{"submission_id":"1543210","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"6182","keyword_name":"amy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4791"},{"keyword_id":"9534","keyword_name":"amy rose","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"8635"},{"keyword_id":"5757","keyword_name":"fight","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2681"},{"keyword_id":"2968","keyword_name":"fighting","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2507"},{"keyword_id":"1465","keyword_name":"heat","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2309"},{"keyword_id":"1008","keyword_name":"hedgehog","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"47857"},{"keyword_id":"29347","keyword_name":"instinct","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"43"},{"keyword_id":"1003","keyword_name":"m/f","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"22955"},{"keyword_id":"96188","keyword_name":"sexual tension","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"31"},{"keyword_id":"39178","keyword_name":"shadamy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"391"},{"keyword_id":"1005","keyword_name":"shadow","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"9228"},{"keyword_id":"20724","keyword_name":"shadow the hedgehog","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"8502"},{"keyword_id":"28051","keyword_name":"sonamy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1593"},{"keyword_id":"2116","keyword_name":"sonic","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"33805"},{"keyword_id":"115764","keyword_name":"sonic boom","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1642"},{"keyword_id":"7252","keyword_name":"sonic the hedgehog","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"29066"},{"keyword_id":"196592","keyword_name":"sticks the badger","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"840"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"7","create_datetime":"2018-02-12 23:23:18.55955+01","create_datetime_usertime":"12 Feb 2018 23:23 CET","last_file_update_datetime":"2018-02-12 23:16:12.710039+01","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"12 Feb 2018 23:16 CET","username":"Chinry","user_id":"447612","user_icon_file_name":"153322_Chinry_image.png","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/153/153322_Chinry_image.png","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/153/153322_Chinry_image.png","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/153/153322_Chinry_image.png","file_name":"2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/2188/2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/2188/2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/2188/2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","files":[{"file_id":"2188694","file_name":"2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/2188/2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/2188/2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/2188/2188694_Chinry_ic4.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"1543210","user_id":"447612","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"63e29a9744d2e8fb1b85706dad95d756","full_file_md5":"63e29a9744d2e8fb1b85706dad95d756","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2018-02-12 23:16:12.710039+01","create_datetime_usertime":"12 Feb 2018 23:16 CET"}],"pools":[{"pool_id":"49514","name":"Internal Combustion","description":"My full blown story about the trials and tribulations of Amy and Sonic's early relationship. Boom based.","count":"14","submission_left_submission_id":"1539630","submission_left_file_name":"2182960_Chinry_ic3.doc","submission_right_submission_id":"1554176","submission_right_file_name":"2205572_Chinry_ic8.doc"}],"description":"Here we are at part four, and we transition to what has been happening with Amy in the weeks she's been away.\n\nAlso, Sonic is a tool, but he doesn't mean to be. Consequence will catch up. He can't outrun it forever.","description_bbcode_parsed":"Here we are at part four, and we transition to what has been happening with Amy in the weeks she's been away.

