge offered kindly.

Amy moved the strap to her backpack higher up on her shoulder. "I think I can handle myself, Rouge."

"When are you leaving then?"

"This afternoon," she replied. "The funeral is tomorrow morning, but I should be back home by tomorrow evening."

"Look Amy, there's no way, I'm going to let you do this alone. Let me see which guy can accompany you to Tech City."

Amy waved her hands out in front of her. "Honestly, Rouge. I'll be fine, I swear." However, it was too late, Rouge had already rushed her way downstairs to find a suitor to accompany her. Amy sighed. She knew Rouge had good intentions, but she'd rather do this alone. She knew she'd be safe visiting her hometown, especially since she knew exactly where her enemy was at the moment—here in Mercia.

•~•

In Mephiles' mechanic office, the dark M.C president handed Shadow a hefty amount of money. "This should be enough for travel expenses and a place to stay overnight. Make sure you get all of the payment," he instructed. "I don't want to hear any bullshit I.O.U. from the clients."

"Understood," Shadow nodded, before placing the money into the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

Their moment was interrupted when Rouge barged into the office. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I need to ask a favor."

Mephiles crossed his arms over his chest. "What is it exactly? We're kind of talking business at the moment."

"I'm going to need one of the guys to escort Amy to Tech City this afternoon," she began.

Mephiles looked alarmed by the sudden news. "She's leaving? Whatever for?"

"Remember her friend that died a few weeks ago?" she reminded. "Well, they're finally holding a funeral and I want someone to go with her just for moral support. Is there anyone free to go with her?"

The two brothers eyed one another and Mephiles began to chuckle in amusement. "This is quite a coincidence, isn't it, brother?" Mephiles began.

Rouge raised a brow, lost on their silent knowing moment. "Excuse me?"

"Shadow is making a pit stop in Tech City to shake out a stalled payment from one of our newer customers."

Shadow groaned, already knowing he was about to be cornered into this trip. "Hold on a second, why can't Mighty go with her?" He needed to find a reason—any reason to avoid being trapped alone with her on some road trip.

"I'm already sending Mighty and Manic to Station Square to complete an errand for Finitevus," Mephiles replied.

"Yeah, well what about Locke? That guy has nothing better to do…" he huffed.

Mephiles shook his head in pity. "You know Locke can barely do anything on his own anymore. It'd be doing a disfavor when Amy would end up looking after him on her trip instead of the other way around. He's retired for a reason, brother."

"Hey, that's my father-in-law you're throwing shade at," Rouge scolded towards the elder brother.

"I only speak the truth," he muttered under his breath.

"Okay, fine, what about Rookie? Doesn't he normally get handed these shitty assignments?" Shadow chimed in.

"Don't you remember? Gadget is accompanying me to meet with Sam to oversee the construction of our new warehouse? It's nearly done," Mephiles reminded. "He'll be busy taking notes."

Shadow was truly starting to run out of options. He sighed in frustration. "Do I really have to? Why me?"

"I'll leave this explanation to you, Rouge." Mephiles sauntered out of the room leaving Rouge and Shadow alone. He patted Shadow on the back. "Enjoy your trip brother," he chuckled again.

Once he was gone, Rouge looked back to Shadow with desperation. "Look, I know you two still aren't bosom buddies, but Amy has told me you've eased up with her. In fact, she's confided in me that she's even seen a slightly softer side to you."

Shadow scoffed. "Yeah right, just what exactly have I done that's been deemed soft?" he challenged.

Rouge tapped her chin with her index finger in thought. "Well, how about the time when you helped her come down from a panic attack at the gym?" she started. "Or how about the fact that you consoled her after discovering the tragic death of her friend. Oh yeah, and I also heard you caught her from falling off the side of the roof, and what about-"

Shadow growled in frustration as she had proved her point. "—Alright, alright, I get it, Rouge…sounds like she tells you a lot of stuff. So, why don't you take her instead?" he countered sharply.

She placed her hands on her hips. "I totally would take her in a heartbeat," Rouge countered. "However, Knuckles has already planned a day trip for the two of us tomorrow that he's been planning for months. I can't cancel this on him."

Shadow rolled his eyes at her lame excuse. "She really needs someone to tag along?"

Rouge cupped her hands together growing serious. "Remember, it's for her friend's funeral. They're finally laying her to rest and I really don't want her going out there alone. You know she won't admit it, but she's still pretty upset over it. You for one, should know how lonely it can feel after the loss of a loved one," she reminded.

"I see…" Shadow softened slightly after hearing the reason. It was obvious he wasn't going to escape this chore. "Fine," he groaned begrudgingly. "I'll go, but you owe me big time in the future."

•~•

Later that afternoon, Amy came downstairs with her packed backpack in hand. She spotted Shadow waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs with his own duffle bag slung over one shoulder. "Shadow?" she repeated. "You're the one coming with me?"

