A/N: Hey girls… And boys? Here is the next chapter of "Without The Mask". :) A big, big, big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, YOU GUYS ROCK! I hope this new chapter isn't a disappointment.

Disclaimer: I don't own StH.

Chapter 18

"Shadow, are you here?" Amy asked as she entered her dark house, all of the lights were off. Taking off her high heels, she held them in her hand, praying silently to herself that the dark hedgehog hadn't left the house. "Shadow?" She walked in the living room, disappointment immediately forming on her face. The stubborn hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. "I guess I have to start looking for him then." The pink female sighed, putting on her high heels back on her feet. She couldn't be bothered to go up to her room and change into more comfy clothes and footwear.

xXx

Amy gave out a sigh of relief when she saw the ebony hedgehog. He was standing near a tree in the park; she had decided to check the park first. A huge smile got placed on her lips when she saw him wearing the red and black scarf around his neck. She supposed that he had forgiven her, although her crime wasn't that big. "Now I'm going crazy." The rosy hedgehog rolled her eyes, walking up to the darker male hedgehog. Sensing her approaching him, Shadow turned around to face her with an expressionless face.

"You're back." He said simply, turning around and gazing at the sky. "Did you have fun?" He asked afterwards, facing Amy again. The pink hedgehog shrugged her shoulders; the breeze making her hair hit her face. The weather was cold, and Amy was thankful that she had brought her coat along with her.

"I can't exactly say it was fun." She admitted, causing Shadow's ears to perk up slightly. "Of course I can't have any fun when you're not with me." The petite female added softly, being really honest. Although she loved being in the presence of her beloved Sonikku, as she liked to call him, she always thought of her new friend: Shadow. She was surprised, however, when the black and red-striped hedgehog let out a laugh.

"You don't need to lie to me, Rose." He let out a small grunt, not seeing a frown pull at the corner of Amy's lips.

"Why would I lie to you Shadow? Believe me, all through the date I thought about you." Her frown deepened.

"The reason why you're lying to me is because you feel bad for leaving me there, when you went on a date with that faker." The ebony hedgehog muttered, not noticing that he was sounding jealous. Amy didn't notice it either.

"You know what, Shadow? You are really stubborn. I have no reason to lie to you. I care about you, but you can't see it." Amy glared a little, clutched her coat tighter, and began walking away. Rolling his eyes, the black and red male caught up with the pink hedgehog, grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

"Look, I'm s-s-sorry for acting the way I did. I'm just mad at faker; he got himself involved with us again. I liked it better when it was just you and me…" Shadow trailed off, his ears flattened slightly.

Is it just me or is Shadow sounding kind of jealous? Amy thought to herself, feeling her heart start to beat faster at the possibility of that thought.

"The world was more peaceful back then, I didn't have to face the faker every day. I just don't like him." The ebony hedgehog broke Amy out of her thoughts, the chance of Shadow being jealous fading away. The pink girl hedgehog couldn't help but feel disappointed, and she wondered why that was. "Are you still upset?"

Amy shook her head, and got rid of her thoughts. "No, I understand now. Shall we go home; I think it might rain soon." She glanced up at the cloudy sky, Shadow mimicking her movements.

"I think we should." The black and red-streaked hedgehog nodded, looking at her afterwards.

"Let's just forget everything that happened an hour ago, you're not mad at me anymore and I'm not mad at you." Amy smiled gently, linking her arm through his arm, feeling something like a small electric shock. Taking one step forward, she stopped and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked in his deep voice, worry in his eyes, and when Amy looked into them, the worry melted into nothing.

"It's nothing. I don't walk in high heels usually, and now that I wore them today, my feet feel really numb. I can't even walk properly, they hurt a lot." She told him, bending down to rub her feet gently.

"Why don't you take them off then? And-" The male hedgehog began before he got interrupted by Amy.

"And just walk in bare feet? I don't think I can do that." She said, still rubbing her sore feet.

Sighing, Shadow said, "Why don't you let me finish my sentence first? Take your shoes off, whatever they are called, and I'll just carry you to your house."

"Really, you'll do that?! Oh Shadow, thank you very much!" The pink female squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Ow!" She pulled back, taking off her high heels. Shadow scooped her up into his arms, and started running.

"You're welcome." He smirked a little when she yelped and held on to him tighter. Glancing down at her face, he saw her looking forward, a small smile on her lips. He felt his heart turn softer when he gazed at her face, saw the happiness in her eyes… She's beautiful. He couldn't help but think, a smile forming on his face automatically.

"The place looks awesome when you run, doesn't it Shadow?" Amy asked, breaking him out of his little trance. When she looked at him, he felt blood rush to his cheeks, snapping his head the other way. Was he blushing? God, I probably look like a fool. Shadow thought, his muzzle feeling warm. Lucky for him, the pink hedgehog didn't see the tint of red on his cheeks. "Shadow, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just thinking." He replied back immediately, turning his face back to her when his cheeks had cooled down a bit. "We're here." He stopped, letting Amy stand on her feet. Both of them walked inside the house, the pink hedgehog flicking the lights on as they went.

