The time has come for the greatest battle Shadow has ever faced. Will he prevail against overwhelming odds? Or balk under the pressure of the lovely creation known as... shopping. (shudder)

Part Thirteen: Social Indoctrination

Despite the well built fatigue of the day's activities, sleep did not come easy for the midnight hedgehog. To be sure, the bed he was wrapped in was very comfortable, as was the young flower he was resting against, cradling her tightly in his arms. Yet even so relaxed, the energies bundled up is his core still worked its way into his thoughts to wreck havoc. Yet even all that inner rocking was nothing compared to the next image that glowed behind his eyes.

There it was again, the field full of brightly shining carnations. And in the middle was Amy Rose, laughing and dancing free of all burden and care once more. As hauntingly familiar as this little mirage was before his view, Shadow felt his feet leading the way towards her, taking the same bait as last time. And just as last time, everytime the darkened warrior tried to advance on the blissful scene, it faded into darkness and void. But then, a new picture unfolded. The hillside, drenched in the grayed pouring rain and it's once proud shelter robbed of all its greenery by time. There on the incline, they all stood like statues; himself at front and center, Sonic, Tails and Cream, Knuckles and Rouge, and a handful of others he could not place. Yet, they all seemed very different, like the weights they had all carried inside finally drained all life from their expressions and color from their fur. The group was solemnly gathered around something small, grey and smooth, almost overlooked among the scene. But this small stone seemed to be the source of all attention.

One by one, the rest of the crowd faded from existence until only Shadow remained. But unlike the others, his crimson stripes still shined with their own vibrancy as did the rest of his coat. Only his eyes bore a similar tired look. Far beyond it actually, his gaze appeared completely glassy and lifeless. Clutched in his grasp was a single scarlet rose, a pink bow tied around its stem. And as the rest of the landscape faded away, Shadow saw himself lay the flower on the ground next to the object at his feet.

When the rest of the scene was over and gone, the flower remained. But it was not the rose that was on the ground a mere moment ago. Its crimson hue was now saturated in matte and dripping off in a sickly flow. Once all the red had detached itself from the stem, the plant dissolved into dust. Then the voice again. The same one as before, taunting his every action. Yet it spoke no words, instead choosing to cackle its pleasure at his dismay.

The feeling of rage began to burn in his throat "No. I…I won't let this happen. Not again."

The evil laughter only intensified.

"SHUT UP, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU TOUCH HER! YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL KILL YOU!"

My my, such language. Is that any way to greet your master?

"HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF MY MASTER! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

His answer came as a sudden blow to the back of his head, knocking him to his knees I thought it was obvious by now. Without warning, a harsh light all but blinded him, and the silhouette was there once more. It form quite rounded and sneer well illuminated. Do you really think this will end any differently than Maria? Deep down, I think even you know what happens when immortality meets the finite.

The morning sunlight beaming into his eyes finally snapped them awake, before the other voice could fully claim a form. Shadow found himself alone in the ivory sheets of Amy's bed, though the silky coverings had been quite thoroughly mussed by his thrashing. The bed itself was quite comfortable, and much larger than what one would expect for only one person's rest. Surrounded on three sides by walls bearing an odd mix of pink and off white and further decorated by scattered ruby hearts and mixed flowers. Off his right shoulder, staring him directly in the eyes was the mirrored door to the closet. And thanks to that horrid vision he had experienced earlier, his quills were in complete disarray. Leaping from the bed, Shadow was quickly intrigued by the smell of waffles nearing perfection. He moved quickly to the kitchen, trying to tame his locks back into submission in the process.

"Good morning, Shadow" her voice greeted him.

"Rose? Is that you in there?" his voice was still groggy and weary from the silent screams.

"Of course it is, silly. Who else would it be?"

"Nevermind. Need any help?"

She thought for a brief second, and then nodded off her shoulder "No, I'm fine out here. I guess you could at least set the table."

He set forth on his task with all due speed, and soon they were both enjoying fresh stacks of waffles topped with blueberries, Amy's favorite. Quite possibly, the most delicious combination Shadow had experienced so early in the morning. Once the last of the syrup had been consumed and the dishes re-cleaned, Rose dashed back into the bedroom. A bit confused by the sudden burst of speed, Shadow followed after a moment. The door was opened only a crack, and light-hearted lyrics from some random pop song emanated from her cheerful lips. Inside, he could hear her shuffling about, flipping through drawers and hangers full of various clothes. As his fingertips connected with the door to open it, a sudden blur of pink and beauty flashed through the crack, to which Shadow was quite startled to find was completely lacking any form of cover. The color in his cheeks quickly took on a brighter red than his stripes as he darted away from the entryway, letting Amy resume her search undisturbed.

Yet as embarrassing a moment as that was, and how much worse it could've been if her eyes had caught their fill of ebony fur at the door, the ultimate life-form felt another sensation grace him. One he had never before encountered, or at least understood. Seeing the one who had a stranglehold on his heart so open, so vulnerable, the heat inside of him had also spiked. It had taken most all of his hardened logic and wits to not break through that door right then and there. And as tempting a conquest as that would be, Shadow was still unsure of one factor: his own power. He had already had to chomp down on it once after merely a taste. To engage in such an intimate act now, the consequences could be irrelevant or irrecoverable. Besides, she's not that kind of girl anyway…he observed. Otherwise, last night would have gone much further than fire-filled kisses under the sheets of that bed.

Inside the bedroom, surrounded by different choices in attire, Amy was facing a dilemma all her own. It had never really been a problem until now, or at least never a concern of the young flowers, how the public viewed her. But now, scanning the vast array of dresses, blouses, tank tops and halters she owned, one unshakeable fact presented itself.

All of these outfits were sleeveless.