Also, Sonic is a tool, but he doesn't mean to be. Consequence will catch up. He can't outrun it forever.","writing":"\t“Wow Sonic, that was amazing,” she breathed, wiping the sweat from her brow, “I'm so glad you came back.”\n\n\t“Yea,” was all Sonic responded, neither out of breath or interested in after glow. Throwing his feet out of bed he quickly pulled on his trainers, forgoing the tape, and tied his scarf around his neck.\n\n\t“C'mon babe you aren't leaving alread....OUCH.”\n\n\tSonic felt the brief impact of Staci trying to wrap herself around his neck, but as a bandicoot, she had no idea how to do it without pricking herself. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought of how Amy had it down to a fine art. He quickly caught himself before he could think too fondly of his pink ex. \n\n\t“I gotta go,” he mumbled, and before she could protest further he was out the door and on the way to his hut. When he got back there though, he realised the reason he had ended up at the twins was because the place he called home no longer felt welcome. It had always been virtually empty, he used it mostly to sleep in. During the day he was out and about or enjoying the creature comforts of either Tails or Amy's places.\n\n\tHe wasn't going to go back to Staci in the same evening. She had delusions of grandeur and was convincing herself she was more to him than just sex. If he could have merged the twins together it would have been perfect, Perci had the heart and Staci had the desire to give him what he wanted. Staci knew what she was doing, trying to worm her way in to his favour for the fame it could reward her. He wasn't falling for it. Quick fuck, and he was gone.\n\n\tAmy had now been gone for fifteen days. The villagers had noticed her absence and he had long since given up being polite. At first they had all stuck with the story that she was visiting family in her home town. The more curious members of the village had decided this information wasn't enough and they were pestering them all as to when she would return and which family she had gone to see. Knuckles had already forgotten where she really was and believed the family story himself. Tails was being the most patient with the tirade of questions, but as he would brush them off with a poor excuse it was Sonic who found himself swamped. As Sticks spent most of her time buried in her hovel in a pit of anger it had been left up to Sonic to suffer. That day his patience had finally worn through. \n\n\t“She shacked up with Shadow a couple of weeks ago,” he had snapped. Whether it was the bitterness in his tone or the information itself, the villagers had quickly dispersed and left Sonic to his pain.\n\n\tHe looked down at the communicator on his wrist. He had tried to get through to her so many times he was starting to wonder if she even had it with her. In spite of the inevitable sound of her voice asking him to leave a message, he once again buzzed her name.\n\n\t“Hey Ames, I know it's late and you like your beauty sleep, but if you get this you should know...Dave has suggested they put salad on the Meh Burger menu. So...something to come back for huh?”\n\n\tHe disconnected and kicked himself. There was a lot he wanted to say and to ask but he hadn't worked up the courage yet. The times he was angry it was probably a good thing he remained quiet. It was the times he felt he was finally ready to vocalise what he felt for her he should have taken advantage of.\n\n\tSuccumbing to the weight of his sleepy head he dropped in to his hammock. He could still smell the sickeningly sweet perfume Staci wore on his fur. This had been the third time he had paid her a visit, the need for any form of contact outweighing his better judgement. She was always up for it, and their brief sessions in bed were the only time he could disconnect from his thoughts. The regret he felt afterwards was not enough to quell his need for physical release. He had fantasized about how he would spend a night with Amy, but those dreams never ended with him bolting from the scene. In his fantasy, she would lie on his chest, exhausted and hot, trying to move but finally falling asleep next to him. Amy was feisty and stubborn, but she had shrunk from his touch in the past like a wilting flower. She was young and inexperienced true, but why couldn't she have given in to him? Things would have been so much easier.\n\n\t“You're awake.”\n\n\tIt was a statement more than a question. Sticks dragged herself in to his doorway and dropped herself down on to the floor. She had told them before how she was an insomniac and he had grown used to her popping in on him late at night. He didn't approve, but he didn't fight it.\n\n\t“I noticed,” he grumbled.\n\n\t“You smell like sex,” she said, matter of factly.\n\n\tHe cringed, “That's gross.”\n\n\t“You should be this end of it.”\n\n\t“Can I help you with something Sticks?!”\n\n\tShe sat up, back turned from him, and hummed for a long while.\n\n\t“You know where all the parts are obviously, but how much do you know about the female of the species. YOUR species.”\n\n\tSonic continued keeping his gaze skyward, already too tired to pay her much heed, “This one of those 'there is no answer' questions.”\n\n\tShe sighed heavily, “Can't answer, that's about what I expected of you. It's no wonder we lost Amy.”\n\n\tAll at once he was wide awake and on his feet, “You're blaming me?”\n\n\tShe didn't turn round, “Men in general. You for not knowing enough, Shadow for knowing too much, Eggman for making her think he knew what he was talking about. You all made a mess of it.”\n\n\tSonic clenched his fists to try and calm his anger. Instead he sat himself near her and looked out on to the black ocean, casting his gaze the same direction the little badger was. He waited until she spoke again, knowing she couldn't hold in what was eating away at her.\n\n\t“We're very isolated out here. I love it, sure we all love it, but our education is a bit lacking. I had very open parents and I learned the darker side of nature right from a young age. Sonic, do you know what happens when a female is in heat.”\n\n\tHe raised his eyebrows, and attempted to hide his lack of knowledge under his attitude, “It's when they want to get bizay.”\n\n\tSticks turned to him and rolled her eyes deeply.\n\n\t“What? Am I wrong.”\n\n\t“I guess not, but you're missing the point here. It's not so much that they want to, it's more like a need to. It's pretty easy to take control of, after a while anyway, unless you're a slut like Staci. Does she ever not give in?”\n\n\t“Hey.”\n\n\t“Calls it as I sees it. I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but Amy had just come in to heat for the first time. She was out going out of control of her 'need to get bizay',” she said, doing the air quotes with her fingers, “but the bigger issue was you, blue.”\n\n\tHe looked confused, “I don't...we didn't...”\n\n\t“No but you would have. She was giving off indications she wanted to mate with you even if she didn't mean to. It was literally in her scent, and cause it's new for you to smell that from a hedgehog there was every chance YOU wouldn't have had much common sense either...well even less than usual. It's primal.”\n\n\tSonic thought back to that last meeting in the woods. How he had craved touching her, the way his instincts threatened to launch a full assault on her. In his minds eye he saw her scared and weak under his claws. What might he have done had he not run away? Had he not still been able to see a sliver of her heart through his need for her body.\n\n\t“That's why she wanted time to herself?” he asked.\n\n\t“She didn't know exactly how much it was going to take over her inhibitions but she wanted to feel safer. I told her to go...I didn't think...you could be trusted,” Sticks replied, her last words falling in to a whisper.\n\n\tSonic rose to his feet, his anger once again bubbling to the surface like boiling water in a pot.\n\n\t“Me? You think I would...against her will? How could you think that?”\n\n\tSticks stood up too, half his height but a formidable presence all the same, “I was wrong okay? It's not like you've shown you aren't willing to give in to a bit of tail.”\n\n\t“Don't you dare bring that up, it's not the same.”\n\n\t“No it's not, but what if you had made it the same? What if after the two weeks was over and her pheromones stopped calling out, you were no longer interested. What if she wanted more? More than sex, What would that have done to the two of you.”\n\n\tHe tried to respond but he was far from ready to, and all he managed was a few childish scoffs. The pair of them fell silent, the air heavy with accusations and guilty confessions. The sound of the ocean was melancholy and the fading light from the one lit torch highlighted the furrowed brows of the two comrades. It was Sonic who broke first.\n\n\t“Do you think Shadow...”\n\n\t“No,' she quickly interjected, “but I've thought about it a lot. We don't know much about him but he isn't a novice. He would know what was going on with her, but he also knows she's too young to have much experience dealing with those feelings.”\n\n\t“Then if we are sure he didn't take her to....take advantage....why has she not come home?”\n\n\tSticks bowed her head, and bit down on her lip hard before she was able to utter the words that were burning her mouth, “He doesn't have to force anything, if she's getting exactly the kind of care she was after...that you wouldn't provide.”\n\n******\n\n\tOn the twenty second day, Sonic left Amy one final message. Through a drunken haze he had just about managed to call her, and after the designated sound of her chirpy voice asking him to leave a message he slurred the words he would never be able to retract.\n\n\t“Hope you're happy Ames, because I am having a ball. In fact, both my balls are having a ball ha. Staci has been riding this train for days now, she's got a thing for me and mah thing,” he laughed hysterically for a moment before carrying on, “so Shadow of all hedgehogs? Was it the chest fuzz that did it? He make you feel goooood in all the right places with his magical powers? Hmph thas bullshit. But good luck with that, I'm sure you found a way to make him smile? Lemmie guess, sucking on his....”