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Description

CHAPTER 2
"You're annoying."
"You only think that because you know I'm right."
Shadow and Amy faced off in a verbal battle that had been going on since the first light of dawn. Neither one would risk damage to their pride by backing down. How did this happen? Well, it started off with a bee that led to an "accidental" slap from a pink hedgehog (who must not be named) which ultimately ended with the now silent staring contest. Rubies stared at the slightly flustered emeralds that were about three inches away.
".....Alright, alright! I get it! I'm........sorry." Amy finally shouted, drawing back.
Shadow held her gaze for a few more seconds before he let a smirk grace his face. "Thought so."
Amy sniffed in disdain. She didn't like to lose.....even if she was at fault.
Shadow leaned back on the tree behind him and continued to stare at Amy.
For awhile, Amy tried to ignore the fact that his gaze bothered her. She sat down by the white daisies and let her hand drift over the delicate petals. There was about five feet between herself and Shadow. Too far.....
Amy mentally slapped herself. 'What is wrong with me?!'
Hesitantly, almost shyly, Amy peeked over her shoulders just enough to catch Shadow's eyes. Blushing, she whipped back around and buried her face in the flowers, trying to act as if she was admiring their scent.
Lucky for her, Shadow didn't notice her embarrassment. He was too busy wondering why Lady Rose hung out near him lately. Usually, she would be fawning over Sonic. He didn't mind her company, but it did make him confused. Did she think she owed him for sticking up for her? No, as kind as she was, he knew better than anyone that Amy had her own schedule to stick to. Of course, what her schedule exactly was he didn't know.
Then, a slight breeze ruffled his quills and sent Amy's dress fluttering. Shadow's attention was suddenly back to the female in question. She was wearing a white dress today, he noted to himself. It was almost whiter than the soft daisies she surrounded herself with. As he watched, Amy's eyelashes fluttered in a blink. It was just a normal blink. Nothing special, but to Shadow, it was as if angel wings were preparing to take flight. Shadow clutched his shirt as his stomach flipped and his heart beat got louder, drumming in his ears.
For some reason, he really wanted to touch her. Embrace her.....whisper words of love in her ears.....
"Shadow? Are you okay?"
The angelic voice, full of concern, nearly made him break whatever control he had left. He closed his eyes and calmed himself before answering. "F-Fine."
'Dang it!' Shadow thought. 'My voice shook. So uncool...'
"If you say so..." Amy said.
Shadow needed to change the topic. "Why are you always around me nowadays?" he blurted out.
Amy did a double take. She was always around him lately?
She thought back to the days ever since the attack. Now that he mentioned it, she had been unconsciously followed him around! She would have blushed if she wasn't too shocked with herself. This was not good....
"I... um.... I haven't been following you!" Amy said quickly. "I've just happened to want to be at the places you were. Nope. I wasn't following you. Um...Yeah.....so.... I think I hear someone calling my name--"
"We're the only ones here, Rose." Shadow interrupted.
"I-I-I need t-to go." Amy stammered out. "Bye!"
Before Shadow could make any move to stop her, Amy was gone.
'What. Just. Happened?'
Ever since then, Amy avoided Shadow. She hung around Sonic more than before and clung to him obsessively. Shadow, on the other hand, continued to lounge around the Palace Gardens. From an outsider's view, it seemed as if everything returned to normal. Of course, that was not the case.
"Soniccc!!!!" Amy shouted, tackling the crown prince with a bear hug from behind.
"Uff! Morning, Ames." Sonic greeted. Beside him, Sally huffed in annoyance.
"You need to stop attacking him like that before you hurt him." Sally growled, gritting her teeth.
Almost instantly, the wide hallway they were in turned into a frozen battlefield. Sonic's sweat dropped.
"Hey, let's all calm down..." Sonic consoled.
"Sonic, could you please tell this mangy bag of fur that there is no way I would ever hurt you?" Amy asked as sweet as she can, but the hidden menace was clearly there.
