A/N: I had a sad thought a while back, so I wrote this fic to help me cope. Enjoy!

It was a cold, cloudy fall day, and Amy Rose was at home, watching an episode of Sofia the First. She enjoyed the program not only because it was a modern take on the classic "Disney princess" archetype, but also because it dealt with issues that she could easily relate to. Besides, being a cute pink hedgehog girl, she was drawn to things that were pink and/or cute. However, today would be no ordinary day for her, for earlier on, Shadow the Hedgehog had called her asking to come over, and she accepted, so she was expecting him any minute now. Just like clockwork, her Hedgehog Sense tingled, so she headed downstairs and heard knocking.

"Coming!"

Amy got to the door soon enough, and just as she expected, Shadow was there.

"Hey Shadow! Glad you could make it!

"Hi, Amy."

Amy frowned. "Shadow, you don't sound too good. Is there something on your mind?"

"Let's go up to your room and talk about it."

"OK."

Shadow and Amy went up to her room, where they sat down on the edge of her bed.

"So, what's on your mind?" asked Amy.

Shadow hung his head. "Well, for some reason, I just started thinking about how I'm immortal, and…well…I just got sad thinking about how you're going to die one day and I'll be all alone."

Amy put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had that thought. It must have been really hard on you. But you know what?"

"What?"

"People die all the time. It's just a fact of life."

Shadow crossed his arms. "Oh wow, that was really helpful."

"I'm sorry, Shadow; I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then what did you mean, Amy?"

Amy blushed. "Well, I…here's the thing: it's OK to feel sad about me dying. If you want to date somebody else after I'm gone, I'd be OK with that, and I'd be happy knowing that I got to spend a lifetime with you. Just promise me a couple of things…"

"Yes?"

"First of all: it's OK to mourn my death, but promise me you'll find some way to move on after the funeral?"

Shadow nodded weakly. "It won't be easy, but if it means that much to you, I'll try my best. Now, what else did you want me to promise you?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens now or in the future, I'll always be number-one in your heart."

Shadow smiled. "Amy Rose, I promise you that and more. You're my dear little cherry blossom, and meeting you has been the happiest moment of my life."

Amy smiled as well. "Oh, Shadow!"

Amy wrapped her hands around Shadow's cheeks and kissed him, and he lovingly embraced her as well. Even if it was inevitable that the pink Rose would die someday, at least the Ultimate Life Form was now able to bask in the satisfaction of knowing that she would love and support him even in death. Besides, feeling her sensual lips against his made him forget all about his troubles, as did wrapping his arms around her soft, cuddly body. Similarly, Amy enjoyed kissing Shadow. Even if hearing negative things from him about various anxieties he faced or about things that made him depressed was a bit much for her, it gave her great satisfaction to be there for him when he needed it most. Granted, she still felt pretty bad about the accidental misstep she spoke earlier, but for the most part, she felt that he would easily overlook that. That was one of the things she loved about him: his willingness to forgive her mistakes. Eventually, they broke away from the kiss, but continued to embrace each other.

"Amy, I'm yours…forever."

"Awww! Anyways, why don't we watch some TV together?"

"Did you have any specific program in mind?"

"I was watching Sofia the First when you came over."

Shadow paused. Then, he smiled:

"Cream told me about that one. I thought it sounded stupid at first, but when Rouge encouraged me to watch it, I decided to give it a shot, and I was surprised at how good it was."

Amy smiled. "Glad you're so open-minded, Shadow!"

"I'm glad, too."

Amy unpaused the program, and they continued to embrace each other. Even if death was a great inevitability, at least Shadow would be able to look to the next day not as a fear or problem, but as an opportunity to grow.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.