Disclaimer: I still don't own any Sonic the Hedgehog characters, but I love them all so much!

He didn't know why he let this girl drag him out of the comfort of his home to some unknown part of the forest, but he figured if they were attacked by something for whatever reason he would be the best line of defense. Unlike that blue faker who was probably lazing around, he would never reach her in time anyway. There was no way he was fast enough. He could tell she was determined about something by the way she trudged on ahead of him and the way that her grip on his wrist didn't slack for a minute. For a split second the ebony male was almost convinced she was going to throw him over her shoulder and kill him once they got to their destination…yeah right. As if this pink pipsqueak could-

"We're here!"

Shadow stopped his inner monologue to inspect the clearing she had led him to. It was nice…sure. But what was the point? She let go of his wrist and inhaled the sweet scent of the fresh air. She giggled at hearing the birds chirp and spun a little bit, all while Shadow stood and stared incredulously at her trying to undeniably become one with nature. She sat down on the lush grass and patted a spot next to her.

"Come on. You know I don't bite! Besides, I brought you here so we can hang out! Some good 'ol classic Shadow and Amy time!" She gave him a huge grin as he begrudgingly took a seat down next to her.

"More like dragged me here against my will, but I digress. Why are we here?" He stared at her blankly.

He wasn't mad at the bubblegum girl. When it came to spending time with the Ultimate Lifeform, Amy was the only one who actually made an effort- and succeeded. Sonic would usually try to race, but Shadow grew tired of him easily and would usually decline claiming he had something better to do. He would see Rouge and Omega often at G.U.N so he found it pointless to spend time with them outside of work unless there was an actual reason for them to come together. He didn't even really care about hanging with the others, but he did appreciate the fact that this girl would sometimes go out of her way to just have a conversation with him. So he let it be.

"Shadow…I wanted to talk to you about something."

He noticed her aura seemed to change, as if she were calming down. She looked up at him for reassurance to finish the next part of what she was going to say. She looked worried, he noted. He nodded back at her to let her know he was listening.

She blinked as if not expecting his sign to continue and then her face grew serious, "I wanted to ask you about Maria…but if you can't or don't want to I understand! I just wanted to know what she was like…all the good things about her, you know?!"

He froze for a moment, not expecting her to bring up something that meant so much to him. She didn't know how he would react…what was her counter if he lashed out on her? Ignored her? What he told himself was that he didn't owe this girl a single thing. However, the truth was that he truly felt like he did. Amy was his friend as much as he'd try to shrug it off, but deep down in his soul he knew she was only asking because she was genuinely curious. She meant no harm, she just wanted to know about him. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he watched her stand up and start to freak out.

"Oh Chaos, I knew I shouldn't have asked. Shadow, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to pry! We can leave right-"

"Sit down girl. It's fine. I can tell you about Maria. I mean I'd tell you to ask her yourself, but she's dead."

He opened one eye toward her and smirked watching her face turn white. She slowly sat back down next to him and gulped loud enough for the entire valley to hear.

"Maria was my best friend. Almost like a sister to me. She was beautiful, graceful, and to set a record straight thanks to that blue buffoon; no she was not my girlfriend. But she was indeed special. She was murdered…an innocent girl with nothing but hope for the people of Earth and in cruel irony they were the ones who let her down." His brow furred a bit as he cracked his knuckles and continued, "That was probably the worst day of this long life I've been living. She was a good person- the best I've ever met, and I will always cherish the time I spent with her."

He leaned back against the grass and stared at the clouds thinking of his late friend. He wondered how she was doing, and if she was proud of the choices he had made in the past and currently in the present. Yeah, he had gotten into some weird situations that might have questioned his morality, but at the end of the day he always felt like he redeemed himself. Maria's voice was constant in the back of his head, his mind, his spirit as a reminder to do good in this universe. He promised.

"She sounds amazing…like a real life angel. But Shadow, what did you guys like to do? What was her favorite color?"

Shadow blinked and looked to his side and noticed Amy mimicking his actions, except she didn't return his gaze. She smiled knowingly while putting her arms behind her head and continued, "I mean I just feel like everyone wants to know what happened with the Professor and the ARK and the day everything went to pieces…but I just want to know what made her great! How she was such a good friend to you? I want to be just as good!"

He smirked as he returned his eyes to the clouds.

"Well for starters, she wasn't an overbearing shade of pink so because of that we clicked right away."