"Yeah, and I'm only doing this as a favor," he said pointing in her direction. "So, let's roll, princess."

Amy blinked a few times and walked towards him as he opened the door and the two made their way out together. Knuckles and Rouge watched the two depart from the kitchen window. Knuckles took a sip of his coffee and shook his head. "This is going to be a hot mess…"

"I pray not," Rouge replied. "However, despite them clashing, I think Shadow will be surprisingly the best fit for consoling Amy during this time."

Knuckles eyed Rouge with uncertainty before casting his sight on their departing figures. "Chaos, I hope you're right…"

•~•

Doing another one of his usual stakeouts, Zonic sat in his parked car across the street from the brother's compound and observed the movements of the club members. He had been watching for a couple of hours today. He had tracked everyone else's movements but there were two people he had not seen make a sighting at all and those two were Shadow and Amy. He had watched as Mighty and Manic had clearly gone off on some trip as they had backpacks secured to their backs. He also had witnessed Mephiles and Gadget ride off together somewhere, and finally, he saw Rouge and Knuckles load into one of the pick-up trucks, looking like they were heading off on some date.

It was later into the afternoon now, and it seemed like most people were out for the day. Growing bold, Zonic got out of his car and shut the door behind him, looking in both directions before crossing the street, he made his way over to the main entrance and noticed the gate was locked again. No matter, he always had a way of infiltrating places that seemingly were meant for intruders to stay out. Zonic made a running start and grabbed onto the metal fence and ascended it before hopping over and landing in the dirt on the other side graciously. Remaining low, Zonic cautiously made his way towards the home, ducking behind automobiles.

He eventually made it up to the front of the house but was not bold enough to walk through the front door. Instead, he looked at the side of the house and noticed a drainpipe. He already knew exactly where Amy's bedroom was located, so he shimmied up the drainpipe and got to the slanted part of the roof where he could crawl over to Amy's bedroom window. Making his way over, he kept his back to the side of the house before taking a quick peek inside her bedroom only to see it was empty. Zonic fiddled with her window before eventually getting it to open. He lifted it up and climbed inside, surveying her bedroom before shutting the window behind him. As he walked around the small bedroom, he noticed her bed had been made, her laptop was still lying on her desk, and her schoolbooks were still left out and open.

Suddenly, he heard the phone ring inside the house. He heard footsteps coming up the hall and quickly hid inside Amy's small closet with the sliding door. He slid it shut, leaving just a crack so he could watch from the shadows. Suddenly, the phone stopped ringing and he could hear an older male voice had answered it. Who the hell had he forgotten to count? A moment later, Locke ambled into Amy's bedroom with the house phone pressed to his ear. "Yeah, you left it here on your desk," he spoke into the phone.

It was then, Zonic realized the elder echidna must be on the phone with Amy that very second. He continued to eavesdrop from the closet hoping to get any more clues to her whereabouts. "When does your train leave anyway?" Locke questioned as he picked up one of the books on her desk. "Maybe I could rush it over there to you before you—oh I see you're boarding the train now…"

Zonic looked baffled. She was at a train station and she was leaving? What for and why? His thoughts spun around him as he desperately wanted more information. How had he allowed her to slip away from his view again?

Locke lowered the book back onto her desk. "Well, I have you in my thoughts, Ms. Rose. Stay strong, I know how tough it can be. I send you all my strength. Oh, and tell Shadow he better be on his best behavior," Locke chuckled. "See you home tomorrow."

Zonic gritted his teeth together. That black and red hedgehog was going with her? His fists clenched by his sides at the thought of the two traveling together. Locke eventually hung up and left the bedroom. Zonic waited a moment before departing from his hiding spot. If it was only for a funeral, he knew she'd be back eventually so there was no point rushing back to Tech City—especially with his current situation. He'd have eyes on her again soon enough.

•~•

After getting to the train station, Amy and Shadow found their seats on the train together. It had been kind of an awkward ride from the house to the station, and Amy felt the need to clear that awkwardness before arriving to Tech City. It was going to be a long four-hour train ride after all.

She watched as the ebony stiped hedgehog loaded their bags above the overheard compartment where they were sitting. "…Hey, Shadow?"

Shadow continued adjusting their belongings above them. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you for coming with me to the funeral," she started. "I know you didn't want to, but I honestly appreciate it anyway."

"Yeah, of course," he shrugged before sinking down into the seat next to her. "I'm sure I wasn't your first choice to tag along anyway."

"Obviously not," she concurred, catching him off guard. He had expected her to respond with something more sugar-coated. Amy continued, "Sure it would have been nice to have Mighty join me, or even Rouge or Gadget, but you're not as bad as you think, you know."

He tilted his head slightly. "You think so?"

