Relationships

Relationships
'Here she comes,' Sonic thought wearily as he noticed Amy dashing around a street corner to reach him. It was a stunningly beautiful day in Station Square City Park, with sunlight streaming through the trees' canopies and the shadows of leaves dancing lively with the wind. Sonic was sitting on a small, stone bench, engraved precisely with Roman influences. He didn't even bother to move this time as he sensed Amy getting closer. "She always catches up anyway," he muttered to himself as the energetic, pink teen stumbled to a halt in front of him. She was slightly confused, but pleased nonetheless.

"Helloooo Sonic!" she gasped, catching her breath and putting unintentional emphasis on the "c."

"Hey Amy," Sonic said politely, looking up at the cute girl towering over him.

"Why aren't you running away from me? Have you finally realized that we're meant to be together?!" she asked excitedly. 'On second thought, maybe I should have run," Sonic thought to himself, hating to see the futile hope in her eyes.

"Amy, I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested right now. I'm not really a relationship type of guy; wouldn't you rather a nice hedgehog who was ready to be with you?" he asked, trying to allow Amy to move on.

"Oh Sonic! It's very sweet of you to be concerned for me. I can tell that you care, so I'll just keep waiting for you to be ready. But until that happens, I will NOT leave your side," she vowed, shooting him a loving yet persistent smile. Sonic merely sighed and got up from the bench.

"I appreciate your determination Amy, but I just don't think that I'm the one for you," he said and before the girl could protest, he rushed away to Tails' workshop.

"Darn it!" Amy exclaimed. "If he would only just hold still!"

The next day, when Sonic had stopped by the park again, he had noticed Shadow perched serenely up in a tree.

'This is boring,' Shadow thought in annoyance. 'Now that the world is at peace again, all I have to do with myself is sit up in this tree and watch life pass me by. I always see that yellow fox and the young rabbit walk along the trails hand-in-hand. Hothead and Rouge are usually arguing along the banks of the pond. Faker constantly being pursued by Amy is always entertaining.' Shadow sighed. "So much happens in this park, let alone in this world, and I have yet to step out of the scenery." 'You can change that,' he mused. 'Sonic and his friends have been more than willing to befriend you; if you would allow them, then you might be a part of life as well.' Shadow closed his eyes and frowned. These thoughts came to him often, and he shut them down just as frequently. He didn't need anyone else and quite frankly didn't see the point in having friends. 'But you want them…,' his subconscious purred, thus awakening old feelings. Yes. Shadow DID want friends. Ever since he had lost Maria, he had always wanted a friend. But he also didn't want to lose another one. 'Now that you are stronger and wiser, you don't have to. You have saved the world multiple times and each time, all of your comrades have survived. You CAN have friends Shadow, you just CHOOSE not to.' What angered Shadow the most was that these thoughts coming from deep within him made so much sense. Maybe if he had just given the others a chance, then he would have a happier life now. Grunting, he resolved to listen this time. Anything to stir the edges of his empty, yet scheduled life. 'I'm going to be a friendlier person to them from now on. It's time that I've moved on anyway; I NEED other people in my life. Help me to love them Maria. I'll start with my greatest adversary.' Shadow then opened his eyes, and stood up on the tree branch.

'I think he's about to leave,' Sonic deduced, 'I should at least say hello before he goes.'  Then Sonic walked up to the tree and called up to Shadow.

"Hey Shad!"the blue hedgehog yelled, smiling up at the now irritated one. Before he could shoot back a callous insult, Shadow remembered his goal and hopped down from the tree before meeting Sonic with a smirk. He would work his way up to a smile later.

"Hello Fa- ahem, Sonic," he said in the most friendly way he could manage. Sonic seemed shocked for a moment before smiling even wider.

"How's it goin'?" Sonic asked, pleased with Shadow's new behavior. Shadow sighed and said,

"Monotonous as usual," he muttered, hoping that Sonic would take his boredom as an opportunity to spend some time with him. Sonic laughed heartily.

"Well there's only so much you can do in a tree Shadow!" he teased, clamping a hand down on his shoulder. "But hey, why don't you hang with me today, and I'll bring you out of the dumps," he offered, watching Shadow's face meticulously. Shadow shrugged indifferently, even though he was quite satisfied with his progress.