She huffed in response, clearly not amused by his attempt at a joke.

"But as for who she was? Think about it this way, we were two strangers aboard this big scary ship in outer space together. We didn't know what was happening. We just had each other. I had a purpose predetermined for me, so my life was not my own until Maria taught me how to live. She was sick, but that never handicapped her spirit. She wanted to live her life to the fullest, and in turn teach me how to as well."

Amy didn't know what she had gotten herself into initially as she continued to listen to him talk about how wonderful Maria was and the silly stories they shared together she didn't know he was capable of having. She woke up that morning and decided to spend time with someone that wasn't Sonic, and the mental spinner in her head pointed to Shadow. She was almost convinced on taking him to the mall, but her feet took a different approach and her heart followed in suit which is what led them here. This was the most she had ever heard the black and red hedgehog talk when it didn't come to a mission brief with Sonic, and she felt special that he was sharing this with her. Shadow was her friend. And simply by listening to him, she was discovering that he wasn't just this "Ultimate Lifeform" with no remorse for anyone or anything- he feels things too.

"-she never let me live that one down. I'm sure she still laughs at me when it happens every once in a while too." He chuckled softly to himself and she noticed his calm demeanor indicated that he was comfortable. Amy shook herself out of her trance and looked at the dark boy next to her. He looked…happy?

"Do you miss her?"

Record scratch. He stopped for a second, quickly sat up fixing his posture, and stared at her. She copied his movements, her eyes widening at the thought of what she had just done.

"…Everyday."

Oh Chaos she had done it now. He was so happy a minute ago and-

"But I've learned to move on with my life. She is proud of me and that's all I could ever hope for. I imagine that people enter and exit this world for a purpose, and I believe that she served hers. Loss does not mean that you lose, and for that I can only be thankful for the time I was given with her. You remind me of her quite a bit, Rose." His gaze softened as he returned his attention to the blues of the sky. "I think she would have really liked you."

Amy couldn't help but smile. Her eyes had the makings of tears start to form, but she rubbed them away as quickly as they came. She couldn't be a crybaby in front of Shadow about someone she's never met, but already loved even if it was only in her heart.

"I think Maria was lucky to have such a good friend in you. I don't think she could have asked for anyone better. I'm so glad she shared you with the rest of us because you are such a good person Shadow. It's why we love you so much! Thank you for telling me about her. She seems like all I could have ever imagined her to be. Perfect."

Shadow turned to look at her for a minute and truly saw Amy. He could deny it all he wanted to the heavens and above, but this annoying girl was truly his friend and he would stop at nothing to protect her from harm. Although…he truly doubted there would be a time where that blue thing wouldn't protect this girl because let's face it, he wouldn't allow it; and while his ego was already huge, his heart for her was even bigger. He smirked.

He stood up and extended a hand to join him and she graciously accepted it. She beamed in return. They began walking the way they entered, a comfortable silence rising between the two since their minds had different things swimming through them. Amy had a feeling of contentment. She felt closer to the hedgehog, and now she knew at least in some way he felt the same towards her. She had no one else to thank but the old friend she decided to bring up on a whim, and she was so grateful for that, and for her. She stopped their pace and looked up to the sky. Shadow stopped a few feet ahead of her and watched her cup her mouth with her hands.

"What the he-"

"THANK YOU!"

He snorted as he watched her blow a kiss to the sky. His eyes followed her figure jogging to catch back up with him and he couldn't help but feel lighthearted about the whole thing. He didn't know how she did it, but his mood changed significantly when he talked about the good memories of his old friend. It was like an instant cure.

"Are you going to explain that weird display of affection, or are you going to keep your girlish tendencies to yourself?"

"Just wanted to say bye to an old new friend, that's all." She responded coolly, trying to catch her breath at the same time. He chuckled as he continued on, deeming her answer as acceptable.

"Alright. Oh yeah, by the way…Blue. Her favorite color was blue. Just like you."

A/N: Hellllllooooo again! I am back, and instead of uploading Sonamy (but I shamelessly added a tidbit in forgive me) here I am with a sweet moment between Shadow & Amy. I love these two, and I have the biggest headcannon that they have a big brother/little sister relationship even though they hardly showcase this in the games. My next one shot will be Sonic and Amy centered, I promise! But until now, thank you so much for reading! Please let me know your thoughts and if not- thank you anyway! Until next time XO