"I know so," she smiled assuredly. "I know deep down you're a kind person. You just try to hide that side of you with your rough exterior."

Shadow seemed surprised to hear her give him such a high thought. "I didn't realize you were suddenly a psychiatrist," he noted passively. She may have been right with her analysis of him, but he didn't need her to know she was right.

The conductor came down the aisle with his pocket watch in hand. "Next stop, Tech City!" he announced. "Please have your tickets ready." Suddenly, they felt a slight shift as the train began slowly moving out of the station.

Shadow and Amy watched as the conductor made his way further down the aisle repeating the same message. Amy cupped her hands in her lap and fiddled with her fingers. "So, I heard you have a business meeting in Tech City and that's why you joined me."

"Yeah, I do. It's just club business," he shrugged.

Amy glanced out the window watching the trees and buildings whizz by as they moved. "If it interferes with the funeral, I completely understand. I can always go by myself and meet up with you later."

Shadow kicked his feet up to rest on the empty seats directly in front of him. "No, it shouldn't. My business takes place this evening anyway so I should be available all of tomorrow."

She glanced away from the window to look at him. "Well, okay…I just, I don't want to force you into this."

"If you don't mind me asking, I'm just wondering how you feel about all of this?"

She glanced out the window again momentarily. "I'm nervous…"

Shadow looked perplexed at the comment. "Why? What is there to be nervous about?"

Her ears lowered and her expression saddened. "…This is the first funeral I've ever attended," she admitted.

Shadow's mouth gaped. "Wait, but what about your parents? You didn't attend their funeral?"

Amy shook her head. "No, my uncle and aunt thought I wouldn't understand. I was very young at the time. I was only five or six years old."

Shadow leaned his head back on the headrest and looked up at the rooftop of the train cart. "Hell…funerals are common in my business. I'm still not sure what there is to be nervous about though."

"The last time I saw Cosmo I was at her house when—" she stopped herself, before revealing too much. She had almost forgotten that Shadow didn't know all the details of her past. "Well, anyway, I went to her for something important. I never had any siblings, but Cosmo was like a sister to me. She was always looking out for me even in the hardest of times."

"Sounds like she was a good person," Shadow noted.

Amy nodded. "She was. She was an incredibly kind and gentle soul. She loved helping and healing people. Cosmo always radiated this gentle aura whenever I was around. It sounds crazy, but she was just the nicest person I've ever met."

"Did they ever find out who murdered her?" Shadow inquired curiously.

Amy shook her head. "Not according to what I heard," she replied. "There was a thorough investigation, but they weren't able to find prints or DNA. Whoever did this was good at covering their tracks…" Amy's fists tightened on her armrests as she grew angry at the thought of knowing who the true culprit was. There would be no way she'd be able to prove it was him even if she did go to the authorities. Zonic was always one step ahead and knew how to work the system flawlessly just as he did with crime scenes.

"Again, my condolences…" Shadow frowned at the thought. He knew all too well how frustrating it was to be left with more questions as to why a crime had occurred. He still to this day didn't know why Maria had been gunned down so brutally when she had equally been a kind soul who had done no wrong to others.

Amy leaned her head up against the side of the window as she thought back to the last time she had been in Cosmo's presence.

•~•

~Flashback: Several Months Ago~

Late in the evening, Cosmo was cutting up vegetables in her kitchen for dinner when she heard frantic pounding knocks at her front door. Placing her cutting knife down on the counter, Cosmo grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped off her hands quickly before making her way towards her front door. Cosmo really had no clue who could possibly be at her front door at this time. She knew for a fact she was not expecting any company nor deliveries. She used the peephole to get a sense of just who was knocking on her door so erratically with a sense of urgency. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw just who was standing on the other end of the door. She unlocked her door and flung it open only to see Amy standing on the other side of it. Amy had a black eye forming around her left eye, a few cuts and scratches across her arms, and her shirt was torn in places. She looked like she had been in quite the scuffle. She stood there wobbling slightly in place. "Amy!" Cosmo beseeched.

"Cosmo…" With tears in her eyes from being humiliated being seen in this state, Amy bowed her head in shame. "Please…I need your help. I can't do this anymore," she croaked.

Feeling a pang of emotion overcome her, Cosmo ushered Amy inside her house and shut the door behind her, and made sure to lock it securely. She knew there was a possibility of another unexpected arrival showing up. "Does he know you came here?"

Amy shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "No, no, I don't think so. I-I just ran and ran as fast as I could."

She kept a guided arm around her back. "You can't keep living like this, Amy. He's going to kill you…"

Amy was walked over to the nearest couch in the living room and sat down on it. "I know, I know, but this time I really want to be rid of him for good," she sobbed.

Cosmo knelt before her and patted her knee reassuringly with her hand. "I'm going to call you out of work for the week. I want you to stay here with me until we can figure something out."