"Okay Sonic; lead the way," he said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

So the two hedgehogs walked along the colorful cobblestone paths of the park, just talking under the shade of the trees. The conversation seemed to flow naturally and calmly until Amy arrived.

When Sonic saw her coming, he tensed beside Shadow and stopped in place. Shadow felt his nervousness and was about to question it until he also noticed the petite pink hedgehog strolling their way. Shadow frowned, realizing that Amy's presence might chase Sonic away, and this refreshing change in his schedule would be ruined. As Amy approached however, Sonic linked his arm through Shadow's and headed in her direction. Shadow was surprised by the contact, and even more surprised that Sonic was actually headed TOWARDS Amy.

'Of all my desperate plans to avoid Amy, this may by far be the smartest…,' thought Sonic to himself.

"Hey Amy," Sonic chirped, smiling contentedly at her. Amy returned the smile.

"Hey Sonic! And Hi Shadow!" she said, happy to see him being a bit more social. Doing his best to be friendly despite his caution of her presence to the situation, Shadow replied:

"Hello Rose, it's good to see you," with a small smile. Amy's widened slightly, but suppressed her shock to be polite. It wasn't until Shadow raised his hand to shake with her that she noticed Sonic clinging onto Shadow. Confused, she slowly shook Shadow's hand and looked up to Sonic. He was still smiling at Amy and when she turned to Shadow, he was smiling too. This situation seemed off to her; she needed to investigate.

"So what were you two doing together just now?" she asked, trying her best to sound casual.

"Me and Shad were just strolling through the park; he's nice to be around," Sonic said happily. Only Shadow noticed when Amy slightly squinted her eyes at Sonic.

'Shad? Strolling? Since when does Shadow allow someone to give him a nickname? Especially Sonic! And strolling?! Me and Sonic should be strolling through this park not Shadow. I should be the one linked at the arms with Sonic. NOT SHADOW!' She mentally sighed. 'I can't hate Shadow; he's been too kind to us. Plus who am I to discourage friendly behavior. I must be overreacting. Still, it wouldn't hurt to look further into the matter.'

"That's great!" she said, slightly less enthused than usual, "Hey Shadow, do you mind if I join you guys?" Shadow shook his head and Amy linked her arm through Sonic's as they continued to walk through the park. They talked about Shadow's travels, Amy's new job at a local coffee shop, Sonic's latest adventure, and how the rest of the team was doing. Shadow was surprised when he felt a relief rush through his body upon hearing that everyone else was okay. He chuckled when he heard about Knuckles' and Rouge's new 'relationship', he smiled when Amy gushed about Tails' crush on Cream, and even felt proud of Amy when she told him all about her job. These feeling were new to him, but so welcoming, and to feel this much on just one walk made Shadow really…happy.
He didn't even realize how much he had cared about this group until he reconnected with it. Shadow was getting caught up in his own thoughts when all of a sudden he felt Sonic's cheek nuzzle against his shoulder. Such affection confused him and when he looked over to Amy, he saw that she had noticed as well. Shadow shrugged it off as Sonic sighed happily, his breath tickling Shadow's arm. 'Is this friend behavior?' Shadow wondered. 'I suppose I'll ask Sonic about it later,' he thought, turning his head back to the beautiful path ahead of them. Amy's eyes were full of suspicion however and she crossed her arms for the remainder of the walk.

The sun had started to set in the sky, and the peachy clouds were tinted with orange and pink accents. Things seemed to settle down, and even the jubilant birds slowed in their chirping.

"It was a pleasure to see you again Amy; please stop by again sometime," Shadow welcomed, hoping for another chance to work on their friendship. Amy cautiously walked up and then hugged him. Shadow's eyes widened and he even blushed a little. As she was hugging him, Amy speculated Sonic's face and noticed plain jealousy written all over it. She smirked at first, hoping that Sonic was jealous of Shadow right then, until she realized that the look was directed at her. 'Is this really happening?' she mentally moaned as she released Shadow.

"I sure will Shadow!" she said cheerfully, smiling at him as best she could. Then she turned to Sonic and before he could protest, she embraced him too. "Bye Sonic!" she said, hoping to conceal her slight disappointment. She squeezed him tightly, almost as if she would never see him again. Then she kissed his cheek and let go. Shadow felt as if he were intruding on the two, but Amy left for home shortly after. Sonic tried to shrug off the kiss, embarrassed that Shadow had seen it, but Shadow quickly changed the subject.