"Sonic, just hurry up and tell this winter berry to leave us." Sally spat.
"Winter berry? Who are you calling winter berry?!"
"Who do you think?"
"You-- ugh! Leave us alone, fleabag!"
"Naked rat!"
"MANURE COVERED BATHROOM!!!"
"Wha-? FEATHERLESS LEMONS!"
"FYI: Lemons naturally don't have feathers!"
"You know what I mean!!!"
Amy, fiercely shooting daggers with her eyes, opened her mouth to retort again.
"You're blocking the hallway." a new voice entered the conversation.
Amy flinched and quickly looked away from the source of the voice.
"Oh, hey, Shadow. Sorry." Sonic apologized.
"Don't be sorry, Sonic. It's not your fault. It's hers." Sally spat, clearly not over the fight.
"Who are you--" Amy started before she caught Shadow's eyes and went back to staring at the wall.
An odd silence hung in the air between them. Sonic and Sally exchanged confused glances, but Shadow continued to look at Amy.
Amy remained motionless, refusing to relax her body. Then, she heard Shadow's footsteps walk away and visibly sighed in relief. However, the situation was not back to the way it was when Amy finally turned around. Sonic and Sally both stared at her as if she was a lunatic.
For a moment, Amy stared back speechless until her face grew hot and red. Without a word, she turned and ran away. What was wrong with her? There was no reason to have avoided Shadow like that. In fact, this situation wouldn't even have become like this if it wasn't for her. She had to admit. If there was one flaw about her that would always annoy her in some way, it was the fact that she reacted to almost everything in an extreme way.
As she continued to hate herself, Amy found herself losing breath. She knew she could run for a bit longer before she was completely out of breath, so she stopped. Looking around, she realized that she had run right into the Marketplace just outside the palace walls. Well, at least she could make an excuse for running away so suddenly by saying that she remembered that she needed to buy something.
Yeah.... no one was going to buy that....
Amy sighed as she stared at a few jade vases in a stall next to her.
Well....might as well look around....
For the next couple of hours, Amy wandered from place to place, looking at different items. The things she looked at ranged from small, handcrafted charms to priceless jewels. Nothing really caught her eye until finally, she passed by a small jewelry stand that seemed to have squeezed in between two others just like it. It displayed all kinds of rings, necklaces, and bracelets, but the thing that she found herself staring at was an earring.
Not a pair of earrings. One earring.
It was made from an onyx metal that twisted and curled around, creating a braided image of a rose garden. At the tip, as if the garden had suddenly liquefied and changed color, was a tear-shaped garnet. The garnet was so beautifully cut and red that it almost looked like a ruby. It wasn't all that big and compared to all the other gems around it, it was somewhat dull. Honestly, it wasn't to Amy's normal tastes or style because she usually preferred jewelry that conveyed feelings of summer or spring; this ornament was dark and magnetic.
Just like Shadow.
Amy blinked. Did she really just think that?
"I didn't take you for that kind of person." a sparkling voice said next to her.
"Lady Rouge!" Amy nearly shouted, spinning around to face the newcomer.
"Hey." Rouge winked at Amy. "How are you, Lady Rose?"
Before Amy could answer, a knight appeared with a young, cream-colored rabbit.
"Knuckie! Oh, I missed you soooo much!" Rouge greeted the echidna knight with a passionate kiss. As 'Knuckie' froze in embarrassment, Amy and the rabbit exchanged an equally embarrassed look.
"Rouge! Not in front of Lady Rabbit!" Knuckles scolded, but the way he said it, one would wonder if he was praising a puppy.
"Oh, don't act like you didn't like it." Rouge teased, tracing invisible hearts on Knuckle's chest.
Blushing, Knuckles glanced towards Amy and Cream. Immediately, they pretended to be interested in a piece of jewelry. Quick as lightning, he placed a kiss on Rouge's lips and looked away, blushing redder than humanly possible. (It's a good thing he's an echidna then!)
