A/N: Hello! I'm here with the next chapter of 'Without The Mask'! Oh and sorry for the wait! Anyway, a big, big, big thank you to those people who reviewed the last chapter, it means the world to me! So, thank you! I hope that this new chapter isn't a disappointment! =)
Joke: The answer is... *Drumroll* NECK-TARINES! You know, how vampires love drinking blood from the neck lol. Anyway, a round of applause for those people who got it right! *Cheers*
Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog and I never will. :(
Note: A reviewer named, 'ShadAmy Fangirl' asked me some questions, so here are the answers:
'Are there only few characters?' Yes. When I started this story, I had little experience in writing, and just wrote about the main characters. Later on, I noticed that were only three characters in my story, so I added Tails. I had no choice but to keep writing the story in the same way, I couldn't just make more characters pop up! :)
'Does Shadow find his feelings for Amy yet?' Good question. We're getting close to that part, you just have to read on!
'Will you be doing other pairings in this story?' Like I said before, I wasn't very experienced in writing, I'm beginning to get better as I go along. So, no. There aren't gonna be other pairings. I have other stories with more pairings. Check 'em out if ya want! :)
'Why is it mostly raining in this story? If I were in it, I would already have a cold.' Lol. Your comment! :D I love rain, that's why it's mostly raining in ma story!
Hope that clears up things for you. And anyone else who has questions that need to be answered, please don't hesitate to ask me. ;) So, without further ado, onto chapter 22! Woo!
Chapter 22
Sighing for the tenth time the next morning, Amy wondered when Shadow would wake up. It was 8:30am for goodness sake! She began to feel a little worried, hoping that everything was okay. The pink hedgehog walked up the stairs and stopped behind Shadow's room, pondering whether to go in or not. Rolling her eyes, she banged on the wooden door. "Shadow! Shadow are you awake?" No answer. Huffing, she turned the knob, surprised that it was open. Amy trailed her eyes around the room before her and a frown immediately formed on her face. Shadow was nowhere to be seen. But what was weirder, was that his bed was made. Shadow had never made his bed since he had moved in her house.
Shrugging her shoulders and not thinking too much about it, she was about to leave his room when a folded piece of paper caught her attention. It was on the bedside table. The rosy female walked over to it, picking it up with a small frown on her face. Her stomach twisted into a knot as she got the feeling that she wouldn't like what was written in the letter. Biting her lip hesitantly, she opened it up and let her jade orbs scan the page.
Rose, I don't know whether you'll like what I have to say or not, but I will say it anyway. We are no longer friends... I think it's better if we go back to doing what we did before.
Shadow
Amy felt the paper slip from her fingers as a gasp left her mouth. She shook like a leaf as she moved to sit on the bed, her eyes wide. Shadow had left... Her dream! It had come true. But why? Why had Shadow left her?! Not being able to control her emotions, her eyes watered as a huge lump formed in her throat. The tears fell down one by one as she began to sob. She was so busy crying that she never heard the quick knocks on her front door. Amy then heard them, and with some hope, went to open it. Breathing in, she pulled the door open, disappointed to be met with worried olive green eyes.
"Ames, is everything ok?" Sonic walked past her as the pink hedgehog closed and locked the door. She quickly wiped away her tears, glad that Sonic hadn't seen them. The azure male turned to face her with a questioning look.
"Everything's fine." Amy replied, not being able to stop a small sob. Sonic, who was looking more concerned than ever, pulled her in a hug.
"Amy, what happened? Did Shadow hurt you?" The blue hedgehog asked, and planted a small kiss on the top of her head.
"No... He didn't hurt me... He left." Amy mumbled, pulling away from him. Sonic frowned, not understanding why she was so upset. "Did you need something?" She questioned, and when he looked at her confused, she sighed. "You don't usually visit me this early."
"Oh... You didn't answer your phone and that got me worried." He smiled at her, but she wouldn't look at him.
"Sonic, why did Shadow leave? We were friends, we still are. I thought he liked me." Amy blinked back a few tears, looking up at the frowning blue hedgehog.
"I dunno... Hey! I know what will cheer you up! Would you like to go on a date?" Sonic grinned enthusiastically, hoping that she wouldn't turn down his offer.
"I'm really sorry Sonic... I can't. I have to find Shadow." The pink hedgehog gave him an apologetic smile, watching his shoulders drop. She immediately felt guilty, but Shadow had to explain to her why he didn't want to be her friend anymore. This whole business happened so suddenly that for a minute she had thought that she was dreaming. Although Shadow had acted weird on the roof yesterday...
