The Dark and the Rose

A ShadowxAmy One-Shot

She needed to get over him. He always ran away from her, and it was obvious he didn't have feelings for her. She needed to realize that I would treat her better than that damned blue hedgehog. I don't know what it was about her that intrigued me. I believed it was her personality; or maybe those stunning emerald eyes. Whatever the case may be, I liked her. And that was that. Still, she had to get over that blue hedgehog. Because I knew that the hedgehog didn't like her back, because I saw Blaze sitting in his lap this morning.

Right now, I stood on the roof of a huge skyscraper, looking out over the city. It was almost midnight, and even from the altitude I stood at, I could STILL hear city noises. Cars honking, sirens wailing, traffic. It was pretty cool up here, but I didn't care as the slight wind blew my quills around. I felt lonely, but it didn't bother me much. I looked at the green Chaos Emerald in my hand. It was as green as her eyes. I looked away from the Emerald. I missed her. And it saddened me to think that she may never realize that I loved her. I sighed and jumped off the skyscraper and let my jet shoes help me descend safely. I landed on the sidewalk and sighed. When suddenly, I spotted Amy heading this way, carrying a brown paper sack. Cream was accompanying her. Without hesitation, I stepped into a nearby alley into the shadows.

"I can't believe Sonic! He ran away from me AGAIN this morning!" spat Amy.

"He always does," Cream said.

"Yeah, but still! He bothers me sometimes. Why does he run away from me?" Amy said.

"Maybe he doesn't like you?"

"Of COURSE he likes me, Cream."

"No...Amy."

"Psh! You're just jealous, Cream!"

"Amy..."

When Amy and Cream were standing right next to the alley I was in, I whispered, "Amy, I like you."

"What was that!?" Amy roared, stopping.

"What?" Cream asked.

"I heard something!" Amy roared.

"Where?"

"Nearby! Somebody told me they liked me! I bet it was Sonic!"

"Amy..."

"I'm going into this alley here!"

"Amy, NO!"

Amy turned and before I knew it she was walking straight towards me. I turned and backed away, still hidden in the shadows. Amy must've heard my footsteps, because she cried, "NO! WAIT! SONIC!" I stopped and flattened myself against the wall. "SONIC! I know you're in this alley! Why are you hiding from me!? I know you like me!" Amy roared. She stopped walking then, looking around.

"AMY!" Cream called.

Immediately, Amy looked frightened at the dark alley she was looking down. "Is somebody here?" she asked. She was trembling. I wanted nothing more than to go to her and comfort her. Protect her.

"Amy," I whispered.

"EH!?" Amy roared, looking around.

"Amy, I'm here," I said, my voice indistinguishable.

"Who is this!?"

"Amy, I'm here and I like you."

"SONIC! SONIC! SOOOOOOOOOOOOONIC! I KNOW THAT'S YOU! OH!"

"No, Amy. This isn't Sonic."

"OH! SUUUURE! Oh Sonikku! I like you, too."

"No, Amy. This is not Sonic."

"Quit lying! Quit teasing me, honey bear."

"AMY!" I stepped out of the shadows and looked at her.

"Shadow!?" Amy roared.

"Amy, why are you out in the dark alone?" I demanded.

"Cream's-" Amy began.

"Cream does not count. She's younger than you."

"Shadow...Sonic was here, saying he liked me. Did you see him? Where did he go?"

"Amy, that was not Sonic telling you those things. They were me."

"OH! OH! OH! OH! OH! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Amy turned and bolted out of the alley.

"AMY! WAIT!" I roared. But Amy was gone. I felt sick inside, and sorrow crept over me, as I warped to Space Colony Ark via Chaos Control. In the Research Facility, I gazed out at the bright blue Earth below. Amy was just a pink speck amongst that Earth somewhere, but I wouldn't be able to see her from up here. Sighing sadly, I put my hand on the window.