Amy nodded and wiped at her teary eyes. "I just don't want him to come here and hurt you, Cos…"

Cosmo shot her an assuring smile. "He won't," she promised. "Just no using social media or phones for right now, okay? I'm going to keep you safe as long as I can, but the less he knows about your whereabouts, the better."

Amy smiled, reached out, and embraced the seedrian. "Thank you, Cosmo. You're the best friend a girl could ask for."

Cosmo returned the gesture, holding her in a soft embrace for a moment. "You deserve someone who truly loves you, Amy. This guy is not your prince in shining armor. He's the devil in disguise."

Amy bowed her head in shame. "I know, it took long enough for me to figure that out..."

Cosmo rose from her seat. "Let me get my medical supplies and fix you up. I'll be back in a second."

•~•

Eventually, that afternoon, Shadow and Amy arrived in Tech City. The two departed the train station together and flagged a cab. From the Tech City train station, the two were dropped off at a local hotel to spend the night. Shadow and Amy waited at the front desk waiting to be checked in. The concierge, a large, red, male walrus, typed away at the computer in front of them. "Name?"

Shadow leaned his arms across the countertop. "Shadow the hedgehog," he replied. "I booked two connecting rooms."

The concierge typed away on his computer looking for the reservation. "Ah, yes. I see it right here…however, I noticed we actually only have one room reserved for you tonight."

Shadow looked surprised by the notice. "What? I specifically booked two rooms online."

"I'm sorry, sir. For whatever reason, the system only booked one room," the walrus shrugged apologetically.

Shadow scoffed in annoyance. "Fine, just correct the mistake and give us two rooms then," he waved.

"Um, my apologies, but I'm afraid we're completely booked for the night."

Shadow sighed in frustration. "You've got to be joking…"

"However," they interrupted. "I may be able to alleviate the problem with an upgrade."

Shadow raised a curious brow. "What kind of an upgrade?"

"I have one suite available that I can reserve for you and you'll still be paying the cost for one normal standard room. I want to make this up to you for the mistake on our system," he smiled.

Shadow glanced over at Amy. "Still, it's one room we'd be sharing…"

Amy placed a hand on Shadow's arm. "Shadow, it's okay. I don't mind sharing a room."

"The suite truly won't feel like you'll be invading each other's personal space. There is a living space, kitchen, two bedrooms, and two baths. I doubt you'll find any issues," the concierge explained.

"See?" Amy smiled optimistically.

Shadow nodded. "Very well, we'll take it."

•~•

Once settling into their suite, Amy walked into Shadow's bedroom and stood in the open doorway while he placed his duffle bag on top of his bed. "So, are you hungry by any chance?" Amy inquired.

He placed a hand to his stomach. "I am, do you just want to order something in?"

She tucked her arms behind her back shyly. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd be interested in heading out into the city and trying out one of my favorite restaurants while we're here?"

Shadow turned to face her and crossed his arms over his chest. "That all depends, what type of food are we talking about?"

"Ramen?" she suggested.

Shadow smirked. "Alright, this place better blow me out of the water, or you won't hear the last of it," he forewarned.

Amy giggled at his comment. "So, you like ramen that much, huh?"

"Like?" he repeated in insult. "No, you mean love," he corrected. "Asian cuisine is among my favorite."

•~•

While driving to the restaurant in their cab, Amy pointed out all of her favorite places and hangouts. She showed Shadow the hospital she used to work at, her other favorite restaurants, her favorite public park, and her favorite places to shop. While they sat in the back of the cab, Shadow found himself cracking a smile on every odd occasion as he found it amusing to see Amy become so excited and proud to show him all of her favorite hang-out spots. From how she talked about Tech City, it truly seemed like a place she was proud to call home. It also seemed to hold a lot of very sweet and sentimental memories for her, which only continued to make him wonder why she left this place behind in the first place.

Finally arriving to their destination, Shadow and Amy entered the infamous "Shimuja" restaurant Amy had recommended. As they entered the facility Shadow noticed the upscale and trendy modern Japanese interior decorating. However, while Shadow sized up the place, some of the customers looked at Shadow and made comments under their breath, especially since he was brandishing his notorious black biker jacket with his M.C's insignia. Amy was very aware of the subtle whispers and looks in their direction. Shadow didn't seem to pay much attention to or care about it. He just ambled behind the hostess leading them to their seats at the bar.

"You're well known here in Tech City too, huh?" Amy noted quietly as they took their seats at the bar.

"Huh? Oh, you mean because of my jacket?" he gestured. "Yeah, we've made our mark on quite a few places in Mobius already."

Amy glanced around the restaurant noticing still a few customers giving them hesitant side-eye glances. "They respect you…"

Shadow lifted up his menu, not seeming phased or overly proud by this gesture. "…Or they're afraid," he added. "Either way, it doesn't make a real difference on what they think of me."