" Sonic, I need to ask you something."

"Yes Shadow?"

"You may have noticed that I'm trying to be a more approachable person, but being who I am, I'm not very familiar with typical friendly behavior." Sonic grinned at him.

"You were a good friend today Shadow!" he encouraged. Shadow smiled slightly before moving on to his point.

"Well, Sonic, I'm glad that I have been able to execute it well, but I also have difficulties recognizing friendly behavior aimed towards me…"

"What are you getting at Shadow," Sonic inquired. Shadow hoped his question wouldn't offend his new pal.

"The way you acted today in the park, linking my arm, nuzzling my shoulder, is that friend-like?" Shadow asked cautiously. Sonic began to feel anxious.

'I need Amy to think that I'm in love with Shadow, but if he finds out that I'm putting moves on him, then it's all over! I don't want to lie to him because he is finally reaching out to us, but…'

"Yeah pal," Sonic said cheerfully. Shadow breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Sonic. This felt strange to him but apparently it was a move in the right direction. Sonic then linked their arms again.

"Want me to walk you back to your tree?" Sonic offered, relieved that he still had Shadow to ward off Amy. Shadow nodded and the two of them strolled back along the path happily.

The next morning, Shadow woke up stiffly from the tree branch; it had always done numbers on his spine. He muttered something unintelligible and hoped that once he had friends, he would have a bed. Then he smiled softly to himself, remembering the other day's walk. Amy wasn't as annoying as Sonic made her out to be, and Shadow seemed to be getting along quite well with Sonic. 'Perhaps I've misjudged him,' Shadow thought to himself as he leaped out of the tree. Then he strode proudly into town.

"Amy, haven't you NOTICED the way I acted yesterday?" Sonic's voice reached out to Shadow as he was about to turn a street corner. He paused and peered around the edge of a small tourist shop on the corner curiously. Sure enough, there was Sonic, seated at a small round table across from Amy. She had on a white tank top with forest green khaki shorts and matching boots. With that, she wore a white apron with the coffee shop logo on it, and she had just set down an empty serving tray on the table.

"She must be on her break," Shadow muttered, realizing that this was the place where Amy now worked. He felt ashamed for eavesdropping, but he couldn't help but wonder what Sonic was going to say about his behavior on their walk. Subconsciously, he leaned closer, pushing his body against the shop wall.

Amy tried to act as if she hadn't paid attention the other day; she wanted Sonic to confess to her. "Well, you didn't run away from me again if that's what you mean," she said cautiously, keeping her eyes fixed on his as she said this. Sonic sighed and face-palmed himself.

"No Amy, I don't think you understand. I may have been subtle about it, but I was ALL OVER Shadow," he declared, watching her with just as much caution. Amy sighed. 'So I was right then.'

Shadow started to worry just as much as Amy. 'Did Sonic lie to me? Does he see me as something more than a friend?' Shadow wondered, his tense hands pushing against the wall with anticipation.
Calmly, she looked down at her lap as a few tears slipped down her face. Sonic hated to see her cry so he reached out to touch her hand. Amy gripped it just in case he may never let her again. Then she muttered her question that needed to be answered.

"Sonic, do you love him?" she asked through her soft sobs. Her eyes glittered with tears as she looked up into his eyes. Sonic only nodded, his face solemn. Shadow's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he gasped aloud to himself. Amy felt overwhelmed, but did not want to hurt Sonic's feeling with her disappointment. Sniffling, she wiped her tears on her gloves and tried to find the right words to say to him. When she had collected herself, she quietly rose from the table and took a step towards him.

'Why did he have to fall for Shadow?!' Amy thought to herself, 'It's so unfair!' However she didn't plan to convey those feelings. Instead she cleared her throat and said:

"Though it surprises me, I'm happy that you've found someone to love," she gritted through her teeth. 'I don't think I can hold it in much longer,' she thought, calculating her temper and straining to rein it in. 'And there it goes…' Amy clenched her fists and glared at the now scared hedgehog. Tears started up in her eyes again and they were dripping down her cheeks before she could utter the first word. "But why couldn't you love me?"

"Huh?" Sonic replied, caught off guard by Amy's softly spoken, yet burning question.