\n\n\tHe passed out midway through his ramble. When morning came his communicator was dead and his memory was black, and after throwing up several times he couldn't shake the feeling he had done something very wrong.\n\n*****\n\n\tOn the twenty seventh day, Amy strolled out of the woods. On her leg was a feint scar, almost lost in the minute cuts and bruises scattered across her limbs. In one hand was her trademark red headband, now split in two, and in the other was her communicator, blinking brightly to indicate it was about to run out of power. She walked with her head held high but a bitter, unrelenting scowl plastered across her little face. Her eye were focussed on the back of one oblivious blue head, and even once he turned round to lock with her stare, she didn't once blink.\n\n\t“Ames, you're...”\n\n\tThose were the only words he stuttered before she punched him so hard she knocked him out cold.\n\n*****\n\n\t“Shadow....can we please take a break? I'm still sore.”\n\n\t“Hmph, stop trying to get out of this. I told you to stop focussing on the pain.”\n\n\tShe groaned, “We've been at it for hours, I can't think straight, I can barely stand up!”\n\n\t“Fine, but just lie there for a while and get your energy back. I'm not done with you.”\n\n\tAmy closed her eyes and felt her body relax in to the grass as his outline receded. Taking big gulps of air to try and get her heart race back to normal, she let the sweet smell of nature carry her away. The sun was starting to set on her first week under Shadow's capture and she both loathed and loved the times he left her alone. The darkness crept over this land quickly and with it came a fear she hadn't known since she was a child. By default the night would change him from her torturer to her carer.\n\n\tPerhaps torturer was too strong a word. He never pushed her beyond a threshold she could manage, he was careful to not cause too much damage, but she was still bruised all over. In the back of her mind there was a little voice that kept reminding her she had chosen to remain with him, but the ache in her joints urged her to run all the same.\n\n\tTormentor, now that was the right word. The flame inside her that had ignited all her female needs was still burning strong, and the bad boy of any hedgehog fantasy was spending a lot of time holding her, touching her. She let him more than she should.\n\n\t“Ready?”\n\n\tShe jolted at the sudden sound of his husky voice. Part of his training was encouraging her not to rely on her sight so much, which was why they were fighting in the dark. Had he been any normal creature she would easily have sensed his approach, but he moved as lightly as the breeze. \n\n\tRising to her feet, she brushed the grass off the back of her long legs and faced him, “Am I ever?”\n\n\tHe shifted his stance and raised his fists, “You will be.”\n\n\tHe charged. He aimed straight for her but she was starting to understand the distracting way he fought, and she raised her arm swiftly to block the kick he aimed at her right shoulder. He had popped her left one out a few days previously and though he could easily place it back he avoided another direct hit. After blocking the impact she ducked down and rolled backward, taking advantage of his exposed back to sink the ball of her hand in to his lumbar. The impact wasn't hard enough, and grabbing her wrist he yanked her back to the front of him, whipping his arm around her neck in the process.\n\n\t“Snap,” he whispered in to her ear, squeezing her neck with his free hand. \n\n\t“Stop saying that,” she growled, and freed herself from his grip, “you know there probably aren't that many creatures out there wanting to snap my neck.”\n\n\t“No,” he sighed, and before she knew what had happened he was holding her in a tight embrace, one hand pressed in to her backside and the other holding her face barely an inch away from him, “but how many of them want this.”\n\n\tIt wasn't the first time he had held her so intimately. The first time, as she had discovered, had been that evening at the waterfall. The second was when he had used his Chaos Control to transport them to this faraway valley, but that had ended with her throwing up at his feet as the dizziness of the whole event had swirled her body. \n\n\tThe third time was the reason she was still there with him.\n\n*****\n\t\n\t“You, you pervert!” she screamed, staggering to her feet, the shame of being sick so suddenly paling in comparison to realising it was Shadow she had nearly succumbed to that night. She called her Piko hammer to hand, and had already swung her arm before realising her palm was still empty. Screaming in frustration she tried again but still her hammer failed to appear. As he walked towards her she swung a fist instead but it fell short.\n\n\t“Get away you...” she started, but lost her balance and in a spin, fell flat on her back.\n\n\t“Well that was quite a show. Are we done?”\n\n\tHe was looking down at her, and for all the blind rage that was building up she was also still shamefully aroused by the whole situation. He looked so powerful from her angle, and in her minds eye she could see him lying down in the grass beside her...\n\n\t“What do you...want to do with me?” she sighed, kicking herself for her less than subtle wording.\n\n\t“Finish patching up that wound in your leg,” he replied, indicating down her body. Unable to lift her head she lifted her leg in to view, blood pouring down from her calf and down her thigh. He grabbed on to her ankle, and under the assurance of his tight grip she passed out.\n\n******\n\t\n\tShe came to some hours later. Enough time must have passed, for the room she was in was dark and eerily quiet, but it had been morning when they first arrived. She was in a spacious bed, and though the quilts were soft she felt little comfort. On first instinct she threw back the covers to check her leg, finding the wound neatly patched up and the dried blood cleaned off. \n\n\tShe felt a chill and wrapped the covers back around herself. She was dressed in the clothing she had worn in her forest, but a vest and shorts no longer matched her current surroundings. Picking up the covers with her she walked over to the window and looked out to this new world she found herself in. There was a large grassed area immediately outside the building, the odd firefly dancing over the ground providing little light. Beyond the clearing were woods, but they were not the ones she knew. The darkness was so absolute she could barely make out the outline of the first line of trees, and beyond that the forest was enveloped in the night. The thought of venturing in to them filled her with a childish fear, and she backed away from the shadows.\n\n\tThe room around her was plain, but it was no prison. There was a small table with a lamp and a glass of water to one side of the bed, and in the far corner a small chair by which her shoes stood. Had she been wearing them when they arrived?\n\n\tThere was no door, so carefully she felt her way along the wall until she could crane her head enough around the corner to look beyond her position. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she could see far enough to make out a small kitchen area and a table with one lonely chair. Much like her room though there were no creature comforts it was a perfectly functional area. Taking very careful steps she ventured further in to the alien surroundings.\n\n\tIt was here she detected two feint glows. Her nose finally picked up the scent of the dying embers she saw before her, tucked in the far end of the room. Next to the fire was a television, playing some old black and white film silently to itself. Without the sound it aided to the unnerving feeling the house was giving her and she walked around the sofa to turn it off and perhaps get the fire going again.\n\n\tWith a jolt of surprise it was then she noticed, finally, she wasn't alone. Flat on his back, one knee raised and one hand flopped behind his head, lay Shadow. His shoes and gloves were removed and his eyes were tightly shut, and she let out a quiet whoosh of breath. \n\n\tFor a minute, perhaps more, she silently watched him sleep. Even in this state he seemed to be frowning, but in his slumber it looked like he was in pain more than in a temper. His fur was so stark against the pale fabric of his makeshift bed, and even in this light the shock of fur on his chest was snowy white. Apart from their colouring it was one of the most distinguishing differences between him and Sonic. Lastly her eyes traced along the red streaks that dashed his limbs. Unusual markings for a hedgehog but somehow befitting him, the crimson faded to black along the back of his hands and his ankles. \n\n\tIn the absolute silence of the night she found herself drawn to her captor; the gentle rise and fall of his chest in time with the delicate sound of his sleepy breathing brought her the sign of life she so desired in the deafening silence. Worst of all, she could feel her more physical urges rising again and her laboured breathing echoed loudly in her ears. Before she could do something foolish she gently hopped across the room and leapt back in to the generous bed. Buried under the covers she tried in vain to block out the images of the two of them entwined and concentrate instead of the fact he had kidnapped her!\n\tBut that only added to the excitement of it all.\n\n\tShe only got a few hours sleep before she heard him calling her from outside, and not by her name. She was too groggy to respond properly and of all mistakes to make, she told “Sonic” to shut up and let her sleep.\n\n\tIf she were to hazard a guess, she would assume Shadow didn't take too well to being called by his nemesis name, as she found herself thrown over his shoulder, carried outside, and dumped on the damp morning grass. She called him a barrage of names as she got to her feet, the romantic images of the night before brushed away in a flick of her middle finger.