A/N: I wrote this for KagamiPINKAgreste, mainly because 1. She's been having a hard time lately, and I care about her feelings, and 2. She's one of my favorite people. Enjoy!

Shadow the Hedgehog had nothing better to do today, so he took a walk in Emerald City, more precisely in the Forest Heights neighborhood of the North Lake borough. The sun was shining, and the temperature was warm, but not stiflingly so. Combine this with the fact that it was so cool in the shade, and it was just perfect for the Ultimate Life Form, not that he was particularly bothered by changes in temperature. Thus far, nobody bothered him, until…

"OH MY GOSH! IT'S SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG!"

Suddenly, a group of fangirls mobbed him, wrapping their arms around him, rubbing up against him and just generally being fangirly with him. While this sort of phenomenon was nothing new with him, and even though his Hedgehog Sense told him about it, it never got any less weird no matter how often it happened to him.

"Thanks, ladies, but my heart belongs to another."

The fangirls ignored his entreaty and continued trying to molest him. It was then that he knew he only had one other option…

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

With that, Shadow managed to evade the mob of fangirls. He ended up a few blocks away, in a more wooded area of the neighborhood. That was what he liked about the North Lake Borough: it was closer to nature while still offering the conveniences of city life. He continued walking, but then a block later, his Hedgehog Sense tingled. This time, it was telling him that somebody familiar was nearby. He continued to follow his sense, and soon enough, he found who it was alerting him to: Amy Rose, who was sitting on a bench resting her head in her hands, generally looking dejected.

"Hi, Amy."

Amy sighed. "Hi, Shadow."

"Why do you look sad? Is something wrong?"

"Just family issues, is all."

Shadow sat down on the bench next to Amy. "You don't have to talk about them with me if you don't feel comfortable. I just want to let you know I'm here for you if you do need to talk."

Amy lifted her head, crossed her hands on her lap and turned to face Shadow.

"It's my mom. Since my dad was at work, I had to take her to her gastroenterologist appointment, and it was so annoying. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom, but she is such a pain sometimes."

"How so?"

"For one, she complains about pretty much everything. I swear, trying to please her is like trying to dodge rain. Second of all, even when she's being good to me, she still somehow finds ways to get on my nerves. I don't wanna kill her, but at the same time, she's too much sometimes."

Shadow put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Amy, I may not know how you feel, but it's OK to feel upset. If you need anything else from me, please, feel free to ask. You're one of my favorite people, and I care about your feelings."

Amy looked Shadow in his blood red eyes. Even if he couldn't change her mother, his words meant so much to her.

"Thank you so much, Shadow."

Amy gave Shadow a big hug, which he gladly returned. Ever since that day she accidentally glomped him during the Space Colony ARK saga, he'd been looking forward to the day that he got to return the favor to her. Now that he got that opportunity, this seemingly ordinary day was turning into the best day of his life. Granted, it hurt knowing that she was feeling sad, but it also made him feel happy knowing that she trusted him enough to listen to her and give her the chance to feel better. Of course, feeling how soft, warm and cuddly she was also helped. It made him feel like an actual person, rather than as a weapon. Right now, there was no other woman he wanted more than her.

As she continued to hug Shadow, Amy's troubles regarding her mother melted away. Even though she knew she would have to put up with that woman again at some point, for now, she took solace in the fact that this strong, handsome boy had not only listened to her frustrations, but returned her hug when she gave it to him. She smiled, more than content to have his strong, manly arms wrapped around her. All she could think about right now was how grateful she was to have met the Ultimate Life Form and how she hoped that they could get together again sometime and do fun things with each other. Eventually, Amy let go of Shadow, but continued looking into his eyes, smiling.

"You're welcome, Amy."

"Awww, you're the best!"

Shadow smiled. "No, you are."

Amy giggled. "If you keep being so cheeky with me, I'm gonna kiss you!"

Shadow put his hands on Amy's cheeks. "Then let me humor you."

Shadow kissed Amy, who pulled him in tightly. It seemed like only yesterday that the two hedgehogs had been complete strangers, and here they were now, expressing their love for one another. In particular, Shadow was grateful for being able to do so. Feeling the pink hedgehog's lips against his was the hottest, most sensual feeling he'd experienced thus far, and he wanted more. Similarly, Amy was looking forward to taking this new relationship even further. Speaking of taking things further, Shadow stopped kissing Amy's lips and instead kissed across her cheek and up the side of her head before proceeding to nibble her ear. She gasped when he did this.

"Shadow, what are you doing!?"

"Just letting you know what a sweet, sexy girl you are."

"Oh, I'll give you sweet and sexy!"

Amy proceeded to put Shadow in a headlock and give him a noogie.

"Hey, what's this about!?" said Shadow.

Amy giggled, and then released Shadow. "Relax, I'm only joking!"

Shadow stared at Amy, and then laughed himself.

"Well, a good joke is better than the tragedies I've had to put up with!" said Shadow. "Thanks again for letting me comfort you."

Amy smiled. "You're always welcome, honey!"

"Anyways, would you like to take a walk with me?"

"Gladly!"

Shadow and Amy took a walk with each other, holding hands as they did so, heading towards a brighter future.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.