Instincts (UNDER EDITING)

by CGMayra

Amy Rose is triggered into a powerful state called Instincts, ancient reflexes in the body that've evolved to adapt uncontrolled Others. Sonic's takes his freedom against his will, Shadow's is bioengineered to be clever, and Silver's too evolved to even notice his Instincts! All are triggered by Amy's perfect scent.(SonamyShadamySilvamy)CONTAINS: NO MATING/VULGAR,CLOTHES ON,KISSING

4. Chapter 4

Instincts

Ch. 4

By: Cutegirlmayra (It's time…-looks sadly toward Sonamy fans and mouths 'I'm so sorry' and starts typing- also, also... -looks to Shadamy fans- Buckle up, this arc's a doozy.)

Tails was gasping, looking for something… ANYTHING... that would assist him in moving the duo to his lab. He needed to try and at least get them out of the nesting area and find out what might have happened.

"Her clothes are on, that's good right?" he was panicking. He had convinced Sonic to go in the first place… It would be his fault if anything-... "But it was Amy! She-!" he knew he couldn't blame her. Of course, she would grow lonely and desperate for Sonic, she always does! This was obviously not his fault either, but he couldn't help but feel partially guilty as he scrambled towards the kitchen. "Its Instincts, I can't control that! But I should have known... he knew he couldn't control it and I.. I made him believe he could and go in anyway…" He put his hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes, getting emotional. "Oh man… he's going to kill me…" He looked out from the kitchen back to the couple, just grooming each other and doing their normal animal thing.

He gulped and started to move towards his new plan. "Well… it worked last time…" He headed for Amy's cabinets.

Instinct Sonic growled, raising his head up and moving Instinct Amy's head away while doing so. She huffed, not liking being ignored and pushed away. Like a puppy, she lifted her hand and pawed at his face, trying to get his attention again. She rolled her head on the pillows below and stared up at him with half her face squished in. She smiled submissively, not wanting to redirect his anger from the fox onto her. "Why are you so afraid? He seems submissive. Just passing through." she commented, but he continued to stare off after him.

Like a lazy lion, he didn't seem to care about her want for attention but paid close mind to Tails, who tried to avoid eye-contact. Some animals see direct eye-contact as a sign of challenge, and he did NOT want to challenge an overly-dominant male like Sonic's instincts.

Instinct Sonic growled again, moving over Instinct Amy with his arms on either side of her, head low as he took a protective stance over her. "Harm her... and you die." he was referring to the pain Tails had put him through when he was under the impression that Sonic was being controlled by Eggman. Instinct Amy was playing with his gloves, tugging on them and trying to chew them but he didn't scold her. She was trying to stay happy while he was being overprotective, either way, his eyes narrowed and honed in on Tails's every move. When out of his eyesight, Instinct Sonic's ears became like sonar, scanning for his sounds and shifting quickly in half-rotations to detect movement from the kitchen area.

Amy didn't understand the gesture of why he would protect her from someone so weak and unthreatening as the fox boy. She turned back onto her stomach, upset at his refusal to play with her and nipped at his chin. When he didn't respond again, she didn't give up but rolled onto her back, pawing up at him again. "You're a silly Alpha. What can he do to me?"

"...More than you know..."

Her submissive and childish behavior was starting to turn slightly annoying to him, but he seemed to tolerate it well as he playfully turned his attention to her and nipped at each paw that came his way. She squeaked in joy, seeing he was now playing with her. After her previous nap, she was filled with energy and enthusiastically sprinted out from under him. Her leap out of his safe stance had simultaneously made him cautious of Tails's presence again. Instinct Sonic's head shot up and he growled with a quick turn towards Tails's direction. He was still in the kitchen...

He quit growling and huffed, licking his teeth which felt slick under his tongue, the heightened sense of instincts telling him he was hungry for a hunt...

But the lack of food wasn't as upsetting to Instinct Sonic. Not having eye-contact on the opposing threat was his true concern at the moment... it was like a shot of tension through his whole being... picturing Instinct Amy, stuck in a clear tunnel that stretched up to a grey, grounded sky that sat above it...

The lights that shone softer than the sun, but still blinded just as bad... the noises and the roars of animals he had never heard of before, buzzing and making odd chatter that would shock and zap at him like lightning, biting at him. The yellow fox standing before the loud and obnoxious animals... touching them and making more odd chatter to their already unbearable shrieks.

That's how Instinct Sonic had come into existence... his first taste of life was merciless, confusing pain. Then the voice that told him to get out, yelling at him and causing the inside of his head to ache. He already had the lightning bites to deal with. He had whimpered to be released, crying out, "I'm trying to get out! I'm trying! What's going on? What is this place?!" but no matter how much he tried to climb the tunnel skyward he couldn't dig through it's odd, thin soil. It would squeak under his attempts as his feet would slide down its surface. Nothing to dig through. Nowhere to escape. He realized that no amount of whimpering would stop the awful lightning biting, so he started to growl and demand release.

He attacked the blurred image of the fox, hitting his head against the Tails's experiment tube that held him in. Damaging himself but turning hostile in his attempt to stay alive. Tails never meant to hurt him that severely, but Instinct Sonic didn't know what was happening... he had no idea it was all a misunderstanding and how can you expect Sonic to explain it to him? Sonic just wanted him to disappear...

That horrible memory... he scanned worriedly for Instinct Amy, sniffing the air. "Come back... don't get too close! Amy!"

He lowered his head, twitching his ears for a sign of movement again from the kitchen. He didn't hear much, only Instinct Amy jumping up and down as she raced around the nest, wanting him to chase her. She flopped down, barking, "Play with me!" letting her tongue hang out on her side and breathing hard from her little outburst.

"…He's dangerous…"

Instinct Sonic growled a hissful warning, keeping his eyes fixated on the kitchen's open doorway...

Tails looked at his device, hearing activity and seeing if he could find context clues as to what happened last night but they weren't talking about it.

All he could make out was Amy wanting to play and Sonic being territorial because of his presence.

As he gathered food, he stopped to see what Instinct Sonic said to her and had small tears streaming down his face, almost comically as though apologizing for his very existence. "I'm so sorry…" He knew Instinct Sonic would never trust him after all the experimenting he did on him. "It wasn't my fault... At the time, I had no idea we even had instincts! Or that they could be triggered at a certain age." He placed a hand on his head and sighed, "And I'm talking out loud again to no one, aren't I?" He realized and groaned, letting himself lean forward and let his arms just dangle in front of him. He put the device under his arm and gathered the food he had collected up into his arms, hoping to use it as a lure to get the two hedgehogs out of the house.

"How is he dangerous? He seems to be completely ignoring our presence. Let the creature forage in peace." Instinct Amy, crawling over and laying next to Instinct Sonic, flopped an arm up and on his head. It was a light way of saying to calm down as she looked back to where it sounded like Tails was. She then nudged Sonic's face with her nose, trying to turn his attention back to herself. "You worry too much, Sonic."

Tails looked at the device and stopped, looking sadly to it and wondering what Sonic would think of it...

"He's dangerous!"

This time, Sonic's instinct almost roared with such authority and hatred that Instinct Amy whimpered slightly and moved away quickly, darting back and staying low to the ground. She bent her ears back submissively, "…You… You act as though you were a caged animal in his care." Instinct Amy had seen her other's memories and what she viewed her as. An animal… and so she looked through her memories, as Amy had allowed her to go deeper, and see what the definition of an 'animal' was to her. It was horrifying to see animals in cages, making loud and scary noises, as they moved about in a pace that trailed left and right...

She then wondered if Instinct Sonic was treated poorly too, and worried greatly for his sake. "My Alpha..." she trusted him but wasn't sure why he was so defensive against the fox.

Instinct Sonic didn't answer, but his ears leaned forward, and his eyes drooped a bit. Instinct Amy got up and looked concerned,

"...Were you...?"

"They…hate us." His tone turned so sorrowful, his eyes glossed with a longing she couldn't understand... a deeply rooted pain she had yet to endure. His stance was still wide and ready for attack, but his face only showed the tortured aftermath of a cruel beginning... "And there's nothing we can do about it." He bit down on his jaw, then barked out his words as though speaking them directly to Sonic and Tails, still turned towards the kitchen. "No act of innocence brings mercy to their actions!" Tails had to fight back further tears, looking down at the screen and seeing they had already hit its surface while it continued to translate. "They are ruthless, with their animals known as machines and their loathing! They will never accept us! They will only see us as wild, feral creatures that must be tamed and kept controlled. Even if that results in cruelty and confinement."

There was hatred, anger, and so much anguish in Instinct Sonic's face. Instinct Amy wondered what kind of hedgehog he was before the fox and his other had changed him. Was he kind? Was he more innocent like she was? She felt what he must have been feeling about the hatred… deep within her, she had seen and felt her other's fear and resentment. But was it anything like his other's contempt?

Instinct Sonic dug his fingers into the padding of the cushions below, gritting his teeth in rage at remembering the shocks and jolts. Trapped in a cone of some kind. Clear, but blurry to see out of. Then the shocks that happened again and again… the pain and the bright lights. And yellow… a yellow figure in the blur…

He relived that torture of being so new to the world, so young like Instinct Amy… but with each bit of pain, he cried out for it to stop, trying desperately to reason with the fox that couldn't understand his pleading. His other didn't know what to think of him but just kept screaming to get out of him, to leave him be, and to let him out. With all the chaos, the pain on both the outside and the inside… Sonic's Instincts turned vicious, and his good heart became stone-cold with his other's hatred and Tails's cruel experimentations.

"M...Maybe some are not... so cruel?"

Instinct Amy had no idea of his memories and looked down, away from him.

Instinct Sonic was clearly distraught, but her words broke him out of his trauma and he shot his head up, pushing her down with a crazed look in his eyes. "They can never be trusted!" His muscles stiffened and he growled with added hisses of threats. It was as though he was ready to maul her face off like an enemy.

She cried under his powerful and crushing force, squirming for freedom and seeking leverage. She struggled to get away, scared to death of his reaction.

Her whimpering cries led Tails to rush out, "Amy!" seeing Instinct Sonic's threatening self, looming over her with his fangs drawn—well, if he had bigger fangs...—but the fact was he was acting like a wild animal, leading Tails to quickly rush over to her aid. "Get off of her!"

With the distraction, Sonic turned his attention to the fox, losing the mindless anger and got swiftly off of Amy. He then pinned all his aggression towards him, moving towards him like stalking prey,… ready to pounce..!

"S-st...STOP!"