The next couple of minutes, the two hedgehogs sat side by side at the bar as they glanced over the menu in silence. "Do you have any idea what you'll be getting?" Amy inquired curiously, trying to break the silence.

Shadow flipped a page in his menu. "I'm thinking I'll go for the spicy miso ramen. What do you normally get?"

Amy pointed to a particular photo on her menu. "I always stick with the classic Tonkotsu ramen," she answered. "It's my absolute favorite here."

Shadow lowered his menu. "I was wondering if you wanted to share some sake, that is…if you drink?"

Amy smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'd love to."

Just then a waiter from behind the bar approached them. "What can I get you two?"

Shadow glanced at his menu again. "I'll take a bowl of the spicy miso ramen with two hard-boiled eggs please," he specified.

The waiter jotted down the order. "Of course." He then glanced over in Amy's direction. "And for you, miss?"

"I'll take the classic Tonkotsu ramen, with extra menma, please."

The waiter wrote down her order. "Good choices."

"And we'd like to share one bottle of your plum sake," Shadow added.

"Of course, sir." The waiter finished writing their order and took their menus and ushered them off to the back.

A moment later, a bartender walked over and placed two glasses and the bottle of plum sake in front of the two. "I heard you wanted to try our plum sake. Well, I'm going to give it to you on the house," he said while bowing his head respectively.

Shadow stuck out his hand and shook the bartender's outstretched hand. "Thanks, man. I appreciate the kind gesture."

Amy watched on in awe as Shadow kindly accepted the free alcohol. Once the bartender walked off, Amy eyed Shadow as he calmly poured the two of them sake. "I don't get it…"

Shadow handed her a small sake glass. "Don't get what, princess?"

Amy accepted the glass of sake gratefully. "You wield so much power just from being a part of the M.C, yet you seem so unfazed, so indifferent to holding this over people's heads," she further elaborated.

"Look, there's not much to get. I'll admit…some of us like having this power, I, on the other hand, don't care much for it. The way we earned it is nothing to be proud of," he admitted.

Amy absorbed his words. She could only imagine some of the things Shadow had done in the past to gain this respect or as others viewed it, fear. Clearly, he wasn't pleased with his past doings. "I see…"

Shadow sighed. "Enough with bringing down the mood." He lifted his sake glass to hers and showed a small smile. "Cheers, princess."

Amy raised her glass and clinked it with his. "Cheers," she replied, returning a small smile herself.

Shadow sipped his sake and relished the taste. "Very nice."

"Yes, it is quite good," Amy concurred. "Nice pick, Shadow."

Suddenly, Shadow felt a tap on his left shoulder. He craned his neck only to spot a beautiful, busty, yet slender female black cat wearing a tight silver dress slither her way into the empty seat to his left. She lowered her eyelids seductively as she batted her eyelashes at him. "Well, hello there, handsome…" she purred.

"Evening," Shadow replied looking already uninterested as he kept his eyes straight ahead, barely uttering her a second glance.

Amy watched the interaction unfold in awe. This girl was clearly hitting on him and she was curious to see how he'd react. She had yet to see Shadow interact with beautiful females throwing themselves at him. She tried not to look as obvious to watching the spectacle as possible, and instead just kept her face forward and casually sipped on her sake. She also didn't want to get in the way if Shadow were to want to partake in this any further.

The cat's tail swished back and forth behind her, and she placed a hand on his forearm sensually. "I couldn't help but notice you from across the restaurant. Just what is a handsome-looking guy like yourself doing over here by your lonesome?"

Shadow gently pulled his arm from under his grasp and refilled his glass of sake. "I'm not alone," he corrected. "I'm having dinner."

The cat stiffened a bit, alarmed that Shadow was so sharp and blunt with her. However, she refused to back down from a challenge. She shot a glare over in Amy's direction leering at her sight. "My mistake, I did not know she was with you. She your girlfriend?"

Shadow finally looked her in the eyes, turning his head slightly in her direction. "Regardless of my answer, would it truly stop you from throwing yourself senselessly at me?" he questioned in a monotone voice.

The black cat blinked a few times. "But I thought you were known for-"

"—Well, you're wrong," he cut her off abruptly. "I'm not like that anymore, now scram."

The cat looked taken aback by his rejection. "Well, excuse me," she seethed, standing up from her seat. She huffed in annoyance. "You're probably lousy in bed anyway," she muttered under her breath before sauntering off.

Shadow didn't even flinch as the disappointed female stomped off feeling humiliated from the denial. Amy was in complete awe of the whole spectacle. She looked at the retreating girl before looking back to Shadow who calmly sat there eying the sake bottle ingredients in boredom. Granted, Shadow was a very attractive-looking guy. He could literally have his pick of any female he wanted. The options were endless, yet his prior actions utterly confused her. "Shadow…I-I."