"It's alright. There's always another time." Sonic sighed, Amy giving him a quick hug before she rushed off to change out of her sleeping clothes. "What is wrong with you Ames? You're not the Amy I used to know..."
xXx
Amy bit her lip as she walked out of the park that she had seen Shadow in a few times. But to her bad luck, he was not there. She could think of two more places where he could have gone to, but she had a big problem. She had no idea how to find them. The first place was the roof and the second place was the forest.
"I might as well look for him in the forest... I might be able to find him." Amy spoke to herself quietly, nodding her head mentally. She then started making her way to that forest she had seen Shadow enter in the first days of her mission. She just knew that that was the forest with that magical place in it.
xXx
"Sonic, is something bothering you?" Tails asked, concern in his voice. Sonic snapped out of his thoughts and gave him a thumbs up.
"Everything's just great, bud." The cobalt hedgehog answered, although the little fox wasn't able to hear the sarcasm behind his words. Tails shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving Sonic with his thoughts. Sighing heavily, he leaned back in the sofa that he was sitting on and an image of Amy popped in front of his vision. He frowned, turning his head the other way.
Amy had changed... A lot. He was her boyfriend and she hardly spent time with him. The Amy he knew would never turn down his offer to go and search for some boring, crazy ebony hedgehog. Ok, now he sounded jealous, but he couldn't help it! Amy was giving Shadow too much attention and cared so much about him. What could he do other than feel jealous?
Nah, I ain't jealous. Shadow should be jealous of me. I have a girl like Amy by my side and he? He has no one, so there's no need for me to be jealous. Sonic thought to himself, feeling a little better. But he still couldn't get rid of the fact that Amy seemed to like Shadow more than him. I am being stupid. Amy would get upset if she found out that I think of such idiotic things.
"Hey Sonic, what are you thinking about?" A voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see Tails. Sonic hadn't heard him walk in the room nor had he seen the little golden fox.
"Nothing..." The blue hero trailed off, before he got a good idea. "Hey, have you finished the tracking device?"
"Yeah... What do you need it for?" Tails asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. Sonic shrugged, before smiling.
"I wanna see if it will work properly. I will try to track Amy, you know see if it will work." Sonic replied, watching the little fox sigh and hold out the device.
"Alright. I need to have it tested anyway." With that said, Tails walked out of the room again. Sonic grinned and clenched the tracking device in his hand.
"I will find you Ames. I have to see what that faker has to say to you... But more importantly, what you will say to him..."
xXx
Letting out a loud 'urgh', Amy continued walking through the forest, carefully looking out for the stubborn ebony hedgehog. Now that she thought about it, it was wrong for Shadow to end their friendship like that. She hadn't even done anything. The tired pink female forced her legs to move, as she kept searching. How long had she been looking for him? It had been at least 2 hours. She couldn't help but think that she had lost her way.
"I really hope not. I can't stand it if I get stuck in this dark and unfriendly forest." Amy shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself in an effort to warm herself. The weather was cold and she hadn't thought of bringing a coat with her. Sighing, she walked on when her ears perked up. She could hear what sounded like a flowing river. Without hesitating, she ran in the direction and was surprised to find the enchanted place. Amy pumped her fist in the air and did a little victory dance. The rosy female then walked a little deeper to find Shadow sitting down in front of the river. One of his legs was pulled up to him, while the other one was stretched out. He seemed to be deep in thought as he gazed at the flowing river. Amy walked up to him and stopped when she was standing right behind him. "Shadow?"
The mentioned ebony hedgehog turned around with his eyes wide as he stared at her in shock and surprise. Amy grinned and then moved to sit down next to him. "What are you doing here?" He asked a little harshly, as his face went emotionless again.
"Game's over. I found you. I didn't know you were playing hide and seek with me." The pink girl hedgehog joked as she giggled quietly.
"Did you read the note that I left in my, I mean the guest room?" Shadow questioned, turning to face the river again. Amy frowned, but then decided to lie.
"Note? What note?" She asked in return, trying her best to sound confused. Shadow let out a sigh and then turned to face her with a small glare on his face.
"The note I wrote that says we're not friends anymore." Shadow answered, hearing Amy laugh at his words. He then turned to face her with a serious expression. "Don't laugh. I'm serious." The black and red striped hedgehog said, causing Amy to frown. Shadow wasn't the type to joke, so he really was serious.
"Why, Shadow? What have I done?" Amy asked again, frowning as she stared at him.
"Nothing," the black and red striped hedgehog muttered in reply, sighing as he looked up at the sky.
"Then why?" Amy demanded, holding back her tears. Shadow turned back to her and when he saw that her eyes were filled with tears, his crimson orbs softened. After a second or so, it turned cold again as he spoke in a harsh voice.
"I don't want to be your friend anymore." The pink hedgehog gulped the lump in her throat, her vision turning blurry. The tears then fell.