Instinct Amy wobbled a moment as Amy Rose found her opening. Through the shock and fright of the moment, Instinct Amy had let her guard slip enough that Amy could push out of her instinct form through the confusion. Fighting the pain-splitting headache, she reached out and grabbed the back of instinct Sonic, ripping him back and away from pouncing at Tails, which could have possibly severely hurt him. However, her powerful and forceful throw was all she could focus on in the spur of the moment, and every ounce of power pumped into it. So, as suddenly as she arrived, she was sucked back into her instinct form who forced her back within the depths of an unwilling mind-cell. Instinct Amy coward away from Instinct Sonic, her ears lowered back, terrified as she whimpered for comfort.

Tails gasped, seeing his life flash before his eyes for a moment, and realizing that the instincts can't speak, so that must have been the real Amy that came out to save him before being pushed or pulled back into her instinct form.

Because she grabbed his back spines, her gloves were slightly torn and scratched, but no blood was apparent yet. She licked it and looked over to a thrown Instinct Sonic.

He tossed cushions and pillows left and right in such fury, anything under him was flung in outrage. He rolled up as instinct Amy started to withdraw, her eyes full of fear as she softly cooed out an explanation.

"You… frightened my other." Instinct Amy didn't understand, only that her other had felt so strongly against Instinct Sonic possibly hurting the fox, that she forced herself out for a short moment to save him. "She burst through me and..!"

"You are weak." He froze himself, shifting his head to her in a glare. "You still trust them... over me! Your own alpha?!" his quills spiked up, moving slowly to her direction.

"I…" She shook her head, unable to look away from him, but her heart broke into small shards. "I do not see their hate as much as you do! Sonic!" She jumped towards him, unfamiliar with the feelings she was enduring. All she knew was that her other wasn't so bad... she had to speak truthfully about what she thought but...

I should have claimed you while I had the chance…" He lowered his head, growling his disdain and backlashing her attempt to want to be closer. Her confession didn't feel like a submissive apology, and he spun himself in a pacing line around her, as though attempting to detach himself from her protective stance over the fox boy. "But I let you fool me into believing you'd choose me in the end instead of them."He turned his attention to Tails, his head rising but his teeth tightly held together in a tense battle to hold Instinct Sonic steady.

"The second you mentioned her... I should have rid you of all and any defiance of my word. He held a strong stance, wide and withholding himself from lashing out, turning his head back to Instinct Amy, lowering it in anger and regret at not taking her when he should have. I should have sealed you to me as one so that you couldn't rebel... and I could have protected you from their control! Now your nothing but a puppet!" He spun around and snapped at her, a sign of hostility when she tried to turn and draw closer to him again, lowering her ears to show she wanted to be close again.

"S...Sonic…" Instinct Amy didn't understand, but her heart was in a chaotic disorder, breaking itself at hearing him say that. "You're the one that sounds like he wants to control me!"

Instinct Sonic jolted his head back, realizing she was right as she glared at him and ran out of the nest.

Tails had no idea what was going on and was just too scared to look away and check his device. When Amy got out of the nest, he quickly took out some strawberries.

'They were cuddling and cooing a moment ago, what just happened!?' he thought to himself as he started to try and lead Amy to him, making noises like someone would do to lure a dog to him, and waved the three strawberries in his hand toward her. 'Was he really going to..?' he didn't want to think anymore about Instinct Sonic's hatred of him, instead, he disregarded his device and decided to focus on bringing Amy to him.

"Come on… this way." He moved as far away from the nest as he could, seeing Instinct Sonic look down. He was paralyzed by her words, his anger lost to hard breathing that seemed to try and calm himself down.

Amy smelled the food, looking to Tails before turning back to Sonic.

"I will always choose you,... But not like this."

She lifted a paw, slowly taking her gaze off of Instinct Sonic's harsh, slow panting... and walked towards Tails. Instinct Sonic's eyes arched as though he had lost her, watching her move towards the enemy... knowing full well the suffering he endured may fall on her as well. But he couldn't fight her. She had broken his spirit of wanting to protect her. Now... he figured... with a sharp narrowing of his eyes, that she had to learn for herself their cruelty. He shifted his head away with a wild swing and squinted his eyes shut, sure of the sounds of pain he would hear momentarily.

Amy's instincts to get food overpowered her will to heed any of Instinct Sonic's warnings, as Tails opened the door and threw a strawberry out. She excitedly perked her head up towards the flying red dot's direction and bounded after it, leaping and grabbing it with her mouth.

"Now… you…" Tails didn't know how to approach Instinct Sonic, his stance still wide and his face looking defeated and sorrowful. Sadly, Tails had to close his eyes... knowing the only way to move him…

Was to hurt him.

"…I really am sorry…" he took out his device.

A taser wire fired with a click of two buttons pressed by Tails's thumbs at the same time, hitting Instinct Sonic and shocking him into a frantic electrocution. Tails's hope was that he'd faint, allowing Tails to physically move him, but he was unaware that Instinct Sonic's resilence had not changed from the day he first shifted.

Instinct Sonic's whimper of pain made Instinct Amy drop her strawberry, turning around and pausing for a moment to process what had happened. She didn't understand the painful cries but rushed back in.

"Sonic..?!" She whimpered by his side and poked at his hurt body. He twitched violently and she worried it was his anger again, but his sounds were of injury and help, not rage.

She paced her head back and forth and tapped her hands against the ground as though not knowing where to start. Should she lick a wound? Was there a wound? What was wrong with him? She didn't see the long, thin and curly wires of the taser on the ground. Nor the barbs that were stuck and digging farther into his sing with each sporadic twitch from the painful thunder he once again knew all too well but still had to endure.

"These are not partners... they are not friendly... I... I don't want them to hurt you as they have done to me." Instinct Sonic's whimpers and soft cries created fear in Instinct Amy's eyes, feeling them gloss over in love and worry. A wetness filled her eyes that was not common for an animal to feel, but no human tears were shed.

She looked to the fox, "What did he do to you..? I was only gone for a moment..!" Her eyes narrowed, her teeth began to bare... "What have you done to my alpha?!" she spun around with a yip towards Tails, as Instinct Sonic could barely open his eyes to see her guarding him, protecting him... perhaps he did not lose her... after... all...

His head slowly rolled... and he fainted on his side.

Tails had quickly pressed a button to withdraw the wires back into the device after approaching Sonic and pulling out the barbs, gently using his arm to push Instinct Amy back. She barked at him but didn't bite. It was a good sign that she wasn't resorting to violence since she didn't understand how Tails could have hurt him if he was standing so far away. She must have not been able to register what had occurred. Instinct Sonic lay motionless in the nest and Instinct Amy had no idea what had hurt him.

"Sonic!" She cried out, rushing back to his side as Tails started to pick him up, jumping and yipping around the nest, trying to lurch up and sniff around him. She smelled smoke but saw no sign of fire. She nudged his dangling hand but he didn't move.

"Come on, girl. Come on." Tails called Instinct Amy, as he flew up and tried to keep Sonic upon his shoulder. Instinct Amy left with him, running along the ground and looking up worriedly to Sonic, fixed by Tails's side, but her eyes stayed hooked to the blue limp body in his hold...

-Tails's Workshop-

Instinct Sonic was slowly coming too as Instinct Amy huffed and grunted at him, seeming to try and see if he was alive and not knowing for certain.

She was on the edge of the couch, wiggling her butt below to sit more properly up towards the edge and whimpering for his acknowledgment of her presence. When he didn't reply with permission to come closer, she nudged up an arm and lifted herself up, squirming herself under it and not waiting for a reply. She lowered her head and waited, looking worried and scared as she pressed and rubbed herself up against him, wanting to be comforted.

Her quills woke him up, her scent caused him to know who she was and not freak out, but her behavior was a bit obsessive and he wasn't a morning hedgehog. He aggressively bit her ear, forcing her to stop whimpering and calm down, leaning up on his arms and looking around to try and get his bearings.

It wasn't too harsh a bite, though. Instinct Amy saw it more as play but kept herself still in submission. She just wanted to make sure he was okay.

"Okay… so… what do we have to work with here." Tails searched the internet for answers, trying to find signs if Sonic had slept with Amy or not, and hoping with all his heart that nothing had happened… but seeing Sonic's dominant instincts over her…

He shook his head. "I can't let myself think of that right now! I need to figure this out!"

Instinct Sonic growled out from the corner of his mouth, continuing from their last conversation, he seemed to be grunting something to her. "Why is the fox still here..?"

She grunted back, "You passed out. You looked dead!"

Tails turned around, trying to see if Instinct Sonic's aggression was going to lead to violence, but Instinct Sonic just grabbed her ear with his teeth again. "Dead? I thought he would have killed you! Don't take me for a weak alpha! The other's thunder only lasts a short time." He shook her playfully around a moment, and his behavior reassured her he wasn't mad at her anymore. He was too relieved to be. He thought his Other would have taken her away from him. He released her ear and just forced her down, growling again though, "That is... if I'm still your alpha."

His dominance was only to reestablish what he thought was lost, but when Instinct Amy turned onto her belly and wagged her tail, smiling up to him, he was surprised to see how easily she submitted this time.

"As long as you're alright, my alpha!" her blissful tone and mannerisms broke Instinct Sonic's demeanor. He suddenly moved off of her, submitting out of affection for her, and gently moving to nuzzle and cuddle up to her face.

"And as your alpha... I will always be." He smiled lightly and continued to reassure her it was all alright. "I may despise the hatred of our others, and this fox..." he made a face of tolerance towards Tails, showing he still didn't like him around but wasn't going to challenge him right now. "But I will always be with you."

"Okay… he's showing more dominance again… but this time, with more anger. Maybe because he was confused where he was?" Tails noticed him cuddling Instinct Amy and looked a bit embarrassed, not knowing if he could stop them without Instinct Sonic becoming territorial again. "He must be exhausted after that tase though… I wonder if he's just showing the uncertainty of his authority and trying to claim dominance again…" He didn't know how close he really was to the truth. "But why would he be so forceful and aggressive if he..?" Tails's head shot up and he smiled, "THEY DIDN'T MATE!" It was a hallelujah if there ever was one.

His arms went straight up with his head, a praise to Chaos before he hit his hand against his head and the other against his knee.

"Otherwise, he would be more tame with her and she—in return, would have acted more dominant being the only female around—making her also alpha!" he leaned back in his chair. "Oh, thank chaos…" he breathed out, "Amy's okay. Sonic's okay. I can live with my conscience cleared now." He wiped some sweat off of his face and then rubbed it with both hands coming up to do the job. It soothed him greatly, and he sighed in relief to release the last fluttering nerves of tension from his body. He let his head hit the desk as he turned back around to the computer, "Oooohhh… I'm so glad."

Sonic's instincts were indeed fading from that last painful experience. He couldn't move to attack Tails even if he wanted too, and slowly let his head fall beside Instinct Amy, who wiggled out from underneath him and rubbed her ear with her arm, like a cat almost.

Instinct Sonic blinked his eyes…

'... You're there aren't you..? You know what I said was true… you know… and yet you still wish to keep her from me…'

'…After that attack? Why wouldn't I?'