"Do you know how long I've waited for you Sonic the Hedgehog?" she choked. Sonic was about to shrug, but after glancing at Amy's fists, decided against it. Instead he just locked his eyes onto hers.

"Do y-you even *sniff* r-REALIZE how m-m-much I ca-cared about you?" she growled, aggressively wiping away her tears with her fisted hands. Only silence came from the blue hedgehog.

"I spent the majority of my life WAITING for you to love me. I made sure to always look my best. I always did what I could to help you. I ran after you for so long…" Amy's voice broke on the last word. Sonic tried reaching out for her hand again, but this time she quickly snatched it away. She turned away from him, but then peered back over her shoulder at him, hands slowly unclenching.

"Sonic, I don't mind that you love Shadow, but what I hate is that you waited all this time to tell me that I NEVER had a chance at your heart."

"Amy wait! It wasn't always like this!" Sonic tried to explain, but Amy had already seized the tan-colored serving tray and rushed back into the coffee shop. Sonic held his head in his hands. Shadow felt sympathetic for Amy, and Sonic for that matter. He would surely have to tell Sonic that his feelings are unrequited. But would he react the same way as Amy? 'Should I even be around him or would that just be adding fuel to the fire?' Shadow tried to shake away his confusing thoughts; he was not one to be judgmental. 'Sonic's sexuality makes him no lesser friend of mine. Although, maybe these roses would just give him the wrong idea; it's best to dispose of them.' With that in mind, Shadow strode around the corner, about to pass Sonic and discard the flowers. Sonic noticed him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey Shad! Who are the roses for?" Sonic asked, winking at Shadow encouragingly. Amy looked up from behind the register and noticed Shadow with roses in hand, and Sonic smiling happily at him. She sighed as her last tear snuck its way along the bottom of her jawline, and she kept her head down as she continued her work. In the meantime, Shadow blushed slightly and seemed to be at a loss for words. Sonic smirked at Shadow's shy demeanor and patted him on the back.

"Aw c'mon buddy, you can tell me; I can keep a secret!" Sonic pleaded as Shadow shifted his body weight from foot-to-foot. Then he looked away and muttered: "We need to talk."

"Uh-oh," Sonic teased. "That's ALWAYS bad news," he said chuckling. Shadow set the roses down on the table and the two hedgehogs took a seat. Shadow sighed, rubbing his hands against his legs as he thought of how to bring on the uncomfortable topic. Sonic cocked his head to the side, surprised to see Shadow at a loss for words for the first time. Shadow looked up at Sonic and met his curious gaze. 'I may as well be up-front about this; Sonic is a generally understanding guy.'

"I don't have feelings for you Sonic," Shadow said bluntly as the blue hedgehog's eyes widened and he stared dumbfounded at the very serious ebony hedgehog.

"I know that Shadow; why the sudden announcement?" Sonic questioned. Now it was Shadow's turn to be confused.

"I overheard you and Amy talking and I—"

"Ohhhhhh!" Sonic exclaimed, now understanding the situation. "I must have given you the wrong idea Shad; I'm not in love with you in the slightest," Sonic chuckled nervously, embarrassed to be having this conversation with Shadow. Shadow breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived before he remembered Amy's plight.

"Then why did you say that to Amy?" Shadow prodded, already knowing the answer yet waiting for Sonic's confirmation. Sonic leaned back in his chair.

"To catch a break from Amy of course. I hate to see her cry like that though; I knew she liked me, but I honestly didn't expect her to take it this hard," Sonic said gravely, peering briefly through the glass shop window in search of her. When his gaze couldn't find her inside of the shop, he turned his attention back toward a stone-faced Shadow.

"That was wrong of you Sonic; you should apologize to her."

" I want to Shadow, but I CAN'T! I have tried countless times to get Amy to understand that I can't be with her now. That I'm not RIGHT for her. But she just won't listen Shadow. I was desperate for a solution, so I wanted her to believe that I was in love with you so that she could move on. The things she said hurt so much to hear, but when she mentioned how much time she had wasted waiting on me, it only justified my actions." Shadow watched Sonic glumly, not sure whether this was the right decision or not.

"Why do you always chase her away though? Logically she IS your match being the only female hedgehog in this area. No one else could be your future mate. Aren't you attracted to her in the least?" Shadow questioned. Sonic blushed slightly, then shrugged and thought aloud.

