Well, this is certainly an uncomfortable situation for a certain blue blur. However will Shadow respond?

Part Eight: Dawn

Not a single beat passed in the room before Shadow had his cobalt counterpart secured in his grasp by the throat. Sonic was quite surprised by his rival's quick reflexes and was now trying to yank and pull himself free "Shad…ugh...what...the hell…gaak!"

Shadow's crimson eyes were alive with fire, voice primal and resonating, his hands constricting with the aid of the energies buried deep within "You have exactly two seconds to explain why you're here before I make you a permanent resident of this place, faker!" By then, Knuckles and Rouge were at his side, lending their strength to free the blue speedster "Stop it, Shadow! Put him down!" the huntress was pleading.

"Come on…dammit! Let go!" Knuckles added, only about a tic away from using his namesake to break up this entanglement.

Dr. Caimen was also not about to let this happen "For God's sake gentlemen! Not in my hospital, and certainly not in front of the patient!" he barked.

The ruby-marked warrior growled indignantly and pulled his prey back into the hallway. Once there, he dropped his quarry like a sack of chili dogs. Sonic collapsed to the ground, confused and out of breath "Damm, Shadow… some… greeting you've got."

"Shut up! I know why you're here, you son of a bitch. And I think you know why Amy is lying there half-dead. Tell me Sonic, what the hell did you do to her?!"

"I didn't do anything!" the blue hedgehog pleaded "Look, that night at the club, she was acting clingy like always, and my girl there didn't take it so well. So Sal told her off."

"Yea… but didn't she leave with one of the band guys? Doesn't look like that worked well for you either blue" Knuckles added.

Sonic chuckled, but his gaze remained focused on the floor "Notice that too, did ya red?"

Then, from further down the hallway, came the high-pitched plea of two younger warriors as Tails and Cream came motoring down the path to stand by their hero's side

"Shadow! Rouge, Knuckles!? Whats going on?" Tails asked, wide-eyed and perplexed.

"Let me help you up, Mr. Sonic" Cream added as the hedgehog retook his footing to face his adversary.

"What do you mean this girl 'told her off'? Why didn't you stop her?" the midnight warrior persisted. He was sure the blue imposter wasn't as innocent as he claimed to be.

"Just how it sounds, Amy came up and pounced on me like always, Sally got jealous and told her to get lost…only in the not-so-nice way."

"She bitched Amy out? Damm, I guess that slut's reputation isn't entirely bad press" Knuckles commented, earning a slap on the shoulder from his huntress "Watch your mouth, knucklehead!"

The guardian grinned sheepishly at the two set of smaller ears. Tails simply shrugged while the polite little rabbit looked mortified.

"That still says nothing about why you didn't intervene, faker" Shadow injected.

"Look, I didn't know it would come to this! I mean, everytime I try to say something, it just doesn't sink into Amy's head. I wanted to let her down gently, but Sally beat me to it. I was too shocked after she said what she did, you can ask her. I'm just as stunned as you all are that Amy would go this far!"

"I don't think so" Shadow retorted. "If you had been so concerned, you would have gone to Amy's house to check on her. And it would've been you covered in her blood, racing across town to save her life! You've never deserved her affection and you know it!"

"Oh yea?" Sonic retorted. "And I suppose you think you do, Mister 'I'm-obsessed-with-a-dead-chick'?"

There were an incomputable number of possible answers Shadow could have given, but the one his mind chose to send off his tongue into the air was nowhere near what anyone had predicted "You're damm right I do!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! Please!" Dr. Caimen physically interdicted any further dispute by putting himself directly between the two hedgehogs. "You can argue about this later! Right now there is a young woman in there who is hanging on to life by a thread! Do you really think Miss Rose would like to see you like this?"

Both rivals growled in subtle agreement and slackened their forceful push towards each other.

"That's better. Now, we don't have a lot of time. She's scheduled for some responsiveness tests in about twenty minutes. And it appears Miss Rose has quite a lot of visitors. Mr. Sonic, since you were here first, you may go ahead. Just please keep in mind of everyone else."

The blue blur nodded and fixed a quick, patented grin to his lips, even straightening his quills to be the peak of perfection. Then he went into the young rose's room, taking the flower's delicate hand and saying whatever sweet words and thoughts he had saved up, and causing no small amount of impatience to some of the other guests. Yet for all the blissful contemplations he offered, Amy gave no reaction. No sign at all she even knew he was there. Shadow gladly took a small dose of satisfaction from that.

Once he was done, Sonic let Tails and Cream have their turns. The other three did not pay these two any undue disrespect, being so young. Still, it was fairly obvious that the crimson-striped hedgehog was anxious above all else.