Sonic's instincts huffed as if it was a quick laugh in his other's direction.

So? He was gaining strength again. Instinct Sonic knew it was only a matter of time... like before...

'Sometimes you have to be harsh to the ones you wish to protect the most…'

'…I would never harm Amy.. and you did.'

Instinct Sonic growled lowly, feeling Instinct Amy move but mostly responding to Sonic within his mind... She turned to snuggle closer to him, lowering her quills to cause less discomfort by doing so. He watched her a moment and then looked up, refocusing on the conversation in his mind.

'No… you harm her… and soon her other will harm her… and the fox… until she realizes I'm the only one she can trust.'

'Over my dead body.'

Instinct Sonic blinked his eyes before finally closing them fully. He could feel his power slipping... soon, his Other would be next to Instinct Amy. But he didn't have the strength left. The real Sonic could feel his will taking over and restoring some balance lost long ago, and even though his body hurt, he knew he could overthrow his instincts now. After a minute, his eyes shot open and Sonic gasped for air, as though that reaction was the first thing he could think of to prove he had power over his body again. Moving away and backing up against the wall, he continued to check. His hands moved, his legs kicked and scooted him away from Instinct Amy, who turned her head up and squealed in a moment of fright, jumping onto the armrest and gripping it tightly.

He had never felt that powerless over his own body before. It upset him greatly. Looking at himself and realizing his will could so easily fall... and to a girl's smell!?

Tails quickly turned around, lifting his head up and seeing Sonic jump to two legs again. "Sonic!"

Sonic got up too fast and held his head, swinging left and right before falling back to the couch's soft and bumpy surface. His headache... he would remember soon... What had he done? What had his instinct done to Amy..!? He curled up slightly, lifting his knees in towards him but not tightening up enough to be in his ball form.

Instinct Amy scooted back, "My... alpha?" she sniffed around, grunting, but Sonic's mannerisms were not a typical hedgehog's body language anymore. She tilted her head as he gripped his face, hiding it from view.

"Sonic! Are you okay!? What's wrong!" Tails quickly ran to his side as Instinct Amy crawled back down the couch, holding up a paw daintily as she looked around, ears bent as the confusion made her nervous.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Shut… shut up a minute, Tails… I don't think I want to remember." Sonic looked overcome with dread and Tails lowered his ears at seeing his friend's condition. The splitting headache only made it worse when he did, in fact, start remembering... His breathing was slow and his behavior only showed his anguish and rage. "Dang it!" he kicked his let out. "Shoot... I couldn't... I couldn't do anything about it..." he gritted his teeth, continuing to cover his face in shame.

"You… You have nothing to be regretful of. Amy's fine, and I'm sure-!" Tails reached out for him, trying to soothe him somewhat but Sonic lashed out, swinging his arms back and leaning forward.

"AUGH!" Sonic got off the couch and banged his head against the wall. "I'M REMEMBERING!" he was truly distraught and the guilt in Tails's heart sank deeper into his being. He held his hand back, bundling it up against his chest.

"…Sonic… Y-you'll hurt yourself!" Tails fought against his regret and inadequacies with a shake of his head, rushing up to him but not daring to touch him. "You have to get a hold of yourself! Just… just calm down!"

"CALM DOWN!?" Sonic's eyes shot open in fury, pushing his head against the wall to drown out the headache as the entire event raced through his memory and played out before him. He pounded the wall at first, before punching it soon after as the intensity of the situation became more and more apparent in his dream-like memory... "Dang it... Dang it,... Dang it, dang it, dang it all!" He then bashed his head and turned around to glare at Tails, quickly changing his face to pure sadness as his breathing looked shaken, "...Calm down?" he looked away from him, squinting his eyes shut and keeping his hands gripped in tight, fisted balls by his side. "...He tried to claim her… but she was to fixated on Amy's voice within her… then he…" His eyes opened and darted around as if seeing the moment or reliving it again in his mind. "RRRAAHH!" he rushed into another wall, slamming his body against it in his rage and sorrow. "I WANT MY BODY BACK, TAILS!" he cried out, spooking Tails as he had never seen so much emotion from Sonic before—not ever in his life.

"Sonic... I told you. I can't do anything about it! I can't suppress it or destroy it because it's a natural part of you! It's like taking away your ability to reproduce! You have to have your instincts! It's just life!" (Author's cruel note: Imagine if Sonic had to deal with a period… Edited note: Imagine if Sonic opted out and got himself neutered.)

Tails couldn't help but feel responsible for this mess. "If... If I didn't encourage you... I'm sorry, Sonic! I should have listened to you." He turned his head away, his eyes watering up as he looked around and then held his eyes shut. He felt his shoulders bouncing, knowing tears would arrive shortly. "This wasn't like one of Eggman's lunatic schemes to take over the world... I can believe in you to take down a robotic takeover, but fighting against your own self? Controlling something that you haven't mastered yet? Risking your integrity and Amy's virtue on hopeful thinking? I'm the one to blame!" he shot his arms straight down by his sides, letting the tears begin since he knew he couldn't restrain them anymore. "But I can't stop you, Sonic... I can't take your instincts away from you." he slowly shook his head, unable to help his friend any further... "Even if it's not the real you, Sonic... Knowing that a part of you hates me..?" he wiped his eyes with his arms. "You're my best friend..." he couldn't finish his thought, it was too painful, he just fell silent before Sonic finally spoke up again.

"Tails… You are my best friend." Sonic sighed, "But I can't do this any longer. Before I... I was able to handle it but now, with Amy..." Sonic changed, his anger simmered beneath the surface of his care and concern for his friend. He felt his body waver back and forth, still hurt and exhausted, and leaned against the wall for support. He lazily gestured to Instinct Amy, cowering away from the two as she looked between them, not finding any meaning in their strange sounds.

"Has... has your other come back?" When no answer followed, she huffed in frustration and laid down, submitting to the new atmosphere of the strange new creatures. She fled underneath the coffee table when she noticed his weird gesture to her, and the two of them staring at her. She stared up at them too, wondering what the loud banging was and if it would start again. She patiently waited for her Sonic to return to her, deciding it best to stay at a distance, for now...

Sonic held his hand up to his head, distraught as he felt he had no control over his own self. What would become of him and Amy? What awful string of fate was now tied around their wrists and ankles? The feeling of being forced prey to some animal inside him lingered a rage he couldn't quench. He wanted to defeat his instincts. But how..?

"Sonic, you have to calm down, you're scaring her..." Tails looked to Amy, seeing her flinch while hiding under the coffee table, panting in fright at the loud shouting from before, a typical sign of stress. She wasn't sure why Sonic had slammed himself against walls or anything like that but hoped he wouldn't injure himself further.

When they stared, she licked her chomps and wondered what they would do. She also wondered if more strawberries were around, and sniffed the ground below her.

"…Good." Sonic aired out, not breathing right as it came in and out too rapidly. Could his body remember too..? the headache was lessening... his memory seemed fully there, but... maybe he was just showing the stress and wane from it all too. He wiped some spit from his mouth and clutched his chest. "Maybe she'll be too afraid to come near me again…"

He thought of his time with his instinct before. A mutual dislike of one another, but he never let up. Whenever his instincts wanted control, he would fight him every step of the way. Even when he took over, Sonic never fully yielded but kept fighting till he scratched and clawed his way back into power. Feeling his will ripped from him was his worse nightmare. Being trapped was like suffocating, which might explain the sudden and deep intake of air when he first gained power over himself again. Sonic wouldn't—couldn't—be kept and held against his own freedom. His instincts would just run and sniff about, marking his territory and whatnot, and most days his instinct and him just bickered. Then no instincts for some time... then spring again and there you go. But when Amy was put into the mixture, the first time Sonic felt the full throttle of his instincts desires, he was left completely powerless to protect her and regain control again.

He would make sure that never happened again... no matter how hard or impossible it seemed. He would conquer his being. He would not quit.

There was no surrender in Sonic's eyes.

"But... Sonic!" Tails exclaimed, twisting back around to try and cut off the thoughts he supposed Sonic might be considering.

"No..." Sonic stated firmly, staring at Instinct Amy and holding the tension tighter within his body. "I can't control it, Tails." He said this as though—at the moment—he couldn't. "I've failed! You were wrong." Sonic showed some compassion, turning to Tails and showing the pain on his face as he said those words, restraining himself but still having a harsh volume to his tone. "No amount of calculating or learning about this... this thing is going to solve anything!"

Tails's expression turned to one of hurt and looked away. Now he truly did feel unwanted... like his efforts were in vain.

Sonic, feeling the regret of just hurting his friend, gripped his head with both hands and bent his frame forward, he called out, "I.. I have to leave! And I'll only come back when I've stopped him! I'll completely rid him from me. And if all else fails..." he threw his hands down and backed away, looking to Instinct Amy as she crawled somewhat out from under the table, wondering with the scanning of her eyes where he was going. "I'll morph fully with it." it was a last resort. He would either tame or destroy it and if not? He would force it to join with him, obey his terms. "I won't be a slave to my own tendencies." he looked to Tails, showing full resolve on this matter. He looked at his hand, his body staggering again. His eyes bent back in pity for his own skin, "I don't know why we're not evolved enough to dispose of this... I don't know why we need it so badly to function... but I won't live every spring, month to month, wondering when I'm going to snap next." he clutched his hand and began to move towards Tails.

"When Amy wakes up, she'll hear this. She'll know what I've said." he side-glanced Tails and began to walk past him. "If she doesn't understand... then that's not my concern."

Tails rose his head, jolting after his words were delivered. "But... Amy... Wait!" He raced behind Sonic and brought his arms out, shaking them in a desperate plea to have Sonic understand his position on this. "Sonic! You can't just leave me to defend Amy alone! She could get hurt! You have to stay!" Tails gripped his chest, trying to convince him that leaving was wrong. "If not even you can help her... where does that leave me?" his insecurities were taking over, and Sonic just turned to him with remorse.

"Tails…" Sonic fully faced him. "I can't." He shook his head. "If I can't control myself... how does that help Amy?" His words rang true, but Tails still couldn't accept it. He shook his head in return but Sonic continued, seeing Tails slowly withdraw his statements with the fall of his head. "I can't let that happen again or he'll hurt her… I know he will. He won't let her get away twice."

Tails shed further tears, letting inertia its course as his tears weren't blocked from falling by his muzzle. It was a straight fall, much like the feeling he felt when Sonic said he would leave and not return until this was settled. He couldn't stop his friend though, it wasn't his place anymore to say anything concerning this matter. Sonic had made up his mind... there was no going back now.

"W... Where will you go?"