"She is beautiful, but her obsession is out of control. Although it's not NEARLY as bad as it used to be. Heck, I could even say that she was getting more mature. Who knows Shadow, we'll probably end up together in the future. Until then however, I would like to enjoy my free time alone." Shadow's ears lowered faintly. 'Alone? Does this mean that I've found a friend that I can't even spend time with?' he wondered anxiously. His fears were confirmed when Sonic uttered his next few sentences.

"Anyways Shadow, since Amy should be off my back for a good long while, we don't need to be attached at the hip anymore. I'll be traveling around a lot more now. It was great seeing you though; I like your new personality!" and with that, Sonic sped off into the distance, hoping for adventures to find him.

Shadow could not believe this had all happened so quickly. He had opened his heart, made a friend, and lost him all in 24 hours. His heart sank deep into the hollows of his chest, and he struggled to inhale around a huge, well-fed lump of sorrow in his throat. He sulked his way back to the coffee shop and entered the glass doors. Finding the most secluded booth, Shadow dragged his feet over to it and sat down. He crossed his arms on the table and laid his head over them. Then he let the painfully familiar twinge of loneliness pull him into a troubled slumber. All the while, he never noticed the small pink waitress watching him with a hint of softness in her eyes.

When Shadow woke up, he noticed that his surroundings were unusually quiet. He raised his head and realized that he was alone; the shop was closed. The chairs were stacked on the tables and all of the lights were off except for the one above his head. He noticed the roses that he had purchased earlier arranged neatly in a glass vase with water on the table in front of him. Outside the shop windows, the sky was dark and blanketed with millions of stars. When he shifted to slide out of the booth, his arm brushed against something warm and soft. He quickly glanced over and found a drowsy Amy next to him, blinking sleep out of her eyes and slowly raising her head from the table. Shadow tensed, sure that when she was feeling herself again, he would be the first that she would exact her wrath upon. But instead of anger, Amy face radiated empathy and Shadow was flabbergasted. Before he could speak, Amy hushed him and explained herself.

"I saw what happened between you and Sonic. I was outside cleaning tables when I overheard his little scheme. He really sounded like he wanted to protect me too Shadow, but…" A few tears escaped her eyes as she struggled to finish.

"He seemed so relieved that I wasn't after him anymore. He seemed really happy. I know I've been persistent, but I didn't realize that I was holding him back so much," she acknowledged reluctantly. Shadow frowned and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Amy gratefully accepted this gesture and nuzzled into him as her tears soaked him to the soul.

Over time, Shadow and Amy spent more and more time together. They discovered that they had a lot in common, and Shadow found her to be more than acceptable as his friend. He learned to see her as his equal, and even as a potential mate. She was beautiful to him, and seemed to hold an endless love, ready to be shared with all who needed its warmth. Amy also liked Shadow, especially the way he was now. He was always chivalrous, calm, and now…happy. Shadow had stopped fretting over their troublesome episode with Sonic; Amy had explained to him that Sonic never stayed in anyone's life very long, and after finally learning to accept that, his friends have become at peace with the situation. Sure Amy always worried for him but, with Shadow, now she could bear the separation. One day, about 11 months after Sonic had left town, Amy and Shadow had stopped by Shadow's old tree in the park. He stayed with Amy now, since he didn't have his own house, but he had told Amy that he wanted to visit the tree for closure from his past. Amy understood and so they had strolled down the cheery park pathways to Shadow's old home. Amy glanced up at Shadow as he stared at the branch he had been perched in for so long, dreaming of being where he was now.

"You know Shadow," Amy started, catching Shadow's attention. She wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. "They say home is where the heart is, but I can tell that your heart was never up in that tree, so what kept you there so long?"

"Fear," Shadow replied solemnly, but before he could elaborate, he heard a falter in Amy's breath, and turned around, stunned at what he saw.

'I'm finally back.' Sonic thought happily as he strode through the park. 'It's time to right the wrongs I've committed.' Sonic had enjoyed his little vacation, but he had also regretted hurting Amy and felt bad about leaving Shadow.