While they were inside, curiosity got the best of the echidna once more "Hey Sonic, I just have to know, how did you guys know Amy was here? I doubt Mr. Sunshine over there told you and I know we certainly didn't."

Sonic nodded "Did you see the receptionist downstairs. Goes by the name of Lucy."

"Oh yea, we saw her. I think she likes that Mr. Sunshine…"

The blue hedgehog gave his own 'humph' "Well's she's a friend of Sal's. I know her from way back too. Anyways, they were talking yesterday about the party, and when Sal mentioned a certain annoying pink hedgehog trying to usurp her, Lucy put two and two together and called me with the scoop. I let Tails know because Amy is like a big sister to the lil guy and he brought Cream."

"And..?" Knuckles pressed on.

"What? I know how this kind of scene isn't your thing, and its hard enough to keep track of Rouge. Anyways, looks like they're done in there," and indeed, the two youngest fighters were outside talking with the huntress, who was having fun making the kitsune glow a bright red. "Keep an eye on Shadow, will ya? I don't think he's all there right now."

Knuckles hated to admit when someone else was right about anything, but even he had to acknowledge that Sonic had seconded his concern, "Will do. Later."

Then, after those three had said their farewells and left, the midnight hedgehog pulled an unexpected card. Nodding to the thief at his side, he simply said "Your turn."

Rouge was surprised at her comrade's comment, needless to say "Me? But, Shadow… you've been so"

"It's all right. I think it would be best if I went last."

The bat nodded a bit reluctantly, unsure of his intentions, but went into Amy's room to pay her respects. She kept her visit short, since she was never quite that close with the bright cherry teen. After her came Knuckles. And never being one for words guarding a giant emerald most of his life, the echidna's dues were paid mostly in silence.

Finally, it was his turn at last. No one else to intrude upon his thoughts, and no other barriers but mortality itself before him.

He took the empty chair next to her bed, gently placing his hand over her own. Up until this moment, Shadow thought he knew exactly what he was going to say Amy, carefully wording it, brooding over it. Now, with the rose's hand clutched with his own, those words were lost into a corona of thought.

"I don't have much time here, Rose. And I'm not sure if anything I say will pierce the darkness that you're now wrapped in. Still, I have to try, because I've been where you are, and I know how much it hurts without having something…or someone to look forward to again."

Maria's image flashed before his eyes once again, that same private smile she would bear for Shadow and Shadow alone. But then, the vision blurred and took on a shade of pink all its own. Her golden locks transformed into shorter, pink quills and those once cerulean eyes took on a more jade-like shade. Yet the smile never faltered. Now it was like he could almost feel Amy's life, her very soul through this damaged form.

"Amy, while I have never understood entirely where your energy has come from, I have never lost respect for it… or you. So, as if it were the last thing left in the world, I can only hope to see you bounding vibrantly with it once again."

Shadow took out the carnation from his pocket and placed it delicately on the table next to her head rest. "It may not be much, I know. But it's the least I could do to show you what you mean to us…and to me."

Shadow looked back to the doctor, who nodded the silent cue that it was time. His sigh dropped his gaze down to her face one last time. In another move that stunned all those around who knew him, the ebony loner placed his lips upon the Amy's forehead as he whispered one last memento "See you soon my rose, somehow… that much I promise." Standing to leave, he gave her ungloved hand one last light squeeze, and as he walked away, something suddenly restrained him. Snapping his gaze back around, his ruby orbs lit up when he say those small pink fingers still wrapped around his wrist, her grip actually tightening around him. Seeing this, Dr. Caimen rushed into the room to investigate, buzzing from instrument to instrument "This… this is…incredible!" he stammered out, robbed of any logical explanation or even theory for what he could only describe as miraculous. "Pulse and respiration equalizing, brain activity increasing thirty percent… forty percent…stabilizing now…simply stunning."

"Doc, whats happening?! How is she?" Rogue asked, nearly flying through the wall upon all the commotion.

"See for yourself" Caimen said, stepping out of the room to allow their admission. Once inside, the huntress broke down in sheer joy and had to wrap herself around her echidna for support. There before them, Shadow the Hedgehog was kneeled by Amy's bed, both hands enveloping hers and crimson orbs locked with the rose's slowly opening gaze. And as the moments extended onward into seeming eternity, the colors of cherry and life returned to her eyes. And for all the experiences Shadow had ever played a part in, this made all others like it empty by comparison.

"It's alright Amy. I'm here, everything's okay now" Shadow repeated again and again as Amy's eyes came into focus on the cracking voice of the crimson-splashed individual she was holding onto.

"Sh..sha…Shadow?" her voice was rough and dry, but still the sweetest thing he had heard all week.

"I'm here Amy. I'm right here with you. And I'm not going anywhere."

And now, the healing can begin... :D (evil chuckle)

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