"Wherever I can to get away… I'll try and train to see if I can control it. Until then…"

"But there are other hedgehogs! Amy won't be safe, she can't-!" How would Amy defend herself if she was locked in the same situation that Sonic now faced? Tails's mind wouldn't find closure to this unless they made a plan. He sniffed back some tears and held a stronger face and tone, not letting Sonic leave until they had a sound backup plan. "Can't we at least talk about this? Amy needs us! She needs you, Sonic! Amy-!" Tails flew speedily into his path, stopping him from advancing towards the door.

"Will be fine without me. It's safer this way." Sonic moved Tails away from him with a slow and gentle push of his arm, continuing his walk from Tails's momentary obstruction.

Tails felt like just giving in, letting Sonic go and letting Amy live her life. But he couldn't just stand idly by while his friends suffered. While something truly terrible could befall them. If someone truly got to Amy... he would never forgive himself. If Sonic couldn't stop his instincts from doing something horrible... he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

This was life or death to Tails, he spun back around.

"Sonic! Sonic, you can't just-!" As Tails ran to catch him, Instinct Amy jumped out in the front of Sonic's path. Her legs skirted with a screech against Tails's floor and she had to readjust them, such was her powerful sprint to stop him.

Staring up at him, she looked firm in her stance and in her resolved face, she wasn't planning on moving. She may not understand why Sonic's Other was leaving, but she could feel the mood of the room and knew that the fox was distressed, that Sonic wasn't acting sociable or polite. She wanted to know why, and she wasn't going to move until every Other calmed down.

Sonic stopped, staring at her, not knowing what to think. "Why isn't she moving, Tails?"

Tails stopped, stunned that Instinct Amy seemed to feel his desperation to keep Sonic around. He sighed in relief, glad that even if she was in her instinct form, her behavior to stay by Sonic and want to be with him was still as strong as ever. She always knew what the right thing to do was, and for once, Tails needed someone to side with him more than ever. He finally stepped forward, "I don't know." he honestly spoke, his mind clearer now than before.

"You always know!" Sonic shrugged, looking a bit skeptical that even he didn't understand Instinct Amy's behavior. "I thought you were the animal expert here." he gestured to him, but Tails finally had enough.

He would listen to his plea and not shirk him off any longer!

"I DON'T KNOW." Tails's voice echoed a man's voice, demanding attention, and holding great urgency in its cry. It startled Sonic enough to pivot his way and see Tails's deep glared towards him. "I can't read minds!" he hollered out. "I can't do everything, Sonic! I tried! And I'll keep trying cause I don't give up after one bad go!" He sucked in some air, ready to fire off a rapid spitfire of thoughts he hadn't prepared, pre-thought of, or even pondered on at all. He wasn't going to sugarcoat anything and keep anything back any longer. Sonic was his friend, a hero, and if he taught Tails anything... it was to not hold back when injustice was amok. "I can't fix your instincts to obey you and I can't stop you from being triggered! But for her sake!" he pointed bravely to Instinct Amy, "Please! She'll snap out of it and wonder what happened, and I'll have to tell her that you left and it's all her fault!"

Sonic looked to Tails, and then back to Instinct Amy.

Instinct Amy stared at him, in her mind she knew this was the other Sonic and was afraid that her Sonic was right… that his other would take her Sonic away from her.

She wasn't going to allow him to leave this room until her Sonic was back! Back and with her! Just like she promised him!

Sonic saw the look on both their faces. "Heh..." he held his peace a moment, looking down. A sarcastic smirk and chuckle escaped momentarily from his mouth, seeing them both opposing what he felt was right. It was a first, in a sense. Seeing them so united in something neither one of them in this room understood. "So you'd have me risk being the bad guy?" It was a mumble, something that was barely heard but still picked up on.

Sonic rose his head, giving a strong stare into Instinct Amy's eyes. For her, it was the look of a challenge. If the stare held, it meant hostility, and she lowered herself, readying for a pounce or swipe, but Sonic only meant to hold authority, nothing more.

"...Move..." He spoke with absoluteness, trying to use his tone of voice to make her submissive side kick in and obey him.

Instinct Amy didn't even flinch. She was as still as stone, but her eyes moved like rushing waters.

She uttered a soft grunt, "I won't let you take him away from me." she stopped, and grunted again with a low growl and huff. "I won't let you hurt him anymore."

When she didn't budge, Sonic stepped forward, moving directly in front of her. "You don't even know what's going on." He loomed over her, staring down. "For your own good… move." He started to shake, having his frustrations and sorrow building up inside him.

Was she an animal? Or was she Amy? He could still see her as the little girl he grew up with. Hatred for how he could see her now as some sort of feral creature boiled through his blood without mercy. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind... that wasn't the only thing that filled him with anger.

Something else was there too. Something he didn't want to admit in front of Tails.

But he knew Amy knew... and he cursed himself for having his anger be directed towards her. 'She's not in her right mind.' he told himself. 'But still...'

Instinct Amy whimpered but didn't move. Seeming to plead for him not to leave her.

Instinct Sonic looked down, away from her, his eyes closed as his fist shook violently in protest of her actions.

"…Sonic..." Tails knew Sonic was going to leave no matter what he said, even with Amy right there… "Tell her." He stated. "She's still in there… it's just that right now, she can't hear you. But she will, she'll remember every word you say, and know every meaning behind it." That much was true. Tails had done all he could. At least Sonic listened. But it was Sonic who should explain himself to Amy, why he's leaving, and why it didn't work.

Sonic took a deep breath and bent down, channeling himself to remember this was Amy... but every time he saw that diamond in her eye... it was the hate he held for his own instincts that started haunting him again.

Tails could see he was trying to form the right words, bending down to her level to try and rekindle the care he felt towards her. But was that enough? Or was Sonic truly over it all? Instincts... not just his own?

Startled, Instinct Amy lowered her head as though thinking he might reach out and pet it or something. When that didn't happen, no loving head bumps or nose nuzzles, she leaned slightly back. "... You're still not him... are you?" she curiously asked before taking her defensive stance and readying to attack if needs be. "I won't move until it's him!" she spiked her quills up a bit, showing she was willing to tussle if he moved any closer.

"...Amy..." he started, as Instinct Amy's ears moved left and right, picking up on the sound that seemed familiar to her. "…I can't hurt you anymore." He breathed out, and Tails turned away, closing his eyes shut. He could already see it. How Amy would awaken and feel terribly guilty about her one act of selfishness… that Tails let her get away with…

"I have to leave because I care about your safety. Right now… I could really hurt you, in more ways than one. And I can't allow that. I can't allow myself to see you again until I'm in complete control over myself, which means..." he bent further down.

When his line of sight changed, Instinct Amy felt his challenge was removed, and Sonic's Other was acting submissive. Showing she also didn't want to fight, she rose herself up again and lowered her quills.

He reached a hand out, a new look she didn't recognize upon his face. She sniffed his hand, smelling the familiar allure but not nearly as much as before. She moved her head under his hand, letting him pat her head.

"I won't be seeing you for some time… maybe after this weird spring… but even then… I think it's best we part for now. 'Til I'm sure I can handle it."

As though in shy sympathy, Sonic began to scratch her head and she leaned into it.

"I will come back for you." he placed his head next to hers, moving his hand out of the way. It was an intimate reminder that he did care, but still wouldn't allow himself to be with her any longer. Amy couldn't control herself in or out of instincts. The least he could do is control himself.

She leaned back a bit and grunted, "Where will you go without me?" but he couldn't understand, "Why must you make him leave me?" She didn't understand a word he said, only that his actions were reminiscent of a goodbye.

"I'm sorry… I have to leave. Please forgive me, Amy." He then got up, walking over her as her eyes followed after him.

Instinct Amy barked and tried to stop him, "No!" but Tails grabbed her by her waist and held her back.

"She'll be upset with you, ya know!" he called back to Sonic, trying to keep a struggling and wild instinct Amy at bay while Sonic exited the door.

"...No Tails,.." Sonic opened the door. "She'll be upset with herself."

"...What?" Tails looked disturbed at hearing that. He knew that but... just with herself? "Take some responsibility!"

"She let her instincts look inside her memories…" Sonic flung open the door, deciding secrets were best left said and heard. "She taught her instinct how to kiss."

Tails's mouth dropped, his grip on Instinct Amy slipped a little but it wasn't enough to set herself free.

"We can't trust her to help control our instincts... When she can't even help control herself." Tails connected the dots and lined up the evidence. Sonic's rage... his frustrations. His emotional response and aggressive wall-banging. It wasn't all just him he was upset with...

He felt betrayed by Amy.

"If it weren't for that, her instinct would of mated and we'd both be shamed. I have no choice." Sonic glared at the opened door. Tails understood now, that his anger was righteous judgment, not just self-hate and Instinct loathing.

Sonic didn't hate himself, because he at least tried. But now... it seemed Sonic felt Amy gave into darker tendencies.

Tails looked to Instinct Amy, unable to believe Amy would willingly encourage such behavior, knowing the cost. She was still struggling to get out of his grasp, "Why… why would she betray herself and us like that..? That doesn't make any sense..."

Sonic wasn't the only one who felt betrayed by Amy's trust in her instincts.

"You said... you said because she did that... you didn't mate? How is that possible?" Tails couldn't comprehend it. "Wouldn't that have encouraged you two to..?"

"Goodbye Tails… Amy." He didn't even bother to close the door as he raced out, obviously hurt and unwilling to discuss this further.

Suddenly Tails felt awful about trying to stop Sonic. Sonic didn't quit. Amy did.

Tails watched him go with shock and amazement at his words. "But how… why…" he let go of Instinct Amy as she raced out the door, barking for him to come back, stopping in the middle of the path and sniffing about. When his scent was fainter than ever before, she called to him, whimpering. "Soooniiicc!"

Tails covered his mouth and looked down, "Amy… what have you done? Were you protecting yourself by distracting your instinct? Or were you… hoping for.. something else? What were you thinking..?" He was disgusted. He felt ready to cry and puke at the same time. "She couldn't have... you wouldn't have wanted something to happen, right? You wouldn't do that to yourself and Sonic, would you?" he felt sick just thinking that Amy had planned the whole thing. He held more trust in her than that, but he now understood perfectly what Sonic must have been feeling.

Instinct Amy ran side to side, pacing and calling. Finally, in a gust of bravery, she took off into the woods.

Tails slowly fell to his knees, not realizing she had left yet. "I... I have to get her side of the story. It's the only way to solve this... this... this madness!" he flung himself up, "Amy! Wake up!" he cried out, flying out to find her. He wanted an answer and he was going to get it. Something wasn't right here, and he wanted to believe Amy was smarter than that. Better than that!

When she wasn't there, his anger fled him and a new sense of panic ensued. "Amy..? Amy!" he flew as fast as his twin propellers could carry him, charging into the woods. "Amy! Nooo!"