"—More sake?" he offered, acting oblivious to the scene that had just taken place.

Amy offered out her glass and he topped her off. "She was just hitting on you now and you just-"

"—Rejected her?" he cut off, finishing her line of thought. "Yeah, so?" he shrugged.

Amy was taken aback by his mere indifference. "Gosh, she was gorgeous and clearly interested. If you said no because I'm here, I really wouldn't have been offended if you wanted to—erm."

"She's not my type. Besides, I came here to eat, not to hook up in a bathroom stall with desperate females looking to claim they slept with the infamous Brothers of Chaos V.P," he explained. "I'm over girls throwing themselves at me just for a one-night stand."

Just then, the waiter came over and set down their bowls of ramen in front of each of them. "Spicy miso ramen and the classic Tonkotsu ramen," he announced. "Enjoy!"

Shadow split the pair of chopsticks apart and put them in his right hand. The aroma of the spicy miso filled his nostrils. "Shit, this smells good."

Amy mimicked his actions and the two dug into their bowls. Several minutes later, Shadow lowered his chopsticks and rested them on the lip of his now-empty bowl. "Alright, you win this time."

Amy looked up from finishing her final bite. "Hm?"

"The ramen, it was fantastic. You were right," he clarified.

Amy swallowed her bite and smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Like I said earlier, this is my favorite restaurant."

The waiter came over and placed the bill down in between the two. "I hope you enjoyed the meal," he smiled before walking off.

Both Amy and Shadow immediately placed their hand on top of the bill. Their fingertips gently grazed each other. "I've got it," both said in unison.

Amy smiled sheepishly at the coincidence. "No, really Shadow. I'll take care of it. My treat."

"No chance in hell," he stated sternly. Shadow reached into his jacket and pulled out his wallet. He fished inside and pulled out a couple of bills and clipped them to the pocketbook. "You picked the location and you impressed me. Like I said earlier, you won this round."

For some unknown reason, Amy couldn't help but feel a slight blush graze her cheeks. It thankfully quickly subsided before Shadow took notice. Shadow glanced at his phone noticing the time. "Shit…" he cursed. "My meeting is at 11 PM. I've got twenty minutes to get there."

Amy hopped off her seat. "I can always take a cab back to the hotel. You don't need to head back with me first," Amy suggested.

Shadow stood from his seat as well. "Are you sure?"

Amy nodded. "Of course, get to your meeting in time."

"Alright, let me at least walk you out." Amy felt a shiver run down her spine as Shadow placed a hand on her upper back and guided her out of the restaurant. She could once again feel all eyes of the patrons on the two of them as they made their exit. Once out of the restaurant, the two stood on the corner and Shadow watched as cars and buses whizzed by on the street. However, the moment he saw a cab heading in their direction, he put his thumb and index fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp ear-piercing whistle. The cab obliged and halted directly in front of the two. Shadow opened the back passenger door and allowed Amy to enter the car.

In the meantime, the cab driver rolled down his window. "Where to, pal?"

Shadow bent down slightly to the cabbie's level. "To the Hotel Plaza in the city center," he ordered.

The driver nodded. "You got it."

Shadow turned to look at Amy. "I should be back in the next couple of hours. You don't need to wait up for me, alright?"

"Okay," Amy replied. "Good luck, Shadow."

"Thanks." With that, he closed the door and watched as her cab pulled away and drove off. As Amy sat in the back of the cab, she felt a weird pang hit her in her belly. Why was she suddenly getting these weird butterfly sensations? And for who, Shadow? The guy who had been a complete and utter jerk to her. However, she had to admit, this newer side of him he had slowly been revealing to her overtime was quite refreshing. But she had to question why he was suddenly being so nice to her, so charming, so gentlemanly?

At that same time, Shadow walked down the sidewalk with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He shook his head to himself as he feared the worse. There was a very particular reason he didn't want to accompany Amy on this trip. He wasn't purposely trying to, but he was beginning to open up around her and become vulnerable. It was hard enough to repress and refrain from being his true self around her, but the longer he remained in her close proximity he felt himself relax and lower his guard. He scoffed under his breath thinking about their day spent together and couldn't help but smile to himself. Begrudgingly, he had enjoyed spending the day with her, even if it was doing mundane things like traveling and eating out.

•~•

At a loading dock in the city, Shadow met with his clients. As he stood there waiting for their arrival, he glanced down at his phone where he saw a text message from his brother. It read: "Has it been completed?"

