2 chapters in 2 days! Don't expect this for much longer. Homework to do. :( Urgh, I'd much rather write this. :( Anyway, enjoy!

-(Amy)

For two years after he was adopted I thought about Shadow every day. Where he was. What he was doing. How he was doing. These were the most recurring of my questions, but the one that scared me most? Was he even alive. The scariest thing in the world is definitely not knowing.

As soon as Shadow was no longer there, I saw no reason to attempt getting adopted. Previously, I had wanted to be adopted to convince them to take Shadow too. So that he could be happy. With me. But now that he wasn't there... it was pointless. "Amy!"
"What?" My attitude had also deteriorated in the time he had been gone.

"You have a visitor."
"I don't want to be adopted!" I whipped around to face the blue Echidna – who was also the owner of the orphanage – and shoot her a menacing glare. My eyes flickered to the female next to her, a white bat, and glared at her for a second before returning my gaze the the wall I had previously been facing.

I heard high heels on the wooden floor. They were approaching me. "So you don't want to be adopted? Why is that Hun?" She leaned towards me, one eyebrow arched. I looked across at her, green eyes staring at blue.

"I don't deserve it. I let a friend get adopted by a horrible... horrible person. I deserve to suffer alone." The most painful thing about telling this stranger that was that it was all true.

"Hum... so, do you want to find this friend?"

"Duh."

"Then I'll help you. Let me adopt you, then I'll help." I almost fell off the other side of my bed in shock.

"Why would you want to adopt me?"

"I want a kid, but don't want to commit, get fat, or deal with soiled pants. You in?" This bat... she talks sense, in a strange way. I felt no need to further exhaust my vocal chords, so simply nodded. A few hours later, and I had a mother. Even though she was only a few years older than me, which is just a little weird.

She quite literally dragged me out of the orphanage and straight into the pub that was not too far down the road. I was completely clueless as to why, until she sat me down at one of the tables and explained her plan. She wants to hire a mercenary of some kind to help track him down, since they are trained in this sort of situation, except they normally find someone that someone wants dead. Oh well. We'll just have to be sure to tell him not to kill him once found. She also said that we should go with him, just in case I spot him on the way which could save us a lot of time, not to mention money, as mercenaries really aren't all that cheap.

I couldn't believe it, but I was actually beginning to smile while Rouge, my new mother, explained all of this to me. The thought of seeing Shadow again had always been an appealing one since the day he was adopted, but I never even dreamed that I would actually see him again.

My excitement taken into account, you can only imagine how happy I was when a mercenary walked into the pub. I mean, what are the chances? He walked in, black cloak and all, and went and stood by the bar. Rouge saw me staring, mouth ajar, and asked what was the matter. In my feeble, my-brain-just-melted state, all I could do was point dumbly. "Oh..." She shot me a smirk, looking back to where he was stood with the same self-satisfaction on her face. "I'll be one minute."

I watched as she got up from her seat elegantly, drawing the attention of every male in the building. All except the mercenary, which was slightly odd, but failed to throw her from her seductive walk in those stupidly high heels. Okay, I'm a girl, and I'm not homo or anything, but I will admit that she has some skill there. She continued with her tactics, I'm guessing in an attempt to lower the price, by draping herself on the bar in a way that suggested that she could only see the mercenary.

"So..." That one word sent every man silent. "Are you a mercenary, or do you just like to dress like one?" The question was so nonchalant, you wouldn't have thought she was talking to the 'odd jobs' man of the military world. Seriously, this guy looked like he could snap Shadow like a twig.

"I wish I just liked to dress like one..." He muttered, just loud enough for me to hear in the complete silence.

"In that case, I have a job for you."
"And what might that be?" His voice seems... strangely familiar, but from where, I don't know.

"It's a bit of a... search and rescue, but we aren't quite sure if there will be an rescuing necessary."
"Give me the details and I'll give you my services. For a fee, of course." The last sentence seemed like a purposeful after thought, as if he wanted to make sure she knew he was most certainly not about to give her a discount. So much for men thinking with the contents of their trousers...

"Come with me then."

Any thoughts as to who the mercenary is? If so, tell me. I want to know if my story is predictable. ;) Anyway, R&R! :) Thanks for reading!