"You know, Knuckles, it's okay to leave me alone for a bit." Cream suggested.
"No way! My job is to protect you!" Knuckles protested. "What if something happened while I was away?!"
"I'll be with Amy the entire time! She's the Golden One, so it'll be okay!" Cream smiled.
At the mention of the 'Golden One', a few bystanders suddenly started to shift away. No one but Amy noticed, however. It wasn't as if she didn't expect that sort of reaction, but it still kind of hurt-- like a small stab to the heart. Just a little one. Besides, she was used to this. Not many people liked the 'Golden One'. In fact, that name was even a joke-- a sarcastic nickname to call the monster caller. Well, it was a joke now since only a few remembered the Golden One's only purpose in life. A purpose that had nothing to do with her. Not anymore.
"Well....if you say so...." Knuckles mumbled.
Rouge's eyes glittered mischievously. "Ta ta...."
And off the lovers went, leaving Amy and Cream still standing by the jewels.
Amy turned to Cream. "Well, Lady Rabbit, what would you like to do?"
"Don't be so formal, Amy. We're great friends after all." Cream chuckled.
Amy's heart lifted at the word 'friends' and smiled in a rush of warmth. Cream smiled back. For the next hour or so, the two girls went from one shop to another, trying on different clothes. The entire time, Amy laughed, smiled, and didn't think of Shadow once. That is until she thought she saw him in the crowd.
'No, it can't be.' Amy thought.
But the unmistakable, red-streaked black quills continued to reappear among the many merchants and shoppers. As if she had no choice, her eyes stayed glued to the those quills. He looked like he was looking for someone. Could it be her?
No way. Why would he even--
That was when their eyes met. Blazing rubies caught wishful emeralds in a sudden trap of intimacy. Then, Shadow turned and began to walk towards her. Amy's heart kept skipping beats until finally, he stood directly in front of her, their breaths skimming the other's lips.
"Amy."
Shadow whispered. "I need to talk to you."

Description

CHAPTER 2
"You're annoying."
"You only think that because you know I'm right."
Shadow and Amy faced off in a verbal battle that had been going on since the first light of dawn. Neither one would risk damage to their pride by backing down. How did this happen? Well, it started off with a bee that led to an "accidental" slap from a pink hedgehog (who must not be named) which ultimately ended with the now silent staring contest. Rubies stared at the slightly flustered emeralds that were about three inches away.
".....Alright, alright! I get it! I'm........sorry." Amy finally shouted, drawing back.
Shadow held her gaze for a few more seconds before he let a smirk grace his face. "Thought so."
Amy sniffed in disdain. She didn't like to lose.....even if she was at fault.
Shadow leaned back on the tree behind him and continued to stare at Amy.
For awhile, Amy tried to ignore the fact that his gaze bothered her. She sat down by the white daisies and let her hand drift over the delicate petals. There was about five feet between herself and Shadow. Too far.....
Amy mentally slapped herself. 'What is wrong with me?!'
Hesitantly, almost shyly, Amy peeked over her shoulders just enough to catch Shadow's eyes. Blushing, she whipped back around and buried her face in the flowers, trying to act as if she was admiring their scent.
Lucky for her, Shadow didn't notice her embarrassment. He was too busy wondering why Lady Rose hung out near him lately. Usually, she would be fawning over Sonic. He didn't mind her company, but it did make him confused. Did she think she owed him for sticking up for her? No, as kind as she was, he knew better than anyone that Amy had her own schedule to stick to. Of course, what her schedule exactly was he didn't know.
Then, a slight breeze ruffled his quills and sent Amy's dress fluttering. Shadow's attention was suddenly back to the female in question. She was wearing a white dress today, he noted to himself. It was almost whiter than the soft daisies she surrounded herself with. As he watched, Amy's eyelashes fluttered in a blink. It was just a normal blink. Nothing special, but to Shadow, it was as if angel wings were preparing to take flight. Shadow clutched his shirt as his stomach flipped and his heart beat got louder, drumming in his ears.