'He was finally reaching out to us and I just used him. Thanks to me, he's probably plastered up in that tree again. What have I done?' he thought grimly as his pace increased subconciously. As he got closer, he saw Amy and Shadow standing under the tree. 'Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone,' he thought hopefully, but then stopped in his tracks when he examined them closely. They were both gazing in his direction with straight faces, and Amy's arm was around Shadow.

'When did that happen?' Sonic wondered, quickly concluding that they were a couple now. 'I thought she still loved ME. And why is Shadow spending time with her; I thought WE were supposed to be friends.' Sonic felt himself feeling very possessive over both of them, but he couldn't quite understand why.

'Is it because I always expected Amy to be MY girl someday? And what about Shadow? I feel… kind of sad that he is spending time with someone else. He's supposed to my friend right? Not Amy's. Or is there something else?' Sonic battled his thoughts and struggled to keep his temper under control.

'I don't understand why I'm so upset; I should be happy for them. For me. Isn't this the freedom I wanted?' Sonic pondered, still staring at the shell-shocked pairing. He would have continued to dig for an explanation had he not finally registered the expressions on their faces. Sadness, disappointment, slight resentment, all wrapped up into puny half-smiles. Sonic knew that he had done it to them, but it still enraged him so much. He had been gone for nearly a year and they still hated him. What hurt the most was that he wanted to change what he had done so much to the point of physical agony, yet he knew that he couldn't.

'What if they always look at me that way?' He feared, staring hopelessly at their pained faces. Then he got angry. He knew he was actually angry with himself, but he just couldn't hold it in anymore. Without even thinking about it, he sped up to the two, and landed a cold hard punch to Shadow's cheek.

Shadow winced at the pain in his left cheek. He hadn't expected Sonic to rush up on him, let alone hit him. Especially not in front of Amy. She gasped and clamped a hand to her mouth, worried for Shadow.

"Sonic, wh—" she began to say, but choked up when she saw him glare at her with pure rage in his eyes. He wasn't Sonic anymore. His fur had darkened and shadows seemed to radiate from his core; they were even tangible.

Shadow looked up quickly and noticed the change. His concern immediately shifted to Amy. He knew that Sonic wasn't in control of himself right now and he probably wouldn't hesitate to harm Amy too. Swiftly, Shadow moved in front of Amy, shielding her from Sonic. Tears steadily flowed down her face as she feared for Shadow. This scene only fuelled Sonic's rage and he attacked Shadow again.

Sonic had told Amy about this form before. It had happened to him only once, but he told her that he remembered just being so angry and having no control over his actions. Only a goal that had to be achieved. He was stronger than before, and could tolerate more pain. Amy sobbed as Sonic continuously punched and kicked Shadow, as the hedgehog grunted in pain and coughed blood. She knew that Shadow wasn't fighting back for her sake. Amy could only watch helplessly as Sonic continued to inflict fatal damage upon Shadow's body.

'I'm losing energy fast, but I can't let him hurt Amy. Maybe I should try to connect to the good in him before I lose too much energy,' Shadow rationalized, coughing up more blood as he tried to find enough energy to speak. It was hard to even breathe around the bone shattering blows to his torso, but he somehow found the strength.

"Sonic, why are you doing this to her; don't you ca-care?" Shadow questioned desperately before reluctantly falling to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Amy's eyes widened and she knelt down beside him. Shadow's words seemed to stimulate a strange well of light power within Sonic and he slowly returned to normal.

"Shadow, please d-don't leave; I n-need y-you," Amy sniffled as her tears blurred her vision and speaking suddenly became the hardest thing for her. She blinked them away rapidly, but they poured down just as fast. She would have carried him to the hospital, but she knew that she wasn't strong enough yet. So she stayed by his side and cried her eyes out, pleading him to wake up. Then she stood up angrily and glared at Sonic with ferocity cold enough to freeze hell. She hadn't noticed that Sonic was back to himself, and staring at Shadow regretfully.

"You sick monster!" she screamed, snapping Sonic's gaze back to her. "Why did you hurt him? Haven't you done enough to us? Go away!" Sonic stood speechless; with tears of him own brimming at the eyes. Amy continuously screamed at him to 'go away' and 'leave', but Sonic quietly walked over to Shadow and picked him up. Amy fell silent and watched Sonic carefully, realizing that he was ashamed.