"But why?" She questioned, watching the ebony male glare and stand up. He scowled as he looked at her as his fierce red eyes burned.
"God damn it Amy! I don't like you!" He blurted out, a gasp escaping the rosy female's mouth. Her jade green eyes widened as she stared at the angry hedgehog before her. Biting her bottom lip, she stood up and turned away from him. Forcing the tears back, she ran away from him, leaving Shadow to watch after her with a frown on his face as his eyes went normal again. He mentally scolded himself as he turned his head to the side, regretting everything he had just done right now.
"I had no choice..." He murmured softly, a deep sigh escaping his lips.
xXx
Sonic scratched the back of his neck as he stared at the tracking device in his hand. "So... She is in the forest?" He sounded confused, before shrugging and speeding into the forest. Tails' device worked just fine. As he ran, he thought back to how he got the tracking device to find Amy.
*Flashback*
The cobalt hedgehog frowned as he eyed the device. "Um, find Amy." Nothing happened. Scratching his head, he saw a button on the side of it. Without thinking, he pressed it, not realizing that the device was pointed at him. It beeped and showed a blue dot. Sonic stared at it confused, before he realized how it worked. "I need Amy's scent! Something to scan!" He then sped off to the pink hedgehog's house, turning the knob of her front door.
"Amy really needs to remember to lock this door. How could she have become so careless?" He murmured, Shadow popping in his head. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her coat from where it was hanging, and then scanned it. A pink dot was shown on the map, and he immediately followed it.
*End of flashback*
Sonic snapped out of his thoughts as the device's beep got louder. He looked down to see that he was getting close to his destination. The blue blur stopped once the beeping stopped, and when he looked up, he saw his pink girlfriend leaning against a tree as she cried. Olive green eyes were filled with worry as he stared at her. Putting the device away, he ran to her and pulled her in a hug.
"What's wrong Amy? Did Shadow do something?" Sonic asked, running a hand through her pink quills in an effort to comfort her.
"Sonic! Please take us out of here!" Amy sobbed as she gripped the blue hedgehog, who quickly picked her up in his arms and rushed off, leaving a faint blue trail behind him.
xXx
"Ames, please say something! I'm in suspense here!" Sonic grinned, wanting to cheer up the miserable pink female. Amy only sobbed as she wiped her tears away, but they kept trailing down her cheeks.
They were sat down in the restaurant that her and Shadow had come to yesterday. His name caused more tears to come as she gupled. Her throat had all dried up. She had never expected this to happen. "Um, miss? You didn't pay yesterday." The same waiter from yesterday mumbled, a small blush forming on Amy's muzzle. When Shadow and her had left in such a hurry yesterday, she had forgot all about paying for their food.
"Oh, my bad! Here it is," Amy smiled nervously, taking out the money and handing it to him. She could feel Sonic's confused stare. The waiter took it and asked them what they wanted.
"Bring a chocolate cake with two cups of coffee." Sonic answered, knowing how much the pink hedgehog loved chocolate cakes. The waiter nodded and then left. "You came here yesterday?"
"Uh, yeah..." Amy replied before trailing off. The azure male cocked an eyebrow, his olive green eyes showing confusion.
"How comes you didn't pay? You're not like that." Sonic frowned, staring at the pink hedgehog before him. She had changed so much in the past few weeks, all because she had hung out with Shadow most of the time. Amy turned even more red and then shrugged.
"Shadow called me, and since I left in a hurry, I totally forgot." She murmured, feeling guilty about lying to him.
"Alright," Sonic said, although his eyes were narrowed slightly. "Now tell me what Shadow-"
"Ok, fine. I'll tell you everything. Shadow said that he's not my... Friend anymore." Amy said in a low voice, tears filling her eyes again. The waiter placed their order down on the table and left without saying anything. When she looked to the side, Sonic grinned. He became really happy after hearing that. Amy looked at him again, but before she could actually see, he wiped the grin off of his face.
"Oh... Why would he say that?" He asked curiously, trying to not sound too happy.
"I dunno... I can't live without him Sonic! He's a part of my life now! I-I have to speak with him again. Make him see his mistake. I'm s-sure he likes me just as much as I love him!" Amy blurted out all of a sudden, Sonic's eyes widening while his jaw tensed, as if he was clenching his teeth.
"Did-did you just say t-that you l-l-love him?" The blue hedgehog whispered quietly, Amy's eyes also widening as she realized that she had accidentally let her biggest secret slip through her tongue.
"Of course I love him! Just like I love Cream, Tails and even Rouge and Knuckles!" The rosy female exclaimed, seeing Sonic smile a little sheepishly which immediately relaxed her.