For some reason, he really wanted to touch her. Embrace her.....whisper words of love in her ears.....
"Shadow? Are you okay?"
The angelic voice, full of concern, nearly made him break whatever control he had left. He closed his eyes and calmed himself before answering. "F-Fine."
'Dang it!' Shadow thought. 'My voice shook. So uncool...'
"If you say so..." Amy said.
Shadow needed to change the topic. "Why are you always around me nowadays?" he blurted out.
Amy did a double take. She was always around him lately?
She thought back to the days ever since the attack. Now that he mentioned it, she had been unconsciously followed him around! She would have blushed if she wasn't too shocked with herself. This was not good....
"I... um.... I haven't been following you!" Amy said quickly. "I've just happened to want to be at the places you were. Nope. I wasn't following you. Um...Yeah.....so.... I think I hear someone calling my name--"
"We're the only ones here, Rose." Shadow interrupted.
"I-I-I need t-to go." Amy stammered out. "Bye!"
Before Shadow could make any move to stop her, Amy was gone.
'What. Just. Happened?'
Ever since then, Amy avoided Shadow. She hung around Sonic more than before and clung to him obsessively. Shadow, on the other hand, continued to lounge around the Palace Gardens. From an outsider's view, it seemed as if everything returned to normal. Of course, that was not the case.
"Soniccc!!!!" Amy shouted, tackling the crown prince with a bear hug from behind.
"Uff! Morning, Ames." Sonic greeted. Beside him, Sally huffed in annoyance.
"You need to stop attacking him like that before you hurt him." Sally growled, gritting her teeth.
Almost instantly, the wide hallway they were in turned into a frozen battlefield. Sonic's sweat dropped.
"Hey, let's all calm down..." Sonic consoled.
"Sonic, could you please tell this mangy bag of fur that there is no way I would ever hurt you?" Amy asked as sweet as she can, but the hidden menace was clearly there.
"Sonic, just hurry up and tell this winter berry to leave us." Sally spat.
"Winter berry? Who are you calling winter berry?!"
"Who do you think?"
"You-- ugh! Leave us alone, fleabag!"
"Naked rat!"
"MANURE COVERED BATHROOM!!!"
"Wha-? FEATHERLESS LEMONS!"
"FYI: Lemons naturally don't have feathers!"
"You know what I mean!!!"
Amy, fiercely shooting daggers with her eyes, opened her mouth to retort again.
"You're blocking the hallway." a new voice entered the conversation.
Amy flinched and quickly looked away from the source of the voice.
"Oh, hey, Shadow. Sorry." Sonic apologized.
"Don't be sorry, Sonic. It's not your fault. It's hers." Sally spat, clearly not over the fight.
"Who are you--" Amy started before she caught Shadow's eyes and went back to staring at the wall.
An odd silence hung in the air between them. Sonic and Sally exchanged confused glances, but Shadow continued to look at Amy.
Amy remained motionless, refusing to relax her body. Then, she heard Shadow's footsteps walk away and visibly sighed in relief. However, the situation was not back to the way it was when Amy finally turned around. Sonic and Sally both stared at her as if she was a lunatic.
For a moment, Amy stared back speechless until her face grew hot and red. Without a word, she turned and ran away. What was wrong with her? There was no reason to have avoided Shadow like that. In fact, this situation wouldn't even have become like this if it wasn't for her. She had to admit. If there was one flaw about her that would always annoy her in some way, it was the fact that she reacted to almost everything in an extreme way.
As she continued to hate herself, Amy found herself losing breath. She knew she could run for a bit longer before she was completely out of breath, so she stopped. Looking around, she realized that she had run right into the Marketplace just outside the palace walls. Well, at least she could make an excuse for running away so suddenly by saying that she remembered that she needed to buy something.
Yeah.... no one was going to buy that....
Amy sighed as she stared at a few jade vases in a stall next to her.