\n\n\t“Very childish, wouldn't the name Rose suggest a delicate flower?”\n\n\t“Wouldn't the name Shadow suggest you're just an outline of someone else?”\n\n\t“No, but it might mean I'm always behind you.”\n\n\tIn a flash of light he vanished from sight, but in a second he reappeared directly behind her and with a swift kick sent her flying. Amy had become used to such impacts from years of fighting against Eggman and she was quickly on her feet and charging head back at the onyx fiend. When she tried again to call her hammer to her she found once more it was useless, but this time she was prepared and she aimed a high kick at his head. Without flinching he deflected the blow with his arm. Grabbing her vest with his other hand he flung her sideways and she landed with a painful thud.\n\n\t“Wha...what is with you?” she cried, getting back to her feet, “isn't it enough you square up to Sonic every time you see him? What did I ever do to you?”\n\n\tThis time when he popped up behind her, he held her like he had that night. One hand carefully slid around her slender neck while the other knotted his fingers in to hers. \n\n\t“You didn't resist,” he replied, and she felt his breath hot against the back of her neck, “you want me, rosebud.”\n\n\tAmy was pent up, but this time there was no sexual desire burning through her; this time she was nothing but thorns. With her free hand she reached to the side of his head and grabbed a handful of quills, pulling them toward her. He growled in pain, and had she not been so enraged she may have been empathetic, but the red mist had thoroughly descended. She kept her strangle hold as he let go, and she used this rare upper hand to pull him down until he was bent over backward, only being held up by resting on her arm. She had always been stronger than she looked.\n\n\t“You keep thinking that,” she breathed through bared teeth, and she dropped him on his back and walked toward the forest. Even in the daylight it was black but she would not be deterred this time.\n\n\t“Wait,” he cried, “I wouldn't try going any further.”\n\n\tShe carried on regardless but called back, “You can't stop me. I'm going back.”\n\n\t“Even if I can't, they will.”\n\n\tShe halted. As she stared in to the darkness she realised what she thought were shadows were actually alive. Black silhouettes moved about between the trees, and though they had no eyes she could feel they were all looking at her. Even in the light of day she suddenly felt very cold and she slowly backed away. Shadows hands were upon her shoulders, but it was a gentle grip of reassurance and her anger and fear subsided. \n\n\t“What are they?” she asked, trying to stifle the quake in her voice.\n\n\t“You will figure it out on your own. Once you have trained here for a while, you can face them.”\n\n\tShe turned to look at him. His red eyes softened as they made contact with hers and she felt very weary again.\n\n\t“Trained?”\n\n\t“There are bigger things in this world to fight, Rosebud. If you stay here I will help you learn to fight more than just machines and man.”\n\n\t“What more is there?”\n\n\tHe looked over her shoulder and in to the woods, unable at that time to tell her what he could see. Monsters came in all forms, she would need to learn to not see him as one if they were to progress further.\n\n\t“Why would you stay in a place surrounded by those things?”\n\n\t“You can't get out, and nothing can get in. Unless you're me. I have to go. Stay in the house, gather your strength, I want to really see what this Bud is capable of.”\n\n*****\n\n\tTheir first official training session didn't end too well. Amy had sat in the middle of Shadow's house not knowing what to do with herself. She had approached the forest that surrounded them on all sides from every angle, and each time she got close she felt the hidden eyes fall upon her. They would scuttle in between the trees and whisper to each other, scrutinizing her and discussing her amongst themselves. She felt there was no possible way they were on a natural plain of existence any more and her isolation was terrifying. \n\n\tShe had time to think too, and that was even worse. She had been kidnapped by this virtual stranger but the scorching heat of her overbearing lust made it hard to focus on the negatives. She was away from Sonic and that was a good thing, but Shadow wasn't a far cry from her blue hero, and if he was a loner, as they all assumed, then maybe he couldn't control his passions either. Could she if he was offering himself to her?\n\n\tHe reappeared in a flash of light late in the afternoon. Amy was a bundle of nerves and anger and frustration and she blindly charged at him, unsure if she was going to kill or kiss him. Taken off guard he hadn't prepared for an attack and she floored him, literally. Flat on his back, Amy pounded at his chest and screamed at him for taking her away. He grabbed both her wrists and held her arms crossed in front of her. She couldn't pull free and screamed and writhed until she began to burn out. She was a complete mess and he didn't know how to handle her. \n\n\t“Why am I here? Why do you think I need training?”\n\n\t“I won this fight already,” he pointed out.\n\n\t“I could still take you if I wanted to,” she snarled.\n\n\tHe flashed a very quick grin and pulled her hands to lay flat on either side of his head. Her shocked face was now close to his and he heard her emit a pitiful little whimper. She probably didn't realise how she pushed her hips harder in to him. He let go of her wrists and with the very tips of his fingers he gently stroked one hand up her arm. She blushed playfully and her face lowered closer to his.\n\n\tInbetween her shoulder blades was her weak spot. While male hedgehogs had spines on their backs, females had a small patch of slightly thicker fur and skin, virtually invisible to the naked eye. With one tight pinch Amy drooped like a wilted flower and he was able to easily drop her on her side. He kept a tight grip until he was on his feet, pulling her up with him, like a dog with a disobedient pup. When he let go she fell right back to her knees and she took in a deep gulp of air and she tried to breath. She gasped and coughed as if she had been holding her breath. When he heard her sob a couple of times he stepped back in surprise. She wasn't meant to be doing that.\n\n\t“What is wrong with you?” he snapped.\n\n\t“Couldn't...fight,” she gasped, “flashbacks....Lyric!”\n\n\tHe grimaced. He too had been under the control of Lyrics device, but while he was used to battle, Amy had been caught in Lyrics lair. She had fought well at the time, so he hadn't thought anything about stirring up those memories. An apology would not be coming, not in as many words anyway.\n\n\t“You want to be stronger than this? Spend some time here and you will be able to fight inside and outside. Don't be so weak!”\n\n\tStill gasping, but finally calming down, Amy rose to her feet and looked squarely at him.\n\n\t“Where do I sign?”\n\n*****\n\n\tThe week had been exhausting to say the least, both emotionally and physically, but for all her falls she could also sense she was fighting better. She could calculate moves better when she wasn't relying on her hammer, and under Shadows tutelage she had learned to use her acrobatic skills as a threat as opposed to just getting herself out of a bind. He could still pin her and twist her at dangerous angles but he never once pushed her too far. He would vanish for most of the day though to evening, and though she didn't know where he went he would reliably return with food. She got to cook for him, and though she never received a thanks he always ate everything she made. She was growing accustomed to appreciating the little signs he gave her. At all times her lust was fighting her logic, but either he would exhaust her or she would do it herself.\n\n\tHere they were, a full week later, his hand curved around her ass and his lips tantalizingly close to hers. Her brain dissolved in to a useless mass whenever she came this close to him, but usually they were battling and one of them would attack. The sunset had become twilight and the world was silent, bar the sound of her heart beat in her ears. He didn't move closer, but he didn't relax his grip either, and she sensed he was leaving it up to her exactly where this would lead.\n\n\t“Aaaaaaaamy.”\n\n\tShe squeaked in surprise at the whisper that blew through her ear. Shadow immediately let her go but kept a questionable eye on her. She stared straight back at him but knew the voice had not been his.\n\n\t“Where are you my love?”\n\n\tShe shrunk from the sound and covered her ears. It was coming from the forest; the nightmarish creatures coming to life as the last of the sunshine faded from the horizon. She thought she had heard them once or twice before, but they had never been this clear.\n\n\t“What is it?” Shadow asked, standing close to her. She leaned closer to him.\n\n\t“I don't know, it sounds like...I know it's those things...but it sounds so like....” she whimpered. Homesickness crashed over her in a wave, laced with guilt that she had come so close to giving up on her loyalty to her blue hero. Her friends had crossed her mind so briefly since she had left them, so focussed was she on herself she had let so much time pass without letting them know she was safe. They must have been so worried about her and here she was picturing herself getting down and dirty with their one time enemy.\n\n\t“Shadow, can you take me back?”\n\n\tHe folded his arms in front of him, “You want to go back now? You aren't ready.”\n\n\t“How do you know?”\n\n\t“Your demons still plague you.”\n\n\tShe dropped her gaze from him to the floor. Their words were hidden but she could still hear the whispers from the woods surrounding them.\n\n\t“Can I at least let them know I'm okay? I could go home, grab a few books, I feel like I spend the day vegging out in front of that TV until you come back.”\n\n\tHe frowned deeper, but she looked too pitiful to say no to. ","writing_bbcode_parsed":"\t“Wow Sonic, that was amazing,” she breathed, wiping the sweat from her brow, “I'm so glad you came back.”