As she ran, Instinct Amy felt sadness build up inside of herself but didn't know why. She felt something inside her swarm with feelings of great misery and couldn't understand why that was. She did know one thing, however... She had been abandoned.

As she kept trying to follow the smell, a new scent arose, stopping her completely in her tracks.

The dirt sprayed around her hands and feet and while she sniffed around, turning, seeing a figure in the distance as it approached her.

She thought the smell was off but as she tilted her head, trying to understand the scent that allured her into the bush and off from Sonic's trail, she blinked.

Because the scent was unfamiliar, and Sonic's scent so distant it practically fled with the wind, nothing held her instincts there any longer.

Amy Rose opened her eyes that fulled out into its normal oval shape, and she paused in her thinking and actions, looking around. Confused, she wrapped her arms around herself, "…I… What?" She wasn't sure how she got outside and why it was so shady in the forest if it was supposed to be night time. She didn't know why she was sitting down, nor why her heart felt so sad.

She touched her heart, trying to figure out what had happened when a painful headache seemed to try and split her head apart. "Ahh..!" she shook her head and gripped it with both hands, still squatting and keeping herself off of the ground. "Ow, ow, ow! What happened? Where's Sonic? Owww..."

There was a rustling in the bush...

"…Are you alright?"

Amy looked up, not knowing fully why there were tears in her eyes. Her mind was halfway into her dream of remembering all that happened, but half was looking up at a blurry image of red and black. Her tears... the sudden wave of tears kept her from seeing who the figure above her was.

"I asked if you're alright, Amy."

"…S..."

"…?" The figure looked to be like Sonic, but as the tears rolled down her flushed cheeks, she started to see the figure more clearly.

"Shadow."

He rose an eyebrow, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden release of emotion as she wailed out a cry and gripped his legs. "..?!"

His face was full of startled confusion, his eyes widening at her sudden lunge towards him.

Then her name was called by a familiar voice.

"Ammmmyyy!"

Tails...

Shadow wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he understood that something was wrong. He immediately got down on one knee, reaching his arms out in purpose to silently examine her. He searched for anything that could have caused this alarm, moving her arms away from holding herself and not realizing she was trying to keep herself together as she cried. He tried to quickly but efficiently look for any sign of injury.

"What happened?"

His voice was emanated stern concern but also held authority, keeping himself calm to assure her to do the same. His intent was to solve the cause of her distress, asking the important questions to access her situation while also attending to her health and safety if necessary. (Author's note: First responder style lol)

After some more lighter sobs, Amy turned her head from his rather serious attempt at comfort. Shadow immediately stopped searching her, seeing more of her body language not reflecting the typical behavior of the usual cheery girl. ...Would she rather suffer alone? She wrapped her arms around herself once again after he pulled his arms away, returning her legs back into the tight fetal position she had before, and continuing to cry.

"I need to know what-"

Amy gripped her head, making slight wheezing sounds by breathing in and out loudly, showing she was in no emotional state of mind for talking right now. But really,… she was starting to remember… the grief and misery she felt was almost overbearing.

"…As you wish."

Shadow concluded that there was nothing he could do. If she wouldn't accept his help, then he wouldn't force it. He got up, moving his arms back to show he wasn't going to touch her again and started to move away before some snorts and growls were heard in the bushes behind Amy.

He turned his head, frown set as he intently listened for danger in all seriousness.

Something sniffed the air. "Hey… Hey, hey, hey! It's a freshie!" someone stated.

"Smells like she just shifted a few months ago, what do you say boys?"

"I've never smelled a freshie that freakin' strong before..! she's perfect! Oh~ I hope she's submissive too!"

"I'd say first one to her, gets her!"

"Couldn't agree more."

Shadow's ears twisted to their direction, listening in on the conversation as Amy heard it too. Her eyes reflected the horror of their words and quickly turned around. Frantically, she brought her feet under her and ran to Shadow, tripping when she got to him and was only able to grip his leg.

Shadow looked down at her, and then lifted his eyes back up at the bushes.

"Who are they?"

"Pl... Please help me."

"A moment ago,… you asked me to leave you be." his voice was slightly cold...

"... Please..."

"…"

Shadow's head lowered to her trembling, closed eyelids, shut in utter terror. He looked to see where Tails had gone, but it seemed he flew passed them in the confusion.

"Lookie here, boys! There's already another dude!" Shadow barely acknowledged them, flicking his sights to the men. Their voices ranged a bit in age... but they seemed like punks to him.

"Drat! Did he get to her first?" The younger sniffed forward, leaning out a bit to investigate if Shadow's scent was on Amy or not. His nose stuck out a bit from the foliage, but one of his companions pulled him back into hiding.

That's what it looked like, anyway, as Shadow looked back to see Amy cowering still... frozen in her panic that without Sonic, something could clearly happen to her.

"Does it matter? We'll challenge him and take the girl!" One said, confidently taking the lead to give encouragement to his peers and rile them up.

"Alright, I'm up for a bit of a brawl!"

Shadow could read the context clues, rather disgusted at their bravado for such vulgar subjects. Amy opened her eyes, moving them left to right as she tried to stop remembering things and focus on what to do right now.

Obviously… she was failing.

"Shadow..! Shadow, I beg you, please!" She gripped his leg again, looking up and pleading, "just get me out of here! Or they'll hurt me!"

Shadow's eyes widened, thinking of his own past and Maria's last words. Amy's tone and eyes had stressed that last part in such a way that it left Shadow pausing in emotion. It was so powerful, his feeling to do whatever it takes to keep her out of harm's way. His heart was softened and he scooped Amy up, holding her bridal style.

"Hey! I think he's gonna run!" the bushes rustled, they were willing to pursue...

Shadow didn't understand why she couldn't defend herself but pushed the thought away as he braced himself, taking a stance that looked like he was expecting the men in the bush to try an ambush strategy, and waited patiently for it.

"Wha..what are you-?" Amy gripped his chest fur and frightenedly looked around.

"Hold on, and remain silent." His voice was calm, even with the pressure so intense.

It did help calm Amy, as she put her trust in him and nodded. In a moment like this, she wanted Sonic's comfort and protection more than ever, but she had no choice but to give that longing over to Shadow.

"We can't let him get away!" The voices confused Amy. She thought only the instinctual animal inside was unknowingly doing wrong. She couldn't believe there were people like this...

"First one to take him down gets to claim the girl!"

Were they a pack? Or were they just a band of no-good criminals? It was hard for Amy to wrap her head around it. People in this modern age still willingly acting like ancient animals...

"Rahh!" The three men ducked back deeper into the bushes before doing just as Shadow had expected, jumping out as one. They had a thicker diamond in their eyes, showing that they were already old enough to have morphed with their instincts, but Shadow didn't know any of that. He just simply rushed forward, skidding down beneath their large pounce, and then maneuvered himself to make a crescent slide underneath them as he ran away.

"Woah!" "What the-?!" "He went right under our noses!" "After him!" "Hey! Get back here with my mate!"

Amy had heard somewhat of merging with your instincts, but would that mean giving in to such indecency? Amy's head was whipped up as soon as Shadow had moved upward again, the correct way of running or… skating. Either way, he had successfully gotten a very big lead on the men, completely avoiding a confrontation.

"H-how?" Amy looked behind her, suffering slightly from whiplash but used to it after all these years of being whisked away by in Sonic's arms. Over Shadow's shoulder, she saw the men, down on all fours and running after them. "How are they controlling their instincts?" Amy asked out loud in what sounded like horror.

Shadow glanced a look toward her, shifting his head slightly in her direction. Curiosity got the better of him. "Instincts?" He got a big whiff of her scent, his eyes looked distressed at the strange but pleasant smell and moved his nose away. His nose tingled a moment and he snorted the smell out.

"What is this… instinct?" he asked her as Amy looked back at him, not noticing his slight discomfort.

"You mean… you don't know?"

"Dang he's fast!" their attention turned back to their pursuers.

"And he hasn't shifted yet, but I can smell him… he's probably an alpha!"

Shadow had only heard such terms as codes back when he did small jobs for G.U.N., but what did they mean by that..?

"Alpha!? Woah, boys, I'm not taking on an alpha, you're on your own!" The lesser of the men stopped the pursuit and dashed away, tucking his tail between his legs.

"Heh, puny omegas!"

Shadow glanced behind him, wondering why they were speaking like that, and why were they so persistent?

"Quick! You go that way, I go this way. We'll cut them off at the lake!" the remaining two began to strategize, further worrying Amy and annoying Shadow.

"Sounds good!"

Shadow 'hmph'd, having heard their plotting with his superior hearing. He only smirked at their foolish gorilla warfare and quickly dashed up the trees, his shoes skimmed the barks as powerful air pressure shot out under them.

What he wouldn't give for a Chaos Emerald... He could easily Chaos Spear these uncultured hedgehogs and scare them away. Sadly, the emeralds were either still scattered or stored on Angel Island. He wouldn't be able to get one in time to really punish these annoying fools...

"What?!" the men gawked below.

"What is he? A lemur or a hedgehog!?"

Amy was bounced up and down as Shadow moved from one branch to another in a hustled escape plan.

Right now, all that mattered was bringing Amy to safety as soon as possible.

Fighting would have to be another day... Even if they deserved some 'schooling'.

"Hold on tighter." He stated, completely calm and collected. "You'll quit jumping."

Amy stared unbelievingly at him for a moment in awe before shaking her head, realizing Sonic could have done something like that too and quickly did as she was told. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck before her eyes widened…

And she could clearly smell his scent.

"Move with me." He instructed as she felt the rhythm of the ride, but with him so close against her...

She worried her instincts would kick in again.

"They're still heading to the lake!" One shouted, as the man beside him started picking up his speed, raking the ground with his fingers as he propelled himself forward, the two still remaining on all fours through the chase.

"Cut them off! Cut them off!"

"Hmph. What fools." Shadow jumped forward and back down to the ground, charging full speed towards the upcoming body of water...

"S-Shadow! Shadow, the lake!"

Amy looked down to see that Shadow had jumped off the branch, heading straight towards it. She knew even Sonic couldn't walk on water, and gripped Shadow even tighter, crying out as her head ducked further back and against his serious expression. He rose with grace, his arms feeling Amy lift in the shift in gravity and removing an arm to grab her waist, holding her differently as they braced for impact.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Splash!

Fls…flss…

"W…Where'd they go?"

"I don't see them."

"You don't think they… jumped do you?"