Shadow quickly typed back to his brother. "Not yet, I'm working on it now," he wrote before sending it out. Just then, Shadow heard footsteps and saw his clients approach him at the docks. "It's about time…"

A slender purple female wolf sauntered towards Shadow with her own crew following closely behind. She was escorted by two other wolves. The largest member of her entourage was Canus a large light blue wolf with blue eyes. He looked much older than the leader, Lupe, and was easily pushing his 50s, but he was clearly the muscle of the group. On the other side, was Diablo, a leaner brown wolf in his mid-20s. Finally, the third member tagging along was Marcos, a lighter brown wolf with dark brown locks and crystal-clear eyes.

"Forgive us for our tardiness, Shadow," Lupe apologized.

She reached out and extended her hand to the dark hedgehog who shook it amicably before parting from their handshake. "Nearly brought the whole pack I see," Shadow noted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's just a precaution, however, I'm surprised you did not take your own precaution," she noted eyeing his lack of backup.

"I don't need it," he shrugged calmly. "Now, let's get down to business."

Lupe clasped her hands together. "Of course, now this is regarding on installment of payments, correct?"

"That's right. You all forked up twenty grand three months ago. We're still waiting for the rest of the ten k," he explained.

Lupe eyed Marcos with concern. "I was under the impression this matter had been paid off nearly three weeks ago. Marcos, you're our accountant, have we not paid the brothers as he claims?"

Marcos bared his teeth. "No ma'am, he's lying. We already paid off our debt. These guys are just trying to trick us," he pointed accusingly.

"I figured you'd try to pull some sly shit like that." Shadow pulled out his phone and pulled up some screenshots on his phone. "Thankfully, I've got my receipts."

However, Shadow froze when he felt a pistol pressed against his temple. "We can end our debt right here and now," Marcos argued. "One shot and we get outta here."

Lupe looked enraged at Marcos' bold move. "Marcos, what are you doing? Stop this!"

Shadow glared at the naïve wolf as he stayed still. "Sure, pull the trigger, you'll only instill an entire war on your end."

Marcos did not seem afraid at the prospect. "What, us against the Brothers? Easy. Our pack has only grown over the years."

"So, you're willing to have both charters come after you along with Mogul's men?" Shadow challenged. "That sounds rather ballsy," he countered.

"…Mogul?" Marcos repeated, startled.

"Stop being an idiot, Marcos!" Diablo shouted.

"Yeah, put down the gun," Canus added.

Obliging, Marcos lowered his gun and put it back in his holster next to his hip. Lupe moved in closer to the rogue wolf. "Pay him now," she demanded.

Muttering obscenities under his breath, Marcos pulled out his phone and logged into their online banking system. He typed away at his phone and Shadow felt his own phone vibrate. He glanced down and noticed a new alert from his online banking system showing the 10k depositing. "Nice doing business with you," he smirked arrogantly tucking his phone into his pocket.

"Once again, my apologies for my accountant's behavior," Lupe bowed.

Shadow eyed the bold male wolf. "I'd keep a tight leash on that one. He seems like the type to come for your throne," he forewarned.

•~•

Later that night, Shadow unlocked the door to their suite and was surprised to see one of the lamps on in the living area. He was even further surprised when he noticed Amy curled up in her pajamas sprawled across the couch. He sighed quietly as he stared at her sleeping form. "I thought I told her she didn't need to wait up for me," he thought to himself.

Shadow made his way over to her and carefully scooped her up into his arms. Amy was completely knocked out and didn't even budge slightly as he carried her into her bedroom. He was a bit shocked to discover how light she felt in his arms, Amy was by no means fat, but she was quite light—some could argue even too light. Shadow lowered her down onto her bed and draped the sheets over her.

Just as he was heading out, he heard her stirring. "Shadow?" she spoke quietly.

He craned his neck to look at her. "Yes?"

"Did everything go alright at your meeting?" she asked tiredly while rubbing at her shut eyes.

"Everything went fine," he ensured. "I told you, you didn't have to wait up for me," he said quietly.

She settled back under the sheets. "I know, I know," she droned. "But I was still worried about you."

He chuckled lowly. "Night, doctor."

"Night," she mumbled.

With that done, Shadow closed her door ajar and moved into his own room where he began to get undressed for the night. He took his shirt off and tossed it on the floor before flopping face-first onto his bed. He kicked off his shoes and socks while he laid on his bed and became familiar and comfortable with the new bed. Glancing at his alarm, he noticed the time, 12:19 AM. He knew he'd have to get up rather early to attend this funeral with Amy so he closed his eyes hoping sleep would overcome him soon.

•~•

The next morning was like a blur to Amy. Amy was in autopilot mode for the day. She got up showered and got dressed. In the other room, Shadow got dressed in a black suit and his best-dressed shoes. He knocked on Amy's bedroom door to see if she was ready. "Come in," she beckoned.

Shadow cracked the door and saw her standing in front of the mirror checking over her appearance one last time before heading out. She was wearing a black dress, black stockings, black heels, and a black coat. "We'll be late if we don't leave in five, just a heads up."