"Something wrong?" said a familiar voice. I turned and saw Rouge standing there.

"It's...nothing," I said.

"You look a little melancholy. Is it Maria?" Rouge asked.

"No. I quit mourning over Maria a long time ago...I decided to let go of the past."

"That's good. So...why are you said, then?"

"I'm not."

"Shadow, I am a spy and a thief. I know when somebody lies!"

"I am not lying."

"There you go, Shadow! You just lied about lying! Do you feel good about yourself now?"

"It's Amy."

"Amy? You're sad about that pink girl?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because...I like her."

"SHADOW! YOU!? A dark, emotionless hedgehog liking a happy, optimistic, cheerful pink hedgehog? Trust me, Shadow, she is WAAAAAAAAY out of your league!"

"I don't care. I still love her, and I can certainly treat her better than that...that BLUE THING!"

"Oh, Shadow. I am so sorry. So why are you sad? Did she reject you?"

"In a way...yes."

"Well, that was expected! Amy's got her heart set on the blue one. You shouldn't have gotten your hopes up."

"Can you help me get Amy to realize that Sonic's not the one?"

"What's in it for me? Hmmm?"

"I'll give you a Chaos Emerald."

"No."

"Two Chaos Emeralds?"

"No."

"Three?"

"No."

"Four?"

"No."

"All seven?"

"No."

"All seven Chaos Emeralds and a diamond necklace?"

"No."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT THEN!?"

"I want you to STEAL the Master Emerald for me."

"You've GOT to be kidding!"

"AH! If you don't want to steal the Emerald, I won't help you win Amy."

"Alright, fine!"

"That's better. Now, how about YOU steal the Emerald before I help you win Amy."

"NO!"

"Why not?"

"Because, if I help you steal the Emerald, you won't return the favor; you just can't be trusted."

"Well, I can't trust you, either, judging by the way you exclaimed when I mentioned it."

"What are you talking about!?"

"You seemed disgusted by the favor I asked you; so I can't trust you, either."

"Rouge, I just want Amy. That's all I care about."

"So...in other words...you DON'T want my help?"

"FINE! I'll steal the Master Emerald first! But if you exit out of returning the favor, you will have to kiss your head goodbye."

"OOH! SCARY!"

"Likewise."

"Okay, then Shadow. Off to Angel Island you go!"

Grunting, I warped to Angel Island. The red echidna was there, guarding his beloved Emerald. I approached the Emerald from behind and reached out for it. A second later, I was knocked down by a red blur.

"Shadow! What do you think you're doing!?" Knuckles demanded.

"I need your Emerald!" I said.

"WHY!? A Chaos Emerald-obsessed hedgehog like you shouldn't even know what the heck my Master Emerald is!" Knuckles said.

"Rouge told me to steal it."

"AHA! I knew the batgirl was in on it!"

"She told me to steal it for her if she helped me win Amy over."

"AH! Getting other people to steal for her, eh! This can't fool m-wait...did you say, 'win Amy over'?"

"Yes."

"You like...Amy?"

"Yeah."

"Shadow, she likes Son-"

"I KNOW SHE LIKES SONIC! I'm wanting to get her to realized Sonic's a bad influence."

"Good luck at that; she's got her heart set for the guy."

"Can you heed any words of advice?"

"Not really; Amy's obsessed over him. If you want her to go with you, you need to try wooing her, or, perhaps, brew up a love potion. Which I doubt you can."

"I know. That's why Rouge is going to help me. So...can I see your Master Emerald?"

"NO!"

"But...Amy..."

"Shadow, you got yourself in a mess; making a deal with Rouge. She cannot be trusted. If you're that desperate to win Amy's heart, you need to be brave and talk to her yourself; girls like it when boys are brave enough to ask them out."

I looked at the ground and stepped away from the Master Emerald. "I guess you're right," I said.