Jumping on the sofa, Amy patted the spot next to her for Shadow to sit down on. "How 'bout we eat pizza for dinner, sound good to you?" She asked, seeing him nod his head slowly.

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind." The ebony hedgehog said, digging his hand in Amy's bowl of popcorn, filling his mouth with the salty flavour. Rolling her jade-green eyes, the pink hedgehog grabbed the bowl, placing it on the table.

"Don't fill your stomach up with popcorn." She said, turning the DVD player off. "We'll watch the rest of the movie some other day, right now I'm gonna order pizza and then we'll sit down and get to know each other better. I know that we're friends, but we don't know everything about each other, do we?" She asked, but didn't wait for an answer. Fishing out her phone from the pocket of her coat, she dialled the pizza shop's number, and waited for someone to answer the phone. As Amy began talking, Shadow grabbed the remote control and began flipping through the channels. "Uh, Shadow, would you like spice to be added to your pizza?"

"No!" The ebony hedgehog yelled, startling Amy. Rolling her eyes, she said something else, before she ended the call.

"Why did you have to yell?" She asked, reaching for the remote, and turning the TV off. Shadow gave her a look that said, "What the hell was that for?", before he simply shrugged.

"Remember the last time I ate spice?" He asked, seeing a small "o" form on Amy's mouth in understanding. "I don't want that to happen again." The ebony hedgehog murmured, not seeing a small smirk form on Amy's mouth.

"Anyway," The rosy female cleared her throat, keeping the remote away from Shadow's reaching hands. "Getting to know each other better, what's your favourite colour? You know mine but I don't know yours."

Sighing heavily, Shadow slumped deeper into the sofa and groaned. "If you must know, I like the colour red." He said in a bored voice, looking up at the rose-coloured hedgehog.

"Really? I like that colour too, well you know that already, but…" She trailed off, smiling at the ebony male.

"I thought that you were obsessed with the colour pink." Shadow said, chuckling at Amy's expression. Glaring at him playfully, the pink female rolled her jade-green eyes.

"Yeah, that was before. I like red now… And black… And blue." She said, seeing the black and red-streaked hedgehog raise an eyebrow.

"May I ask why you like the colour blue?" Shadow frowned, the image of a certain azure hedgehog popping inside his head. What he didn't realize though, was that the pink hedgehog had mentioned the colours red and black too...

Wondering why Shadow's mood changed so quickly, Amy smiled softly. "I like the colour red and black because, um, well because you are that colour." She paused to look at his face, and to her surprise, she could actually see what was in his mind. Shock and surprise was written all over his face. "And I like the colour blue because I miss the blue sky, the sky is all grey these days." She giggled, seeing his jaw drop open. "What? Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"I thought... Faker, blue..." The words came out in a jumble from Shadow's mouth, the pink hedgehog not being able to understand anything.

"What are you trying to say, Shadow?" Amy asked, her eyebrows rising up. After a few seconds, a thought came to her mind. Is he trying to say that Sonic - Oh my God! I can't believe that I totally forget about him. She glanced at Shadow's face, seeing a small smirk on his lips. "I like the colour blue because of Sonic too! How could I forget about him?" She murmured the last bit, a sad frown on her face.

Not seeming interested in talking about "faker", Shadow yawned as he stretched his muscles. "When will the pizza arrive? I'm tired and I wanna go to sleep right after we've finished eating."

"The pizza is going to arrive soon, but we haven't finished getting to know each other." Amy replied, not wanting to think about why she had forgot Sonic right now.

"Rose, your questions..." The black and red-streaked hedgehog trailed off, thinking. "Are stupid and give me a headach-" Before he could finish his sentence, the doorbell rang.

"The pizza is here!" The rosy female jumped up to her feet, rushing to the door. A minute later, she walked in the living room, two boxes of pizza in her hands. "It smells delicious!" She inhaled the scent, taking a seat on the sofa beside Shadow. "Here's your one." Amy handed him one of the boxes smirking when she was sure that Shadow wasn't looking.

"Thanks," he said simply, opening the box and taking out one piece of the pizza out. Amy watched him anxiously, and when he saw her from the corner of his eye, he stopped when the pizza was right in front of his mouth and said, "Is something wrong, why aren't you eating?"

The petite hedgehog shook her head and took a bite off of the pizza. "Nothin'" She muttered in reply, hiding a grin. "I'll bring something to drink." Amy disappeared out of the living room, coming back some seconds later, carrying two cans of coke. Both hedgehogs ate their food without saying anything.

A few minutes later, Amy began to grow a little worried. Did he even do it? Coughing brought her out of her thoughts, seeing Shadow holding his hands around his neck as he coughed loudly.

"What have you done this time?" He questioned through coughs, grabbing the coke and gulping it down his burning throat and tongue. Amy couldn't help but laugh, finding his expression very humorous. Her giggling stopped when the ebony male glared at her fiercely, no longer coughing.