Catching a glance of her still-wounded arms, she sighed. It wasn't really a matter of what they would say, because Amy knew that her knight would deal with anyone who stepped over the line. More than that, it was a hope to avoid any such confrontation all together. Reluctantly, she chose a black blouse whose long sleeves flared at the ends, but not enough to overly expose her bandages. Coupling it with an equally darkened skirt and boots, it hadn't really occurred to Amy how much of Shadow's color she had taken on until she was fastening her earrings. Seeing her form wrapped in a soft hue of midnight allowed her smile to slowly resurface. For as long as Shadow enveloped her like this, she could feel safe again.

Once all the trimmings and accessories had been attached, she found Shadow resting comfortably on one of the overstuffed chairs "Well, are you about ready to go?"

He shot her a quizzical look "Go? Are we going for something important?"

Amy simply rolled her eyes "Of course it's important! Ciel Violette has a strict dress code, which means it's time to shop! And from the looks of that coat, I'd say you need spruced up too. Lucky for you, I know just the place." She extended her hand, which he took confidently, letting her guide the way.

Well, at least he was confidant on the outside.

Shopping…me…? Oh, son of a bitch! His mind flashed over and over again. Shopping would mean not only a hyper-powered Rose, but a full mass of people probably just as energized as her. A possibility of it going very wrong, very quickly was one he could not ignore. Subtlety checking his inside pockets with his other hand, his slight despair grew massively when he could not feel the handle of the .45 normally holstered inside Must've run out of ammunition again. Double damm!

Snaking their way into the bustling market district of this corner of the metropolis, Amy guided Shadow into a small, yet regal looking storefront. Inside, dresses and suits of every make and color under the sun had been placed out on display. The owner of the business, a slender, accented ferret soon greeted them "Ah, Miss Rose! So good to see you again!" he approached in a graceful fashion, arms wide and adulation.

"Hey Cyrin. Good to see you too" Amy replied with a wave and a smile.

"And look at this, you've finally brought me your legendary boyfriend! I'm sorry, what was your name again? San…Sin…Son"

"My name is Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog. And don't forget it" he interrupted in a low growl. No one was going to confuse him with that imposter ever again.

"Oh my! Such a temper!" Cyrin replied, somewhat flabbergasted at the darker hedgehog's reaction. "Someone could sure use a chill pill, or maybe a collar."

"What was that?!"

"Oh, calm down you two" Amy injected. "We aren't here to bicker, we're here for the greatest in new clothes!" Gesturing to all the possibilities on display, she managed only a lopsided eyebrow from her knight, who was refraining himself from applying his trade and either evacuating or leveling the building. However, since this was important to his young flower, his temper was a bit easier to hold.

"Ah, right as always Miss Rose! And what occasion brings you to my doorstep?"

"Well, Shadow and I have a date tonight at Ceil Violette" she began. But the overexcited proprietor leapt right on in "Oh! How marvelous! For you my dear, I have just the thing! As for him," he gave Shadow a through once-over, generating no small amount of awkward discomfort from the warrior, "well, I'm sure we can think of something."

Those were definitely not encouraging words to Shadow's ears, but as Cyrin led them through the maze of fabrics and patterns, Amy's grip remained locked and warm around her love's hand, which he decided would suit him better than any mere firearm. But so help me, if that rat dares to make a wrong move, my face will be the last mortal thing he ever sees.

The rest of the day's light was spent testing and switching between more colors than the ultimate life-form had ever seen before. Try as he might to navigate such nebulae as best he could, Shadow still relied on Amy's well-honed senses in coordination and completion to finally choose suitable attire. Of course, that had only been the beginning of the adventure, since a new clothing item apparently demanded new accessories and new shoes, according to Rose. Fortunately for the other store owners, none were as 'hands-on' as that dammed ferret, and the rest of the day's search wasn't nearly as unbearable for the more unsociable hedgehog.

Later that evening, and after much testing, switching and preparation, the vibrant flower was finally sheathed in a sleek and sparkling backless ivory dress, with sleeves and curvature that Shadow could only imagine was near skin-tight. Still, the way it shimmered with every twist and twirl she made, it was a fair assumption that there would be a fair number of jealous people in the restaurant later. Amy herself was still squealing with delight about the way it fit and felt to her "Ooooooh! It looks so beautiful! Shadow, what do you think? Don't I look great?"

He smiled at her delight, the first time he actually felt comfortable all day "Positively ravishing, my love."

The color in her cheeks lit up like the newborn sun as she quickly maneuvered into his embrace for another taste of the ultimate life-form. Shadow himself had been fitted with an equally-white tuxedo, completely contrasting his fur and highlighting his crimson stripes. Coupled with golden cufflinks and a matte black tie, even he found himself looking quite spruced up indeed. I am never doing that again his mind argued, but his instincts somehow knew that this would not be the last time he would be browsing clothing racks or sniffing hundreds of exotic perfumes.

Seconds drew into moments into euphoria before the kiss ended. Once it did, Amy's head rested gently on his chest, her body cradled by two strong arms. He could feel her heart beating all the way through him, a feeling he was coming to be addicted to. "It's about time we headed out. Rouge gets pretty pissy about being prompt."

Rose shook her head "Just a little longer. Please?"

Carefully, he drew her eyes upward back to his "This spot will always be yours. Never forget that."

Her gaze widened along with her smile as the two began to head out on their way.

Well, he did it. AND with zero casualites. Not too shabby, eh? Of course... the night is young, isnt it? heh heh heh.

I decided to seperate this chapter into two for alot of reasons, the biggest pair being the length of the next one I will be posting, and two, its content. Chances are increasing that this may be taking an upward turn in rating, so ye be warned now. If you disagree, please let me know.