Amy stared at him in the reflection of her mirror. "I'm almost done here, thank you, Shadow."

She and Shadow shared a cab as they drove to the funeral together. Both wearing black attire, Amy glanced out the window as they drove in silence. Eventually, the two arrived and both emerged from either side of the car. The funeral was being held in Tech City Park. There were hundreds of elegant floral arrangements on display and Shadow and Amy found their seats amongst the crowd.

A priest stood and gave Cosmo a powerful and emotional eulogy at the front and of the stage. Next to him, there was a large portrait of Cosmo smiling in her photo. Most people in the audience were crying, looking solemn, sniffling, or holding back tears as they listened to the eulogy. Shadow turned to look at Amy who was sitting there in complete silence with tears streaking down her cheeks. Frowning from her state, Shadow reached out and placed his hand over the top of hers resting on her right knee.

Amy turned her head slightly and looked to Shadow as his hand rested on top of hers. Amy gave him a curt nod, appreciating his gesture. Later on, at the burial, Shadow stood next to Amy as they watched Cosmo's casket get lowered into the ground. Carrying a bouquet of flowers, Amy knelt down and placed them in front of her grave.

Shadow could still see Amy was visibly upset as she watched the grave diggers begin to bury her deceased friend. Placing a hand on her shoulder cautiously, Shadow cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt your moment, but we'll need to get going if we want to catch the train on time," he announced respectfully.

Amy nodded, understanding their situation. "Yes, of course. Just give me one more moment," she pleaded.

Shadow watched as Amy walked over to Cosmo's tombstone and laid her hand on top of it. Closing her eyes, Amy felt her bottom lip tremble. "Thank you for everything. I'll never forget you…"

With that final farewell, Amy turned on her heel and approached Shadow. Shadow stuck out his arm, urging her to link arms as they walked back together. Amy linked arms with him and the two made their somber trek back to the main street where they could catch a cab back to the hotel. "If it's for anything, it was a beautiful service," Shadow noted. "I felt like I personally knew your friend by the end of it."

"It was done quite well," she agreed. "I just can't believe she's really gone. Seeing her casket lowered into the ground really just hit me—you know..?"

The two stopped at a street corner together. "I completely understand what you're feeling right now, truly I do," he confessed solemnly.

Amy looked up at Shadow with tears still in her eyes. "How do you deal with this pain, Shadow? It feels like it'll never go away…"

"Honestly, it just takes time," he answered. "There will be days where you feel like you've overcome the emotions and then you turn on the TV and see something that reminds you of them, and it all comes flooding back."

"What did you do to get over your grief?" she questioned curiously.

"Me?" Shadow scoffed and looked irritated as he recalled some of the methods, he had used to get over the death of Maria. "Nothing worth telling. I regret many of the things I did to grieve her death. Personally, I only think they extended the grief, not make them better," he admitted. "Truly, the best way to deal with grief is to surround yourself with loved ones. Accept their love and guidance even if you don't think you need it," he advised. "You'll never forget them, but you'll learn to cope with it and move forward."

A cab stopped in front of them and Shadow opened the door for Amy. She walked towards the open door but stopped just before entering the vehicle. "You know, that's pretty good advice," she admitted. "I'm quite impressed."

"I'm glad I offered something viable."

Amy climbed into the car and Shadow followed after her.

•~•

On the train back to Mercia, Shadow called Mephiles on the phone to update him on the business run. "It's all sorted now," he announced.

"Good job, brother. You're heading back now?"

Shadow glanced at Amy sitting next to him and staring out the window. "Yes, we just left the station."

"How is Miss Rose doing then?" he inquired curiously.

"It's been an emotional day for her, but I think she'll pull through." Amy glanced at Shadow realizing he was talking about her.

"Who are you talking to?" she mouthed quietly.

"I'm on the phone with my brother," he replied back to her.

"Can I talk to him for a moment?" she asked kindly.

"Uh, yeah I guess." He handed her his cellphone and she placed it to her ear.

"Hello, Mephiles?" she asked.

"Miss Rose," he chimed. "Has my brother taken care of you well?"

Amy glanced over to Shadow leaning further back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. "Surprisingly, he's been really great on this trip," she replied. "It's not been so bad having him accompany me," she admitted.

"That's good to hear, my dear. I have you in my thoughts. Now, if you don't mind, can you put my brother back on?"

"Of course, thank you Mephiles." She handed Shadow back his cellphone. "Here, he wants to talk to you."

Shadow accepted the phone and held it up to his ear. "Yes?"

"Sounds like she's taken a fancy to you," he chuckled on his end.

Shadow scoffed. "Shut up," he groaned.

"I only tease, dear brother. I'll see you once you get home.