Well....might as well look around....
For the next couple of hours, Amy wandered from place to place, looking at different items. The things she looked at ranged from small, handcrafted charms to priceless jewels. Nothing really caught her eye until finally, she passed by a small jewelry stand that seemed to have squeezed in between two others just like it. It displayed all kinds of rings, necklaces, and bracelets, but the thing that she found herself staring at was an earring.
Not a pair of earrings. One earring.
It was made from an onyx metal that twisted and curled around, creating a braided image of a rose garden. At the tip, as if the garden had suddenly liquefied and changed color, was a tear-shaped garnet. The garnet was so beautifully cut and red that it almost looked like a ruby. It wasn't all that big and compared to all the other gems around it, it was somewhat dull. Honestly, it wasn't to Amy's normal tastes or style because she usually preferred jewelry that conveyed feelings of summer or spring; this ornament was dark and magnetic.
Just like Shadow.
Amy blinked. Did she really just think that?
"I didn't take you for that kind of person." a sparkling voice said next to her.
"Lady Rouge!" Amy nearly shouted, spinning around to face the newcomer.
"Hey." Rouge winked at Amy. "How are you, Lady Rose?"
Before Amy could answer, a knight appeared with a young, cream-colored rabbit.
"Knuckie! Oh, I missed you soooo much!" Rouge greeted the echidna knight with a passionate kiss. As 'Knuckie' froze in embarrassment, Amy and the rabbit exchanged an equally embarrassed look.
"Rouge! Not in front of Lady Rabbit!" Knuckles scolded, but the way he said it, one would wonder if he was praising a puppy.
"Oh, don't act like you didn't like it." Rouge teased, tracing invisible hearts on Knuckle's chest.
Blushing, Knuckles glanced towards Amy and Cream. Immediately, they pretended to be interested in a piece of jewelry. Quick as lightning, he placed a kiss on Rouge's lips and looked away, blushing redder than humanly possible. (It's a good thing he's an echidna then!)
"You know, Knuckles, it's okay to leave me alone for a bit." Cream suggested.
"No way! My job is to protect you!" Knuckles protested. "What if something happened while I was away?!"
"I'll be with Amy the entire time! She's the Golden One, so it'll be okay!" Cream smiled.
At the mention of the 'Golden One', a few bystanders suddenly started to shift away. No one but Amy noticed, however. It wasn't as if she didn't expect that sort of reaction, but it still kind of hurt-- like a small stab to the heart. Just a little one. Besides, she was used to this. Not many people liked the 'Golden One'. In fact, that name was even a joke-- a sarcastic nickname to call the monster caller. Well, it was a joke now since only a few remembered the Golden One's only purpose in life. A purpose that had nothing to do with her. Not anymore.
"Well....if you say so...." Knuckles mumbled.
Rouge's eyes glittered mischievously. "Ta ta...."
And off the lovers went, leaving Amy and Cream still standing by the jewels.
Amy turned to Cream. "Well, Lady Rabbit, what would you like to do?"
"Don't be so formal, Amy. We're great friends after all." Cream chuckled.
Amy's heart lifted at the word 'friends' and smiled in a rush of warmth. Cream smiled back. For the next hour or so, the two girls went from one shop to another, trying on different clothes. The entire time, Amy laughed, smiled, and didn't think of Shadow once. That is until she thought she saw him in the crowd.
'No, it can't be.' Amy thought.
But the unmistakable, red-streaked black quills continued to reappear among the many merchants and shoppers. As if she had no choice, her eyes stayed glued to the those quills. He looked like he was looking for someone. Could it be her?
No way. Why would he even--
That was when their eyes met. Blazing rubies caught wishful emeralds in a sudden trap of intimacy. Then, Shadow turned and began to walk towards her. Amy's heart kept skipping beats until finally, he stood directly in front of her, their breaths skimming the other's lips.
"Amy."
Shadow whispered. "I need to talk to you."