"I AM right," Knuckles said. Sighing, I warped to Emerald Coast with Chaos Control and turned and saw the blue hedgehog racing to me. Amy in pursuit. I sighed. Sonic skidded to a stop in front of me.

"SHADOW! Amy's chasing me again!" Sonic whined.

"Yeah, I can see that," I said.

"I WISH SHE WOULD STOP!" Sonic sobbed.

"I know. I wish she would, too."

"Why?"

"Because, I like Amy-"

"SOOOOOOOOOONIC!" Amy roared, pouncing on Sonic, knocking him into the sand.

"AMY! GET OFF!" Sonic screamed.

"YOU'RE MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!" Amy sang.

"NO! Amy, I like Blaze!" Sonic spat.

There was an awkward pause. "What?" said Amy.

"What, you didn't know this!?" Sonic snarled.

"No..." Amy said. I could hear sadness in her voice.

"Well, I'm sorry, Amy, but I just don't like you in that way back. You're just like a sister to me," Sonic said.

"Can't be! NO! NO!" Amy sobbed.

"Sorry, Amy," Sonic said, and he did his Spin Dash and was gone in a flash. Amy just sat on the ground on her knees. She seemed to weak to stand up. Tears were falling down her cheeks like rain. I gently lifted her up by her arms and embraced her. She did not reject. She embraced me back, and sobbed into my shoulder.

"I am better than him," I whispered to Amy.

"He doesn't like me," Amy wept.

"Shhh, I know," I soothed her.

We held each other for awhile. Amy continued to sob into my shoulder. I stood there and let her, my eyes closed. I gently rubbed her back. Then, to my relief, Amy quit crying. But she did not let me go.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think I'll be okay...it was getting tiresome to have to chase Sonic everywhere, all the time. That just...seems unhealthy. Now that I think about it, chasing him all the time like that will only just make him like me less," Amy said.

"THERE! There's that reality check I was looking for," I said.

"You won't run from me, Shadow, would you?" Amy said.

"No," I replied.

"You don't think I'm annoying, do you?"

"No. Maybe a little obsessively smitten, but that can change."

"And you...you think I'm cute?"

"Yes."

"I've...never been told that, before. I've never been told I was cute. Not even from Cream or Vanilla, or any one of my friends. It's a wonder I still have self-esteem. Because I think I'm cute! And I know I am! It's just...nobody's ever felt the same way about me."

"I do, Amy. I do."

Amy let go and grabbed my hand. I did not blush at this action. "I think...we'd make a pretty cute couple...after all, we're pretty much like opposites. Cute, optimistic and cheery meets the dark, lonely, and isolated," Amy said.

"Do you think I'm some sort of depressed loner?" I said.

"NO! I'm just teasing you, silly!" Amy said, tickling my cheek. This time, I went red in the face. "Hey, look! The sun's rising! Isn't those purple and pink clouds beautiful!?" Amy roared.

"Yeah," I said. And indeed they were. They were directly behind us. It was a picturesque moment.

"Shadow! I have a surprise for you!" Amy said.

"Really? I don't like surprises," I said.

"Ooh, trust me! You'll like this one!" Amy said.

"Mmf, fine."

"Close your eyes!"

I did as I was told, and a second later, I felt Amy's lips touch mine. Immediately, I felt something inside me I hardly ever felt. Happiness. Amy was really the only person to make me happy. Everybody else, especially the humans, were despicable. But Amy, she was a princess. And I loved her. And I was rarely happy, except when I was with her. And Amy and I kissed passionately in front of the rising sun. Despite the chilly breeze, we both were warm with love. We let go, and Amy looked at the floor, red in the face. "Wow, Shadow," she said. Wow, indeed. It hadn't taken me long to win her over. And I was kind of wondering why Sonic hadn't told her about his love for Blaze sooner. I knew that it was the way it was meant to be. "Let's go take a walk, Shadow," Amy said, gently grabbing my hand. We walked hand-in-hand to Emerald Forest.


We were both happy.


End