The water lapped against his back. Their bodies slowly sunk to the bottom of the lake as an instant still rippled through the once-shattered surface of the water. Water droplets sprayed up in surprise and glistened in the chaotic scene as the sunlight tried to gently lower them back down again. Under the water's surface, Shadow had grabbed a rock from the bottom and was using it to keep him and Amy down, holding her up against him by the small of her back. He took his hand off of her and grabbed another rock, feeling her body float naturally up against him and stay put now that the waters had settled. Digging his shoes into more rocks at the bottom of the fairly deep lake, he securely kept him and Amy under its murky surface and looked up to eye the shadows and muffled voices of confusion above. They had gotten a big enough lead over the men to successfully evade them,... at least... that was his plan. The lake wasn't so deep that if the men jumped in, they couldn't see them…

One wrong move or a large enough air bubble would shatter the illusion. He had to keep Amy hidden by the natural black of his quills, leaving nothing more than the thought of a deep lake in their minds to—hopefully—give up the ridiculous scandal.

Amy was, at first, on top of him before he spun once hitting the water, changing the position of her in his arms from bridal style to simply upright like himself. He pushed her down to the bottom where she floated up to his chest, and he was able to grip the rocks and hold his place—along with his breath—as he looked over his shoulder at the men, hoping they would leave. Amy then deduced that because Shadow was black, the murkiness of the water mixed with the dark depths of the lake, making him camouflage better and even hide the faint red streaks in his quills. Amy would have stood out like a sore thumb, which is why he was over her and blocking her colors from showing through the water as the boys looked around.

"Well, they can't hold their breath for that long… come on! They must have gone off somewhere else!" A hand swished up as one figure soon left.

The other silhouette stayed as Amy covered her mouth and nose, trying desperately to keep some air and will left in her to remain unseen."But… but I heard the splash... at least, I thought I did." He paced the water before leaning down and trying to squint through the murky shallows of the lake. Now Shadow showed some discomfort, and Amy's uneasiness made her brush her cheek against his chest, trying to hide further beneath him.

The other hedgehog took a hold of the back of the remaining one's neck and dragged him away with him, causing that hedgehog to swipe the lake and cause some commotion as they departed. "Come on! It's not getting wet over! Even if they jumped, they'd be dead from drowning about now! Let's go! I still haven't found a mate yet!"

The two walked on and Shadow finally was able to throw Amy up to get a breath first. Being the ultimate life form and immortal gave him some perks, meaning he didn't need to breathe right away. He could actually keep holding his breath for a little longer but at least now he didn't need too.

Amy emerged from the water with a clammer of hands breaking against the water, trying to keep herself upright as she gasped the cold, forest air. She had almost passed out from her want of air, worried how long Shadow would have kept her down there. She quickly swam to the edge and breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath, thankful for oxygen at last.

She clutched her hand to her chest and lay against the muddy shoreline, closing her eyes and only focusing on her lungs breathing in and out multiple times.

Shadow came out right after she had landed on the edge, water spraying around his emersion. He quickly scanned the lake, also taking this chance to breathe in a bit and then swam towards her.

He pushed himself off the edge and up to the ground, shaking his head for a moment, then his arms more respectfully. His expression was emotionless, almost just as cold and stern as stone. He didn't even glance back at her, just walked up and out of the water, seeming to not care that he just saved her from a cruel fate.

"What are instincts?" He asked again, wiping the water off his arms and the fluff of his chest, taking some of its tips and squeezing water out of them. "And how were those men able to smell us so well?" he finally turned around and saw her state. When she didn't reply at first, he just watched, before bending down and offering her his hand.

She was so weak, emotionally and physically, but she took his hand and let him pull the rest of her body out of the water.

She turned herself around and couldn't help but cry again, now having a moment to collect her thoughts as it raced to last night and this morning…

"I've made a terrible mistake…" She whined out, her eyes not daring to look at him and turning her whole face from him. She looked over the forest that seemed so innocent now as though nothing had almost occurred there. Shadow continued to watch her emotions play out upon her, not sure what to make of it. He let go of her and decided to simply look away, the best he could do at giving her some privacy to get her barrings straight. He wasn't used to such emotions but figured it was respectable to give her some space. He 'hmph'ed, figuring he wasn't going to get answers and didn't feel it any more necessary to pry for answers concerning this matter. So he started to walk off, closing his eyes to fully 'shut out' the events of before.

"That is of little to no concern to me. Speak with your friends on the matter of-"

"Sonic's gone!" Amy shouted out before placing her hands to her face in shame. She quickly took a sustaining breath and removed her hands from her face, turning to him. "It's all my fault! I didn't know and I didn't care! But this is what we were warned about. He... Those men..." she couldn't speak anymore, distraught had gripped her from the tip of her ears to the soles of her feet, like a moss that constricted her into endless torment and weeping. She shook as she lowered herself down, bringing her legs up to her and crying into the small crook made by her body and legs. Her arms gripped her legs closer to her, keeping them in place as she couldn't break off the emotions from consuming her.

Shadow turned to see her over his shoulder, looking slightly annoyed at the behavior. "Why would he leave you in a state like this?" Shadow inquired, seeming to want to move on. However, though emotionless as he may seem, he did understand somewhat that she needed to vent after an intense situation like that.

He remained distant, however. He didn't want to be further involved in what seemed to be a private affair...

"His instincts…" she lifted her chin to her knee, turning her head to rest a moment from everything that was jostling inside her. "He can't control them… and neither can I." She wiped some tears from her eyes and shivered at the cold from being wet with the insensitive wind blowing at her back.

"Again with those instincts…" Shadow muttered, then spoke louder to her. "I won't ask again, what are these 'Instincts' you speak of?"

"Amy!"

A familiar, warm voice from the cold suddenly sent a heat of comfort through Amy's spine. She quickly twisted herself around on the ground and placed her hands down by her side. "Tails!" Her eyes lit up, her mouth curved into an open smile. Finally. She wouldn't feel so alone in this now.

He flew up behind Shadow, who had reflexed into a fighting stance, ready to defend if necessary. He was a little shocked by the fox's presence and just moved to the side to let the fox fly by him.

He didn't like being interrupted…again.

But just narrowed his eyes with his prominent frown as he watched the two reunite. At least, now with Tails, he didn't have to worry about her anymore.

"Oh, Tails… Tails, I'm so sorry! We have to talk to Sonic! … I have to talk to Sonic!" She moved up and grabbed Tails, holding him in front of her.

"Amy you're back! I was so worried! I'm glad you're alright, but…" he looked at her clothes and spread her dress out to the sides, pinching the corners to see how weighed down and dirty they were. "Why are you soaking wet?"

"Shadow saved me from some wild hedgehogs. They could speak while in instinct form. They had control over them!" she explained, a little frantically too.

"Shadow..?" Tails looked to Shadow, and you could tell by his studying eyes and looking him over right to left that the wheels in his head were spinning… "They must of merged with them, but either way, we need to get you out of the open, and back in your house."

Tails had turned to speak to Amy again as Shadow gave them one last look before departing. Something told him he didn't want to be wrangled into this mess.

"Shadow..! Wait!" Tails quickly let go of Amy to pursue Shadow's fading form, stopping him for only a moment as he looked back. "I would be very grateful if you came back with us… I have something… important… to discuss with you."

"…Important?" Shadow mused, chuckling somewhat in his throat at the word, finally letting a smile slip as he closed his eyes at the two ridiculous people. "My idea of that word is greatly different from yours. What, exactly, is the importance here?"

"It involves Instincts… please." Tails spoke with urgency and tried to make sure that the severity of the situation came through in his voice. "Amy and I could really use you right now."

Shadow lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.

Returning back to Amy's home, the discussion that perked Shadow's interests began,...

"So… you're telling me that all creatures are subjected to this... instincts… and that they're triggered by smell and chemical receptors within their bodies, released at a certain age due to genetic coding?" Shadow relayed some information that Tails had provided him, sitting at one end of the couch, Tails on the other.

He adjusted his gloves and then lifted a leg over the other, using the armrest to lean on as his hand cupped his tilting face, processing it all.

Tails nodded, "That is correct. However, you don't seem to be very affected by Amy's scent…" Tails looked over to Amy, who was trying to sleep in her nest but was having a hard time… considering she couldn't stop thinking about Sonic and kept letting a sniffle or two escape every now and then. She truly was completely consumed in grief.

What if she never saw him again? What if he hated her now? It was all so confusing but real. She shouldn't have given into her immature hopes back then. She was being foolish and taking the situation too lightly. When those men chased her and Shadow... she understood then what Tails and Sonic had been warning her about.

It just... didn't register to her until it was very prevalent and alarming. Maybe she trusted Sonic and her too much... maybe she was just a silly and naive girl like they thought she was. She wiped her eyes and tried to bury herself in her nest, but the second she could faintly smell Sonic within the depths of her nest, she whined again and moved from the location, unable to stop herself from sobbing again.

"I'm guessing maybe your DNA doesn't possess those genes. I mean, you were bioengineered, it's not entirely impossible that Gerald Robotnik just didn't see the need to add reproductive necessities to your design. I mean… you weren't really created for that… right?" Tails shied away from saying any more, not sure if Shadow would be offended by that or not. His ears bent back slightly when Shadow's head tilted to the other side.

"What do Instincts have to do with reproducing?" Shadow asked, straightening himself through the armrest to remain upright. "I was under the impression that they only enhanced sexual interactions. And as concerning necessities... I can assure you, I have what is needed." he narrowed his eyes as Tails's worst nightmare happened. It seemed Shadow had taken his statement as saying he wasn't really a man... and in embarrassment, Tails lowered his head apologetically.

Amy stifled a chortle.

"Uhh… W-well…" Tails felt a sweat drop drip down the side of his face as he cleared his throat and nervously spoke up again. " T-that's not entirely what a meant..."

Shadow continued, "If you're referring to Gerald Robotnik not seeing a need for me to have such things, then I would agree with you. However, if instincts enhance power and gives heightened senses, then perhaps I have no need for that. Considering I was already created to be the most powerful weapon engineered." He was buttering the fact that he was the ultimate lifeform again, and Tails and Amy both held their tongues on that matter. Though, their faces stood stiff on the matter...

"B-But returning to what instincts are," Tails quickly began to move on, "They help to …uh... guide you, um… into doing what needs be done. I suppose it's just from our ancestors but it's also required and triggered with the urge to find a mate and create new life. The need to spread one's genes is not uncommon, but in animals, w-well…more primitive animals… they could care less about it until nature leads them to that situation." Tails tried to explain, but seemed to not know how better to describe it. He scratched the side of his head, realizing this was super surreal. Telling Amy and Sonic was like a walk in the park compared to teaching or telling Shadow about instincts...

"And… you're afraid Amy's scent will draw men to her for such reasons as to multiply?" Shadow looked to Amy, who twitched and shivered at the very thought, though she had heard it before, it was just weird hearing Shadow say things like that.

"Exactly." Tails perked up a bit, seeing as Shadow was understanding everything a little more fully now, a-and probably dismissed his latter statement as folly. "So, will you protect her?" Asked Tails as Shadow just 'pfft'd and got up.