\t“Yea,” was all Sonic responded, neither out of breath or interested in after glow. Throwing his feet out of bed he quickly pulled on his trainers, forgoing the tape, and tied his scarf around his neck.

\t“C'mon babe you aren't leaving alread....OUCH.”

\tSonic felt the brief impact of Staci trying to wrap herself around his neck, but as a bandicoot, she had no idea how to do it without pricking herself. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought of how Amy had it down to a fine art. He quickly caught himself before he could think too fondly of his pink ex.

\t“I gotta go,” he mumbled, and before she could protest further he was out the door and on the way to his hut. When he got back there though, he realised the reason he had ended up at the twins was because the place he called home no longer felt welcome. It had always been virtually empty, he used it mostly to sleep in. During the day he was out and about or enjoying the creature comforts of either Tails or Amy's places.

\tHe wasn't going to go back to Staci in the same evening. She had delusions of grandeur and was convincing herself she was more to him than just sex. If he could have merged the twins together it would have been perfect, Perci had the heart and Staci had the desire to give him what he wanted. Staci knew what she was doing, trying to worm her way in to his favour for the fame it could reward her. He wasn't falling for it. Quick fuck, and he was gone.

\tAmy had now been gone for fifteen days. The villagers had noticed her absence and he had long since given up being polite. At first they had all stuck with the story that she was visiting family in her home town. The more curious members of the village had decided this information wasn't enough and they were pestering them all as to when she would return and which family she had gone to see. Knuckles had already forgotten where she really was and believed the family story himself. Tails was being the most patient with the tirade of questions, but as he would brush them off with a poor excuse it was Sonic who found himself swamped. As Sticks spent most of her time buried in her hovel in a pit of anger it had been left up to Sonic to suffer. That day his patience had finally worn through.    

\t“She shacked up with Shadow a couple of weeks ago,” he had snapped. Whether it was the bitterness in his tone or the information itself, the villagers had quickly dispersed and left Sonic to his pain.

\tHe looked down at the communicator on his wrist. He had tried to get through to her so many times he was starting to wonder if she even had it with her. In spite of the inevitable sound of her voice asking him to leave a message, he once again buzzed her name.

\t“Hey Ames, I know it's late and you like your beauty sleep, but if you get this you should know...Dave has suggested they put salad on the Meh Burger menu. So...something to come back for huh?”

\tHe disconnected and kicked himself. There was a lot he wanted to say and to ask but he hadn't worked up the courage yet. The times he was angry it was probably a good thing he remained quiet. It was the times he felt he was finally ready to vocalise what he felt for her he should have taken advantage of.