"Uh oh," the pink female whispered, knowing that Shadow was really angry at her right now. "Shadow, look, I'm sorry ok? There was spice on one of the pieces only, I - Ahhh!" She screamed as Shadow threw himself forward at her. Since she was in a hurry running around the sofa, she tripped, the black and red tainted hedgehog getting the upper hand. Shadow held her hands above her head, laying himself over her, but not completely. Their bodies could barely touch. He brought his face down to hers, so low that Amy could feel his hot breath on her face. That made her cheeks turn red, her heart beat faster, her breath get caught in her throat, and butterflies fly around in her stomach. She had no time to think about why those things were happening though.

"Say sorry." Shadow whispered quietly, his crimson orbs fixed on her jade green ones.

"S-sorry," Amy murmured back, hearing her heart beat even faster than before. He brought his face more lower, his face inches away from touching hers.

"If something like this happens again, I'll... I will tickle you so much that you won't be able to stand up for days!" He said jokingly, a small smirk on his face.

"It won't happen again, I promise." The rose-coloured hedgehog said quietly, her gaze dropping down from his eyes to his lips. She licked her lips as she got the weird feeling to place them over his. Just then, the room turned black as the lights went off.

The electricity has such good timing. Amy thought sarcastically, remembering the last time the lights had gone out. Her kiss with Shadow... She decided that she wouldn't move, she didn't want that incident to happen again. She was dating Sonic for goodness sake! She just had to resist the urge to bring her face up. What is happening? Why am I getting these thoughts?

"Let me help you up." Shadow broke her out of her little world, the warmth disappearing, so Amy got the feeling that he had gotten up. She felt a warm hand touch hers, and held it, standing up a second later. Shadow guided her to a sofa, both of them sitting down. She said nothing, and neither did he. Amy screamed when there was a clap of thunder, throwing her body forward, as she clasped herself to the ebony hedgehog. Shadow chuckled in amusement, but ran a hand through her pink quills in an effort to comfort her.

"Thank you, Shadow. You're a great friend." She said honestly, wondering if she wanted him to be more than friends with her. How can I think of such a thing like that!? I'm dating Sonic, and I don't like Shadow that way! But she knew that she was lying to herself. Do I like Shadow? Or do I like Sonic? Oh, I am so confused!

"You are a good friend too, Rose." Shadow said, both of them pulling away. Amy smiled at him, although he couldn't really see. Perhaps I like both of them, but how can I like both of them? I like Sonic more, right? Or is what I have with Sonic just an obsession or infatuation? Do I love Shadow? She blushed as she thought about that. She hadn't felt this way around anyone else before, even with her beloved Sonikku. Not being able to control herself anymore, and positive that she liked Shadow as well, Amy placed her lips to where she knew his lips where. She felt him stiffen under her touch at first, but then to her surprise, he relaxed but didn't really respond to the kiss. When she had tasted enough of his soft and warm lips, the pink female pulled away.

"I-I a-am sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She stuttered, wondering if he was angry at her.

"It's ok Rose, accidents do happen." Shadow said, causing Amy to pull away and shake her head, even though he couldn't see her.

"No, it's no okay Shadow. This is the second time this has happened. I've made you uncomfortable again, I just don't know why I did it." The pink hedgehog sighed, feeling slightly ashamed of herself.

Rolling his eyes, the ebony hedgehog said, "Amy, if I'm not bothered by it, then why are you?"

"What!" Amy exclaimed, the lights coming on. Did he just say that he isn't bothered about me kissing him? Does that mean... The pink hedgehog felt a smile form on her mouth. Does he like me?

"It's not like a really big thing has happened. I mean your lips touched mine, what does it mean anyway? I don't see why you're so..." He trailed off, not being able to think of a word.

Amy felt a frown pull at her lips, and said, "Never mind, it's not important."

"I'll go to sleep then." Shadow said, oblivious to Amy's change of attitude. The pink hedgehog simply nodded her head, watching him make his way to the stairs.

Do I like him? Amy turned to the side, staring at nothing in particular. What about Sonic? Heaving in a deep sigh, she sat up on the bed. I do like him, it's obvious. She still couldn't believe it. Her, having feelings for someone who was not Sonic. I've gotta tell him, I have to know if he likes me too.

As she got out of bed, a picture of Sonic popped inside her head. The hurt on his face. Why did I have to chase him, now that he has realised his feelings for me, I have moved on to someone else. I have to tell him tomorrow.

Amy walked out of her room and stood behind Shadow's room's door. Sighing heavily, she placed her hand on the doorknob, twisting it open. "Shadow, there's something I have to tell you."

What do you think? I wanted Amy to find out her feelings for Shadow in another way, but I wanted to get it over and done with, I hope you guys don't mind the rushed chapter, do you? Anyway, please, please, please review for me! :) They mean a lot.

I forgot to do a joke in the last chapter, but the joke for today is: What flower grows between your nose and your chin?

See ya all later,

-Amy