'He couldn't control himself, and now he understands what he's just done,' she thought. 'I think he is going to help Shadow now,' she hoped. Before Sonic could leave, she leaped onto his back without a word. Sonic only nodded once, and sped off towards Tails' workshop.

The young inventor wasn't home and that made Sonic somewhat relieved. He was much too ashamed and angry with himself to relive the experience through an explanation. Amy immediately dug through cabinets and found a first-aid kit. Sonic laid Shadow down on the bed in his room, while Amy tended to him. She applied ice to his bruises, cleaned his cuts, and wrapped his torso, desperately wishing that he was going to be okay. Then she stole a quick glance at Sonic, and left the room in sorrow. Sonic pulled a chair up beside Shadow and watched him sadly. However, his heart skipped a beat when he finally noticed the irregular rise and fall of Shadow's chest. 'At least it's there,' he thought thankfully, and with nothing else he could do, fell asleep beside him.

No one noticed when Shadow started to stir in the morning. Amy was asleep on the living room couch and Sonic was still unconscious next to him. Shadow's eyes slowly fluttered open, and then he felt an overwhelming wave of pain hit him. He gasped, and sat up painfully fast, remembering what had happened and worrying for Amy's safety. Then he realized that he was all patched up, and figured that Amy had done it, so he relaxed a little. But when he felt something warm and scratchy on his leg, he tensed up once more. Shadow looked down and noticed Sonic asleep on his leg. Confused, he nudged his arm, and the blue hedgehog awoke with a start.

"Huh?!" he exclaimed, and then looked over to see Shadow watching him suspiciously. "Oh, hey Shadow," Sonic said glumly, figuring that Shadow would definitely hate him now.

"Is Amy safe?" Shadow asked quickly, wanting to be sure.

"Yeah, she's fine. Amy's just sleeping on the couch in the other room," Sonic replied. Shadow nodded and then looked out of a window across from him as he continued to speak.

"Why did you attack me Sonic?" he asked calmly, surprising Sonic. Sonic didn't detect a single hint of anger in his voice and wondered if Shadow would respond understandingly to his rationalization. Sighing, he decided to let out the truth.

"I'm sorry Shadow. It's just that, all the time I've been gone, I felt terrible about what I did to you and Amy. Not only that, but even though I enjoy traveling, I value my friends more and just the thought of having two less to come home to agonized me. I didn't think about it until I was gone, but it really was nice hanging out with you for that short time Shadow. And Amy has always been such a good person, so the fact that I had crushed her spirits so completely made me so angry with myself. So when I finally came back to make things right, I saw you two together. I'm not completely sure why I got so jealous, but I think I was jealous of her. I mean, I missed US hanging out, you know? And then what killed me the most was your untrusting faces. I knew it was my fault, and I just couldn't stand it. So I took it out on you and lost control before I could think about it. I'm really sorry Shad, I honestly hope that you can forgive me," Sonic gushed hopefully, watching Shadow's expression change to that of acceptance. Then Shadow reached for Sonic's hand weakly and Sonic grabbed it.

Both of their eyes widened as they felt a magnificent swell of power course through them in that moment. Then Shadow smiled at Sonic, feeling the energy heal him from the inside out. Sonic looked up at Shadow and grinned widely. There was a bond here that could not be paralleled. They were like brothers, and they both understood that now.

Grinning wider, Sonic pulled Shadow up, recognizing that he was now feeling better. Shadow heaved himself out of the bed with a small huff, which was overheard by a concerned pink hedgehog.

Amy rushed into the room and gazed at Shadow, happy tears welling up in her eyes. Then she hugged him fiercely and he groaned slightly, but wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Amy nuzzled his neck before releasing him and turning to Sonic. Smiling, she opened her arms wide for him and he gratefully embraced her, happy to see all of her resentment gone.

"Thank you," she whispered softly into his ear, and he could tell that it wasn't just for saving Shadow. He knew that it was also, despite the hurt, for allowing Amy to get to know Shadow, and fall in love with him. Sonic squeezed Amy tighter before replying: "You're welcome."

A few days later, when Shadow was fully healed, the three hedgehogs took to the park trails again, with Amy on Shadow's arm and Sonic at his side. Sonic shared some of his adventure stories from the months that he was gone. Shadow and Amy told Sonic about how they started to fall in love and the three hedgehogs repeated their prior stroll through the park, only, with a much happier ending.


End.