\tSuccumbing to the weight of his sleepy head he dropped in to his hammock. He could still smell the sickeningly sweet perfume Staci wore on his fur. This had been the third time he had paid her a visit, the need for any form of contact outweighing his better judgement. She was always up for it, and their brief sessions in bed were the only time he could disconnect from his thoughts. The regret he felt afterwards was not enough to quell his need for physical release. He had fantasized about how he would spend a night with Amy, but those dreams never ended with him bolting from the scene. In his fantasy, she would lie on his chest, exhausted and hot, trying to move but finally falling asleep next to him. Amy was feisty and stubborn, but she had shrunk from his touch in the past like a wilting flower. She was young and inexperienced true, but why couldn't she have given in to him? Things would have been so much easier.

\t“You're awake.”

\tIt was a statement more than a question. Sticks dragged herself in to his doorway and dropped herself down on to the floor. She had told them before how she was an insomniac and he had grown used to her popping in on him late at night. He didn't approve, but he didn't fight it.

\t“I noticed,” he grumbled.

\t“You smell like sex,” she said, matter of factly.

\tHe cringed, “That's gross.”

\t“You should be this end of it.”

\t“Can I help you with something Sticks?!”

\tShe sat up, back turned from him, and hummed for a long while.

\t“You know where all the parts are obviously, but how much do you know about the female of the species. YOUR species.”

\tSonic continued keeping his gaze skyward, already too tired to pay her much heed, “This one of those 'there is no answer' questions.”

\tShe sighed heavily, “Can't answer, that's about what I expected of you. It's no wonder we lost Amy.”

\tAll at once he was wide awake and on his feet, “You're blaming me?”

\tShe didn't turn round, “Men in general. You for not knowing enough, Shadow for knowing too much, Eggman for making her think he knew what he was talking about. You all made a mess of it.”

\tSonic clenched his fists to try and calm his anger. Instead he sat himself near her and looked out on to the black ocean, casting his gaze the same direction the little badger was. He waited until she spoke again, knowing she couldn't hold in what was eating away at her.

\t“We're very isolated out here. I love it, sure we all love it, but our education is a bit lacking. I had very open parents and I learned the darker side of nature right from a young age. Sonic, do you know what happens when a female is in heat.”

\tHe raised his eyebrows, and attempted to hide his lack of knowledge under his attitude, “It's when they want to get bizay.”

\tSticks turned to him and rolled her eyes deeply.

\t“What? Am I wrong.”

\t“I guess not, but you're missing the point here. It's not so much that they want to, it's more like a need to. It's pretty easy to take control of, after a while anyway, unless you're a slut like Staci. Does she ever not give in?”

\t“Hey.”

\t“Calls it as I sees it. I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but Amy had just come in to heat for the first time. She was out going out of control of her 'need to get bizay',” she said, doing the air quotes with her fingers, “but the bigger issue was you, blue.”

\tHe looked confused, “I don't...we didn't...”

\t“No but you would have. She was giving off indications she wanted to mate with you even if she didn't mean to. It was literally in her scent, and cause it's new for you to smell that from a hedgehog there was every chance YOU wouldn't have had much common sense either...well even less than usual. It's primal.”

\tSonic thought back to that last meeting in the woods. How he had craved touching her, the way his instincts threatened to launch a full assault on her. In his minds eye he saw her scared and weak under his claws. What might he have done had he not run away? Had he not still been able to see a sliver of her heart through his need for her body.

\t“That's why she wanted time to herself?” he asked.

\t“She didn't know exactly how much it was going to take over her inhibitions but she wanted to feel safer. I told her to go...I didn't think...you could be trusted,” Sticks replied, her last words falling in to a whisper.

\tSonic rose to his feet, his anger once again bubbling to the surface like boiling water in a pot.

\t“Me? You think I would...against her will? How could you think that?”

\tSticks stood up too, half his height but a formidable presence all the same, “I was wrong okay? It's not like you've shown you aren't willing to give in to a bit of tail.”

\t“Don't you dare bring that up, it's not the same.”

\t“No it's not, but what if you had made it the same? What if after the two weeks was over and her pheromones stopped calling out, you were no longer interested. What if she wanted more? More than sex, What would that have done to the two of you.”

\tHe tried to respond but he was far from ready to, and all he managed was a few childish scoffs. The pair of them fell silent, the air heavy with accusations and guilty confessions. The sound of the ocean was melancholy and the fading light from the one lit torch highlighted the furrowed brows of the two comrades. It was Sonic who broke first.

\t“Do you think Shadow...”

\t“No,' she quickly interjected, “but I've thought about it a lot. We don't know much about him but he isn't a novice. He would know what was going on with her, but he also knows she's too young to have much experience dealing with those feelings.”

\t“Then if we are sure he didn't take her to....take advantage....why has she not come home?”

\tSticks bowed her head, and bit down on her lip hard before she was able to utter the words that were burning her mouth, “He doesn't have to force anything, if she's getting exactly the kind of care she was after...that you wouldn't provide.”

******

\tOn the twenty second day, Sonic left Amy one final message. Through a drunken haze he had just about managed to call her, and after the designated sound of her chirpy voice asking him to leave a message he slurred the words he would never be able to retract.

\t“Hope you're happy Ames, because I am having a ball. In fact, both my balls are having a ball ha. Staci has been riding this train for days now, she's got a thing for me and mah thing,” he laughed hysterically for a moment before carrying on, “so Shadow of all hedgehogs? Was it the chest fuzz that did it? He make you feel goooood in all the right places with his magical powers? Hmph thas bullshit. But good luck with that, I'm sure you found a way to make him smile? Lemmie guess, sucking on his....”

\tHe passed out midway through his ramble. When morning came his communicator was dead and his memory was black, and after throwing up several times he couldn't shake the feeling he had done something very wrong.

*****

\tOn the twenty seventh day, Amy strolled out of the woods. On her leg was a feint scar, almost lost in the minute cuts and bruises scattered across her limbs. In one hand was her trademark red headband, now split in two, and in the other was her communicator, blinking brightly to indicate it was about to run out of power. She walked with her head held high but a bitter, unrelenting scowl plastered across her little face. Her eye were focussed on the back of one oblivious blue head, and even once he turned round to lock with her stare, she didn't once blink.

\t“Ames, you're...”

\tThose were the only words he stuttered before she punched him so hard she knocked him out cold.

*****

\t“Shadow....can we please take a break? I'm still sore.”

\t“Hmph, stop trying to get out of this. I told you to stop focussing on the pain.”