"I wouldn't do such a thing."

"W...Wha-Why not!?"

"Why?"

Tails leaned forward, uncertain why Shadow would say no. He felt a bit of anger in his confusion, and turned defensive, especially for Amy's sake. Was he really just tossing his plea to the side like that? As Shadow ignored his outburst, Tails took some courage and narrowed his eyes, charging to stop Shadow with a stomp of his foot.

Shadow looked dead in his direction, his eyes cold and sharp like steel.

He decided to humor him, after all, he did enlighten him about instincts, which was more than Amy had provided. "Because she should be able to defend herself." He bluntly stated, which made Tails conclude he still wasn't getting the idea of instincts, and how they take over one's actions... "Besides, if I don't have the genetic coding for Instincts, then how will I control her in her own form?" Tails's eyes widened, realizing Shadow understood more than he thought. "I won't be someone's guard dog for an entire season." He turned his head with a flick of annoyance towards the exit, losing patience.

Tails was mad until he heard Shadow's reason, and turned very desperate in his disappointment. He couldn't fail her and Sonic twice. If he couldn't get Shadow to agree to this,... then who would protect her? Who could be trusted? Tails knew his limitations, he couldn't fight off a man powered by instincts. He needed someone strong who he could leave Amy in their hands. He needed to be reassured that Amy would be alright, and this was the only option fate was presenting to him.

"I know it sounds degrading but… but Sonic can't protect Amy when he's dealing with his own instincts." He clutched his fists, and Amy poked her head out of the nest to watch her friend bravely plead again for her sake. She felt pathetic. Shadow made a point, but she really couldn't do anything when her instincts would take over. She just looked away and down, knowing how humiliating it must be for not only her but Tails acting so humble and pitiful for her cause too. "But if you really don't have any instincts... then you're the perfect fit for the job." He tightened his jaw, feeling the ache from the bite by how much he was didn't want to fail. "Amy can't protect herself because her instincts are too young to know when to mate and when not to! It's not her fault! And I'm not confident in my own abilities to-"

Shadow folded his arms, looking down, closing his eyes. He was disassociating himself more physically now. Showing he really had no interest in this debate.

So he sharply cut Tails off, "I'm not affiliated with this, or to Amy's predicament. Nor will I let you reason that I'm somehow obliged by my own species to help another of my kind. No matter how in need they may seem to be." His inhumanity startled both Amy and Tails. But Amy accepted this, Tails could not. "This doesn't concern me. I won't be suckered into this affair." He then turned to look at Amy, who had returned to looking at him, disappointed and sad at the fact he wasn't going to help her either. "I'm sorry about your species misfortune,… but as you know I'm not like you…" There was a moment he remembered her desperate, pathetic pleading by in the forest. A moment where he could note the same dreaded feeling in Tails's countenance. But he wouldn't be tangled in foreign concepts that go against his original design. He knew... he knew full well he couldn't protect anything. "Farewell." He then walked out the door-

Before being stopped by Tails yet again.

Amy was unable to speak, stricken in a frozen state due to her emotional trauma of previous memories from this morning and last night. If he couldn't help her... even though he basically would be the most ideal for this situation, then no one could. She would have to rely on Tails, and although she loved and trusted him, knew that even he understood he wasn't right for the task.

"But what about those guys that were going to attack you!? Like you told me about!? Aren't they reason enough to defend her?" He spread his arms out, refusing to let one more man walk out on Amy's plight. "Didn't she help you when you needed her? Don't you owe her?!"

Shadow glared back at Tails, making him freeze in place.

Tails kept a strong glare at Shadow, knowing full well that was a touchy subject.

Amy had helped Shadow realize Maria's true dying wish, and stopped him from destroying the planet, and instead, saving it.

However, Shadow's patience had finally run dry, his teeth now barred in his agitation at being stopped so many times.

He ducked his head, uttering his final words...

"I owe no one."

And with that, he was gone.

All that was left of him was the lingering smell Amy could pick up on. 'He may not have instincts...' She told herself, 'But he sure smells good to one who does.'

Tails sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to catch up to Shadow now. Besides, his spirit was broken, he truly felt like a real failure now. He couldn't convince Shadow to help Amy, now all she had was himself. He slowly took the walk of shame back to the couch, falling on it. "It's… it's okay, Amy. I'm still here. I won't abandon you." he stated, and looked outside, towards Angel island's direction. "Maybe Knuckles can find the heart to leave his precious emerald to help us... O-or Vanilla could watch out for you a bit, but... She already said she didn't want Cream exposed to all this... T-then maybe-!" he seemed annoyed and frustrated, but finally gave up on any outside help. He just lightly smiled at her, "I'll think of something." He got up and headed for the door, knowing full well he hadn't the slightest idea what he was going to do. Booby traps? Cameras? Then how was Amy supposed to live with all that?

Before leaving, he remembered something and jolted in place, turning to point a strict finger at Amy. "No leaving!" he then pointed down, "This house!" then he made an 'x' with his arms, "Ever!" He stated this as 'dominantly' as he could muster but to no avail. For if Amy did shift back, her instincts wouldn't obey him regardless of how 'tough' he sounded.

Knowing this, he sighed, but Amy had compassion on how hard he was trying and crossed her heart in a promise, faking a weak smile of a joke, and flopped back into her nest. She groaned from the fact that her life was going downhill all too fast.

The door closed and she heard Tails lock it with his key she gave him. One was given to Sonic too... but she doubted he had held onto it.

Why couldn't she defend herself? Why doesn't her instincts understand? Why couldn't she understand…

Her instincts had listened to her once, maybe with some time and education, she could learn to fully understand and obey her more willingly.

'Merged instincts...' She was still confused on that subject. 'When two wills and desires become one... Will I ever have that with her?'

Amy rolled onto her back and proceeded to sigh again and again. "My life is over." She stated. "There is nothing for me now if Sonic will never see me again... I've ruined everything. Even Shadow wasn't willing to help me. I'm so useless." she let out another tear, "This isn't me." she stated. "I'm not like this." She was so cheery, positive. But with her emotions running amok, she couldn't bring herself to be like her old self.

Her old self had Sonic. Her old self had control over her own destiny. Her instincts... were still dormant and held no significance in her life.

She turned onto her side, feeling sleepiness set in. She brushed and nudged her face against the sleek pillows and fluffy blankets. Her arms started to move as though swimming pleasurably in the sensation of touches all around her. Her back arched,... and she started breathing heavily.

The room became unbearably hot.

She got up, weakly.

It was the dead of night.

She could still smell the remains of Sonic, and buried her face in it, kissing lightly the smell before lurching upwards and looking at the ceiling. It was suddenly extremely dark. Her vision blurry. Her face sweaty.

Amy found herself pawing the edge of her nest, taking odd steps out of it... across the floor... to the door... consumed in a hazy fog that covered her eyes and her mind, she unlocked the door, her eyes shifting in and out of its diamond shape, and slowly stumbled into the woods…

She was following, tracking the smell... But she wasn't fully in her instinct form yet.

The moon was high and she had seemed to walk all the way to a meadow plain, then trailed her way up to a fountain of falling water, rocks scaling up it as though these tall, jagged pillars were trying to push against the water to reach the top.

She was breathing heavily with the heat of her moist breath against the mossy rocks that slipped her uneven step as she attempted to start climbing its dangerous surface. Her body hugged it a moment, desperate for the pressure against her skin when...

"Amy?"

"Ehmmm…"

The second Amy heard her name she moved toward the sound, and once she felt touched she completely fell into it.

Her body was calling out in heat again, and that made her smell almost unable to stop producing at a high rate again. It was stronger than her normal, powerful scent… which meant…

"You shouldn't be here."

She smelled funny to him, but it wasn't a gross smell, something else... something he hadn't experienced before. She should be inside her home, why was she up against this cliff?

The gentle voice made her lean her head up, eyes completely closed now. He wasn't sure why she was breathing so irregularly as she rubbed her head against his body.

"…" Although weirded out, stiff in his puzzlement, he quickly picked her up, figuring this must be what Tails meant by 'no self-control'. She was too far into heat to recognize what he was saying after that, but he raced with her off to a more safer location near the waterfall.

It could be good cover... her scent would be carried down the fall and the water would mask her. Racing her home would only spread the scent. He figured this was the most he could do at the present time but wasn't acting as though this was a 'dire circumstance' either. However... he knew it was.

The area was full of greener, naturally growing and beautiful flowers. Large, smooth rocks sat right next to two large roaring waterfalls, one right over the other, making two fairly tall walls of rocky cliffs. Anyone seeing it would believe they've fallen into a lush valley that almost looked unreal in its majesty…

Amy was behind the bottom waterfall, the man who had carried her off obviously couldn't handle her up the slippery edges any further. Not with her strange behavior… while trying to get her to higher, safer ground. Her moans plagued the attempt, her rubbing and nuzzling for attention distracted and annoyed him, her touch betrayed whatever mental fortitude he thought he had. With his concentration and her unwillingness to comply at remaining still, it became hazardous to even think about reaching the higher levels of the rocky wall.

Amy's scent was slightly canceled out by the flowers and aromas around her too. If any scent did escape the cascading waters, then the flowers would soften and diffuse the scent from any further trace. Most importantly, the waterfall outside the cave would push the scent down into the water and winds below to ground level, leaving only a faint bit of it to actually escape out and be rushed with the current created by its windy draft. This was strategic. By keeping the scent low, she was untraceable above.

Amy stirred, feeling her lower torso moving up and down as she turned left and right. She had gone out of it, but now she suddenly felt the heat leaving her, and blinked her eyes into a state of stability. She could see, she could hear something other than throbbing in her head. Her instincts must have taken over, but since nothing occurred, she remembered only bits and pieces when her eyes were open. Just water... lots of falling water. She was fading in and out as she recalled only the waterfalls from her memory, but soon she was able to gain enough consciousness to completely take over herself again. This was awkward... She knew she was with someone, someone who climbed her up to this cave behind the twin falls.

The precautions that a person must have taken to get her up here... she hugged her arms, scared. However, her returning memory seemed to show no sign of inappropriate behavior on the person's part. It was all entirely her and she sunk into further embarrassment at that. She made a face and hoped it was a kind passerby who had saved her from a terrifying hiccup. She remembered unlocking the door and squirmed, realizing this meant she couldn't be kept home alone anymore. She felt bad that she hadn't made the trip for saving her virtue pleasant or easy, but at least she was safe and nothing occurred. 'Yeah…' She looked at the backside of the waterfall pouring down. 'I wasn't getting to that higher level…' Even if it would have been safer, it just wasn't happening.

She looked around after calming herself down, seeing the man clearly had no intention of hurting her. She remembered a slight voice but couldn't fully recall it yet, her head aching too much to want to go any deeper into her thoughts to try and figure it out. She still was afraid of where she was. It meant she had stumbled through the forest alone for so long...