"Oh... Sorry, Ames." He scratched the back of his neck, watching Amy shrug it off.
"It doesn't matter... Hey, what happened to your check?" The rosy female asked, worry filling her eyes as she stared at the green bruise on Sonic's check that was slightly purple as well. How comes she hadn't noticed it before? Sonic chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"Uh, Shadow did it." He answered, Amy's eyes widening. She was thinking about why he would do that, when Sonic interrupted her thoughts. "He did it when you had gotten kidnapped by Eggman. He said something about how he would kill me if anything happened to you. Like he cares." The blue hero rolled his eyes, not seeing the pink hedgehog smile a little.
Does he really care that much for me? Why did he stop being my friend though? Amy sighed, before standing up from her seat. Confusion took over Sonic's features immediately as he looked up at her. "Where to Ames?"
"Sorry Sonic... But I want to be alone today." She said, a frown settling on Sonic's lips. He nodded, before looking at the cake and two cups of coffee. He also stood up, grabbing her wrist before she could walk away. She turned to look at him.
"At least have your cake and coffee!" Sonic pointed to them, seeing her shake her head.
"I'm not hungry, Sonic. I'll see you later." With that said, she pulled her hand away and walked put of the restaurant, leaving him standing there all alone.
"What's up with her? She has grown distant to me and the others. Heck! She barely hangs out with us anymore!" Sonic frowned deeply, placing the money down on the table and also leaving the place.
xXx
Shadow had been watching Amy and Sonic the whole time and they hadn't even noticed. He had been hiding behind the menu a few tables away from them. He had followed Amy and the faker from the forest. His heart had been broken when he saw Amy crying.
Right now, he was making his way to Amy's house. His life had gone dull again after he stopped being her friend and he wanted to fix it. Life without her was like the sky with no stars now. He couldn't go on without her. She was exactly like Maria... But she was also different. A sigh escaped his lips as he stared at his feet as he kept walking.
"I will tell you everything Rose... I have to... I need to."
xXx
Amy was sitting down cross-legged on her bed, staring at the note in her hand. They weren't friends anymore. Before she even had a chance of telling Shadow about her feelings, he had stopped being her friend. She was still confused. He had warmed up to her so much, so... Why did he become so cold towards her all of a sudden.
The pink hedgehog got the strange feeling that someone was watching her, which was really weird. Rolling off the bed, she walked over to her open window and peered through it. The sky was a dark blue colour, and half of the moon was covered by a big cloud. There were less stars scattered in the sky. Letting out a sigh, she placed one of her arms on the window sill, so that it could support her chin.
She had spent the whole day in her house, which was boring indeed. But... What else was there to do? Shadow had left her... She didn't want to spend the day with Sonic... And her best friend, Cream, still hadn't come back. The breeze blew through her quills gently, as if to comfort her. For the first time that day, she let a genuine smile cross her lips. She snapped out of her thoughts when she caught sight of something move from the corner of her eye. Something blurry that wasn't bright in colour. Her heart started beating faster and she looked around quickly, but there was no one there.
"Oh... I'm probably just seeing things." Amy murmured to herself. She walked away from the window, deciding to leave it open so that the fresh, cool air could come in. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was still a bit too early to go to sleep. It was only 8:35pm. The pink hedgehog walked out of her room and down the stairs. She stopped halfway when she heard someone knock on her front door. Freezing for a second, she walked down the rest of the stairs and slowly made her way to the door. Her stomach did somersaults, as her heart beat fastened again. "W-who is I-it?"
"Rose, it's me..." A deep voice replied on the other end, Amy's heart stopping for a second. Without hesitating, she pulled the door open, her jade green eyes widening, while her mouth hung open in shock and surprise. Shadow looked up at her and a small smirk formed on his lips. "I have to speak with you..."
I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm sorry if the story's boring, but the next chapter will be better and full of ShadAmy fluff! :) Please review for me so that I can post it soon!
Thankies!
-Amy
BTW: I want everyone to vote for either ShadAmy or SonAmy. I know that I've set the pairing as ShadAmy, but I decided to let the reviewers decide! I have a hard time choosing, I mean poor Sonic! He loves her and he just figured his feelings out! I don't think it's fair for him if I just dump him or should I say, have Amy dump him! So, anyway, guys... Vote for ShadAmy! You might think to yourself, 'Why the hell doesn't she just make it ShadAmy if she loves them that much?!' It's simple. I won't feel bad for Sonic knowing that the readers decided, lol. What the heck? I have gone mad, lol. Now, enough of my rambling! Vote and don't forget to review! Besides, this whole voting thing gives you lot something to do right? I mean, there is no joke... *Zips mouth then opens it* Bye guys! *Zips it back* LOL!
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