\tShe groaned, “We've been at it for hours, I can't think straight, I can barely stand up!”

\t“Fine, but just lie there for a while and get your energy back. I'm not done with you.”

\tAmy closed her eyes and felt her body relax in to the grass as his outline receded. Taking big gulps of air to try and get her heart race back to normal, she let the sweet smell of nature carry her away. The sun was starting to set on her first week under Shadow's capture and she both loathed and loved the times he left her alone. The darkness crept over this land quickly and with it came a fear she hadn't known since she was a child. By default the night would change him from her torturer to her carer.

\tPerhaps torturer was too strong a word. He never pushed her beyond a threshold she could manage, he was careful to not cause too much damage, but she was still bruised all over. In the back of her mind there was a little voice that kept reminding her she had chosen to remain with him, but the ache in her joints urged her to run all the same.

\tTormentor, now that was the right word. The flame inside her that had ignited all her female needs was still burning strong, and the bad boy of any hedgehog fantasy was spending a lot of time holding her, touching her. She let him more than she should.

\t“Ready?”

\tShe jolted at the sudden sound of his husky voice. Part of his training was encouraging her not to rely on her sight so much, which was why they were fighting in the dark. Had he been any normal creature she would easily have sensed his approach, but he moved as lightly as the breeze.

\tRising to her feet, she brushed the grass off the back of her long legs and faced him, “Am I ever?”

\tHe shifted his stance and raised his fists, “You will be.”

\tHe charged. He aimed straight for her but she was starting to understand the distracting way he fought, and she raised her arm swiftly to block the kick he aimed at her right shoulder. He had popped her left one out a few days previously and though he could easily place it back he avoided another direct hit. After blocking the impact she ducked down and rolled backward, taking advantage of his exposed back to sink the ball of her hand in to his lumbar. The impact wasn't hard enough, and grabbing her wrist he yanked her back to the front of him, whipping his arm around her neck in the process.

\t“Snap,” he whispered in to her ear, squeezing her neck with his free hand.

\t“Stop saying that,” she growled, and freed herself from his grip, “you know there probably aren't that many creatures out there wanting to snap my neck.”

\t“No,” he sighed, and before she knew what had happened he was holding her in a tight embrace, one hand pressed in to her backside and the other holding her face barely an inch away from him, “but how many of them want this.”

\tIt wasn't the first time he had held her so intimately. The first time, as she had discovered, had been that evening at the waterfall. The second was when he had used his Chaos Control to transport them to this faraway valley, but that had ended with her throwing up at his feet as the dizziness of the whole event had swirled her body.

\tThe third time was the reason she was still there with him.

*****
\t
\t“You, you pervert!” she screamed, staggering to her feet, the shame of being sick so suddenly paling in comparison to realising it was Shadow she had nearly succumbed to that night. She called her Piko hammer to hand, and had already swung her arm before realising her palm was still empty. Screaming in frustration she tried again but still her hammer failed to appear. As he walked towards her she swung a fist instead but it fell short.

\t“Get away you...” she started, but lost her balance and in a spin, fell flat on her back.

\t“Well that was quite a show. Are we done?”

\tHe was looking down at her, and for all the blind rage that was building up she was also still shamefully aroused by the whole situation. He looked so powerful from her angle, and in her minds eye she could see him lying down in the grass beside her...

\t“What do you...want to do with me?” she sighed, kicking herself for her less than subtle wording.

\t“Finish patching up that wound in your leg,” he replied, indicating down her body. Unable to lift her head she lifted her leg in to view, blood pouring down from her calf and down her thigh. He grabbed on to her ankle, and under the assurance of his tight grip she passed out.

******
\t
\tShe came to some hours later. Enough time must have passed, for the room she was in was dark and eerily quiet, but it had been morning when they first arrived. She was in a spacious bed, and though the quilts were soft she felt little comfort. On first instinct she threw back the covers to check her leg, finding the wound neatly patched up and the dried blood cleaned off.

\tShe felt a chill and wrapped the covers back around herself. She was dressed in the clothing she had worn in her forest, but a vest and shorts no longer matched her current surroundings. Picking up the covers with her she walked over to the window and looked out to this new world she found herself in. There was a large grassed area immediately outside the building, the odd firefly dancing over the ground providing little light. Beyond the clearing were woods, but they were not the ones she knew. The darkness was so absolute she could barely make out the outline of the first line of trees, and beyond that the forest was enveloped in the night. The thought of venturing in to them filled her with a childish fear, and she backed away from the shadows.

\tThe room around her was plain, but it was no prison. There was a small table with a lamp and a glass of water to one side of the bed, and in the far corner a small chair by which her shoes stood. Had she been wearing them when they arrived?

\tThere was no door, so carefully she felt her way along the wall until she could crane her head enough around the corner to look beyond her position. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she could see far enough to make out a small kitchen area and a table with one lonely chair. Much like her room though there were no creature comforts it was a perfectly functional area. Taking very careful steps she ventured further in to the alien surroundings.

\tIt was here she detected two feint glows. Her nose finally picked up the scent of the dying embers she saw before her, tucked in the far end of the room. Next to the fire was a television, playing some old black and white film silently to itself. Without the sound it aided to the unnerving feeling the house was giving her and she walked around the sofa to turn it off and perhaps get the fire going again.

\tWith a jolt of surprise it was then she noticed, finally, she wasn't alone. Flat on his back, one knee raised and one hand flopped behind his head, lay Shadow. His shoes and gloves were removed and his eyes were tightly shut, and she let out a quiet whoosh of breath.

\tFor a minute, perhaps more, she silently watched him sleep. Even in this state he seemed to be frowning, but in his slumber it looked like he was in pain more than in a temper. His fur was so stark against the pale fabric of his makeshift bed, and even in this light the shock of fur on his chest was snowy white. Apart from their colouring it was one of the most distinguishing differences between him and Sonic. Lastly her eyes traced along the red streaks that dashed his limbs. Unusual markings for a hedgehog but somehow befitting him, the crimson faded to black along the back of his hands and his ankles.

\tIn the absolute silence of the night she found herself drawn to her captor; the gentle rise and fall of his chest in time with the delicate sound of his sleepy breathing brought her the sign of life she so desired in the deafening silence. Worst of all, she could feel her more physical urges rising again and her laboured breathing echoed loudly in her ears. Before she could do something foolish she gently hopped across the room and leapt back in to the generous bed. Buried under the covers she tried in vain to block out the images of the two of them entwined and concentrate instead of the fact he had kidnapped her!
\tBut that only added to the excitement of it all.