She lifted herself up and looked herself over. She was dirty but fine. Not even a scratch on her.

Then, the wet curtain of the waterfall was pulled and draped to the side by a positioned hand that caused it to turn at an angle, creating a small space dry space between its falling masterpiece. 'Someone's parting the waterfall!' Amy moved out of the way when she noticed they appeared to be carrying something in.

"S-stay back!" Amy summoned her hammer, ready for anything as she kicked herself back and further into the cave.

The silhouetted figure dropped something and slid it over to her side.

It was a bowl full of fruits and berries.

Amy smacked her lips together, starving. But she had to be sure of something first... she wasn't going to fully trust her memory yet. "Did you touch me!?" She held her hammer higher up. "I demand you to answer me!"

She was so scared the stranger would say something but wanted more than anything to believe the man was kind. She didn't feel like anything had happened, no oddness in her body or feeling, though she wasn't sure if that even was a thing after... Anyway! She waited for an answer, trying to remain brave.

"…Why would I have need to touch you?"

"…Shadow?"

Her eyes adjusted and her face softened to the familiar face and voice. He bent down to sit, seeing her afraid and wanting to show he wasn't going to hurt her. "I don't seem to have your instincts, remember?"

Once Amy's hammer had lowered in front of her, all the way to the ground, He stood up and stepped more into the murky light, though she could only see half his face. "Good morning, miss Rose." He teased, smiling to try and lighten her fear even more. "It's alright. You're safe here." He then lost his smile and looked back to the waterfall.

"What… What happened to me?" Amy unsummoned her hammer, looking down and scrunching up her brow. "I only remember stumbling out of my home and being carried up here..."

"I believe that's something Tails might have discussed with you." Shadow move, giving her plenty of room away from himself, unwilling to come closer after all the strange mannerisms she had performed while he carried her up to safety previously... He was quite happy with the distance between them and didn't dare come near her now.

"I must have… gone into..." She looked shy to say it, so Shadow finished her thought for her.

"Heat?"

He rose an eyebrow, looking back at her as she nodded, hopelessly feeling exposed.

"Hmph."

He looked her over and sighed, "I suppose this will keep happening if you don't have someone to look after you." he stated, and Amy nodded again, trying to fight back tears.

"If you hadn't found me Shadow… I… I… I don't even want to think about it!" she shouted out as the cave echoed her words, though it wasn't a very deep cave, just enough to stay out of the splash zone near the waterfall's edge.

Shadow let a defeated breath of air slip softly out his nostril. He folded his arms and stared silently at the moist ground beneath him. Solid, yes. But only from centuries of forming through erosion and such. Would Amy be safe... through time such as nature's careful carving?

He was reminded through a powerful beat of his heart that he did care for the people of this world and immediately relinquished his opposition. This was serious. She could be seriously hurt or worse in this state. He hadn't realized the severity until now. "…Very well." Shadow, after thinking it over a bit in his mind, looked down and away from her. He looked out at the blurred world through the falling water and reminded himself that Amy didn't deserve the cruelty found in it. He moved himself to the side and unfolded his arms.

"...Huh?" Amy looked back up at him, as Shadow closed his eyes.

"I suppose I have no choice." He finally made eye contact with her. "Your precious hero would threaten my life if I were to now, seeing what could become of you, leave you with nothing more than that fox friend of his to look after you." He let another kind sigh out again, finally stepping towards her and bending down on one knee, speaking an oath, if you will, in front of her. "I will protect you till the end of this spring, or whenever Sonic will return." He looked back at her. "Agreeable?"

Amy's mind was perplexed until a slow forming smile revealed his words setting in. "You're going to help me?"

He thought that rather cute, and smiled with a nod of his head, "Yes. I'm willing to assist." He hadn't seen her smile like that since meeting her again, so this was a... pleasant surprise.

This was the girl he remembered, wide-eyed and innocent. He liked seeing her cheer up. He could tell why Sonic may have an affinity towards her.

Her smile was a beautiful reward to a successful achievement. It filled anyone with a sense of righteous purpose and gratitude.

"Yes! Oh, thank you, Shadow! Thank you!" She was about to hug him, but he immediately remembered the past interactions and held a hand up, leaning back and losing his smile again.

"But there is one thing…" He spoke quickly but sternly, stopping her from further acts of dramatic gratitude. He stared her down with cold eyes, "…Tails says your smell is unbearable…" He stated, and then blinked his eyes fast as if confused. "But even in heat, it was the same. Not exactly powerful… but I wouldn't call you weak either."

"Wait… you can still smell me..? And be affected by my scent?" Amy slowly got up, feeling the weakness of her body leave her quickly as well as the heat did. "W-woah!"

He moved quickly and caught her, silently cursing at the fact that he had to touch her again. "Tsk." he shifted his eyes away from her, his lips forming a muted growl of annoyance.

Was this to be his spring now? Caring for this girl? She wasn't even his responsibility... but according to Tails, Sonic couldn't do the job properly. So now it was falling onto his shoulders... There, considered, last hope.

"… It didn't give me any ideas if that's what you're referring too." Shadow narrowed his eyes at her, disapproving of her suggestion.

"No, no!" she shook her hands out in front of her, removing them from his hold. "I mean that… well… you weren't disgusted, nor were you enchanted by it or whatever. But… you smelled it… So that must mean you have… some kind of… instincts, right?"

"If Tails could smell you, obviously not being a hedgehog, and be unaffected by it then so could anyone." Shadow defended himself moving away from her once she seemed able to carry herself again. He began to turn around, walking out as to further avoid such idiotic questions about his 'manufacturing' once again.

"W-wait! I didn't mean to offend you!" But he was already gone. She just whined a little, not meaning to offend him by suggesting his 'batteries weren't included' but he seemed to have to defend himself a lot now. She dusted and swat the dirt off her dress before following after him, deciding to not push the subject any further.

However…

Outside the waterfall, Shadow looked back over his shoulder, making sure Amy wasn't behind him as he placed his hand to his chest.

Nothing…

A moment ago, when she was in heat, every touch she gave him sent a sensation through him. It was something he couldn't describe that was not himself. He felt a roar within him but forced it down, and it worried him…

He growled in irritation, just thinking about the possibility of Gerald actually considering the notion of keeping such genetic coding in the concoction of his experiment. If he really did have some kind of instincts within him... Was it only to enhance his senses and power? Or did Gerald really think of everything...

'That would mean that Gerald Robotnik had other plans for me… or at least… wanted me to have a normal life, perhaps.' He thought to himself.

Sadly, when he was thinking this, Amy's natural scent was able to somewhat escape the waterfall's current and airflow, falling to the ground for a moment only to rise up with the outside's lack of wind. This gave it liberty to hang around the area as Shadow's eyes widened as he could smell it again.

It only made things worse when Amy came out, distracted by the beauty of the area as she twirled around and spread her scent even further.

It wasn't very powerful like he had mentioned previously, but it wasn't very weak either… he pressed his hand against a stone that was compressed into the wet cliffside, and another up to the middle section between his eyes, rubbing it gently before pinching it down.

'This can't be happening…'

he thought to himself, growing angry at the idea.

'There is no way I could possibly possess instincts!'

His anger and defiance allowed him to take control over his being again, Amy's scent a minor distraction again as it was before. He didn't realize that hanging around her so much was doing the opposite of what it did to Sonic. Instead of growing accustomed to it, the scent became more and more prevalent and powerful the longer he was around it. Too much exposure had caused a minor 'trigger' in his bioengineered coding matrix... but what that truly meant had yet to be discovered yet.

Amy skipped along some naturally formed stepping stones, focusing on that and not seeing Shadow till just after he had taken his hands off the wall and his face. He faked adjusting his power limitators on his gloves to look busy before waiting for her to follow him.

"Are you ready to go back?" He asked.

"Umm… yes." She replied, smiling. She had just started to like this enchanted place but decided it was best to not be out in the open. Even if it was daylight, it was still just as dangerous as nightfall.

"Good." Shadow walked up to her and before picking her up, snuck in a big whiff of her scent, right at where her shoulder was. She thought he had just been bracing to exert himself before picking her up, but the smell had become slightly alluring for him. Without realizing it, he was fine being close to Amy again. He speedily, without even recalling the night before except for holding her in his arms, lifted her up and rushed her off towards her home.

Amy barely got to see anything pass her, by how fast he was booking it to get her home, but there was one thing she could notice…

His scent…

She pressed her head a little more into the fluff of hair on his chest. His scent was stronger than Sonic's… not faint in the least bit, and smelled delightful, although Sonic's smelled incredible.

His was more… gentle and just nice. Though it caught her every time she smelled it. 'What did that mean?' she wondered. 'That my bodies naturally attracted to Shadow? Pfft! Please.' she rolled her eyes. Her heart was Sonic's, but with Amy and Shadow's scents so apparent now... perhaps it revealed more than wanted to be admitted.

Sonic's scent was easier to pick up, once you could smell it anyway. Sonic's was like a rush of wind but the smell faded all at once unless you were close enough to keep smelling it.

Shadow's was strong enough to smell and keep breathing it in, not fading in the least, and completely relaxed Amy into sinking further into his arms as he ran.

Amy's eyes widened then. 'Wait…' she thought and looked up to Shadow. 'If I can be affected by Shadow's scent… then..!'

She blinked her eyes.

And Instinct Amy looked up.

She growled with her mouth open, striking the unfamiliar male on the head.

Swa-Whack!

The blow released her from Shadow's grasp as he fell, startled by her sudden attack as she started to race away on all fours. She stopped to hiss back at him, lifting a paw up before sniffing the air. 'How dare he! Where am I? Why can't I smell Sonic?'

An anger mark pulsed like a vein on his forehead as Shadow had to lift himself off the ground, slowly twitching his brow and trying to lift his aching head up, having it bob a few times before actually getting up again. "I swear…" he growled. "This girl will be the death of me..!"

(A new arc begins. Gee, it must have been weird for Shadow to just… walk up and see Amy randomly and suddenly hear her say his name and crying right after he just asked her if she was okay. He must be like "umm… okay?" lol Anyway, Sonic's now off to try and control his instincts, and he also feels betrayed and upset :'( well, you can't blame him. He hates not being able to control himself, doesn't trust his instinct, and now doesn't trust Amy to try and fight her instincts either. So… he has the right to walk away if you ask me. But it's still sad and the misunderstanding is terribly tragic! Shadow walked right into the complete Sonamy fallout. :D Here's a Shadow song I like~ "Shadow by Sam Tsui" So good ;w; Whelp, we'll just have to see what happens now, won't we? Especially since Shadow may not be so confident in what he 'has and doesn't have' hmmm? x3 stay tuned!)