\tShe only got a few hours sleep before she heard him calling her from outside, and not by her name. She was too groggy to respond properly and of all mistakes to make, she told “Sonic” to shut up and let her sleep.

\tIf she were to hazard a guess, she would assume Shadow didn't take too well to being called by his nemesis name, as she found herself thrown over his shoulder, carried outside, and dumped on the damp morning grass. She called him a barrage of names as she got to her feet, the romantic images of the night before brushed away in a flick of her middle finger.

\t“Very childish, wouldn't the name Rose suggest a delicate flower?”

\t“Wouldn't the name Shadow suggest you're just an outline of someone else?”

\t“No, but it might mean I'm always behind you.”

\tIn a flash of light he vanished from sight, but in a second he reappeared directly behind her and with a swift kick sent her flying. Amy had become used to such impacts from years of fighting against Eggman and she was quickly on her feet and charging head back at the onyx fiend. When she tried again to call her hammer to her she found once more it was useless, but this time she was prepared and she aimed a high kick at his head. Without flinching he deflected the blow with his arm. Grabbing her vest with his other hand he flung her sideways and she landed with a painful thud.

\t“Wha...what is with you?” she cried, getting back to her feet, “isn't it enough you square up to Sonic every time you see him? What did I ever do to you?”

\tThis time when he popped up behind her, he held her like he had that night. One hand carefully slid around her slender neck while the other knotted his fingers in to hers.

\t“You didn't resist,” he replied, and she felt his breath hot against the back of her neck, “you want me, rosebud.”

\tAmy was pent up, but this time there was no sexual desire burning through her; this time she was nothing but thorns. With her free hand she reached to the side of his head and grabbed a handful of quills, pulling them toward her. He growled in pain, and had she not been so enraged she may have been empathetic, but the red mist had thoroughly descended. She kept her strangle hold as he let go, and she used this rare upper hand to pull him down until he was bent over backward, only being held up by resting on her arm. She had always been stronger than she looked.

\t“You keep thinking that,” she breathed through bared teeth, and she dropped him on his back and walked toward the forest. Even in the daylight it was black but she would not be deterred this time.

\t“Wait,” he cried, “I wouldn't try going any further.”

\tShe carried on regardless but called back, “You can't stop me. I'm going back.”

\t“Even if I can't, they will.”

\tShe halted. As she stared in to the darkness she realised what she thought were shadows were actually alive. Black silhouettes moved about between the trees, and though they had no eyes she could feel they were all looking at her. Even in the light of day she suddenly felt very cold and she slowly backed away. Shadows hands were upon her shoulders, but it was a gentle grip of reassurance and her anger and fear subsided.

\t“What are they?” she asked, trying to stifle the quake in her voice.

\t“You will figure it out on your own. Once you have trained here for a while, you can face them.”

\tShe turned to look at him. His red eyes softened as they made contact with hers and she felt very weary again.

\t“Trained?”

\t“There are bigger things in this world to fight, Rosebud. If you stay here I will help you learn to fight more than just machines and man.”

\t“What more is there?”

\tHe looked over her shoulder and in to the woods, unable at that time to tell her what he could see. Monsters came in all forms, she would need to learn to not see him as one if they were to progress further.

\t“Why would you stay in a place surrounded by those things?”

\t“You can't get out, and nothing can get in. Unless you're me. I have to go. Stay in the house, gather your strength, I want to really see what this Bud is capable of.”

*****

\tTheir first official training session didn't end too well. Amy had sat in the middle of Shadow's house not knowing what to do with herself. She had approached the forest that surrounded them on all sides from every angle, and each time she got close she felt the hidden eyes fall upon her. They would scuttle in between the trees and whisper to each other, scrutinizing her and discussing her amongst themselves. She felt there was no possible way they were on a natural plain of existence any more and her isolation was terrifying.

\tShe had time to think too, and that was even worse. She had been kidnapped by this virtual stranger but the scorching heat of her overbearing lust made it hard to focus on the negatives. She was away from Sonic and that was a good thing, but Shadow wasn't a far cry from her blue hero, and if he was a loner, as they all assumed, then maybe he couldn't control his passions either. Could she if he was offering himself to her?

\tHe reappeared in a flash of light late in the afternoon. Amy was a bundle of nerves and anger and frustration and she blindly charged at him, unsure if she was going to kill or kiss him. Taken off guard he hadn't prepared for an attack and she floored him, literally. Flat on his back, Amy pounded at his chest and screamed at him for taking her away. He grabbed both her wrists and held her arms crossed in front of her. She couldn't pull free and screamed and writhed until she began to burn out. She was a complete mess and he didn't know how to handle her.

\t“Why am I here? Why do you think I need training?”

\t“I won this fight already,” he pointed out.

\t“I could still take you if I wanted to,” she snarled.

\tHe flashed a very quick grin and pulled her hands to lay flat on either side of his head. Her shocked face was now close to his and he heard her emit a pitiful little whimper. She probably didn't realise how she pushed her hips harder in to him. He let go of her wrists and with the very tips of his fingers he gently stroked one hand up her arm. She blushed playfully and her face lowered closer to his.

\tInbetween her shoulder blades was her weak spot. While male hedgehogs had spines on their backs, females had a small patch of slightly thicker fur and skin, virtually invisible to the naked eye. With one tight pinch Amy drooped like a wilted flower and he was able to easily drop her on her side. He kept a tight grip until he was on his feet, pulling her up with him, like a dog with a disobedient pup. When he let go she fell right back to her knees and she took in a deep gulp of air and she tried to breath. She gasped and coughed as if she had been holding her breath. When he heard her sob a couple of times he stepped back in surprise. She wasn't meant to be doing that.

\t“What is wrong with you?” he snapped.

\t“Couldn't...fight,” she gasped, “flashbacks....Lyric!”

\tHe grimaced. He too had been under the control of Lyrics device, but while he was used to battle, Amy had been caught in Lyrics lair. She had fought well at the time, so he hadn't thought anything about stirring up those memories. An apology would not be coming, not in as many words anyway.

\t“You want to be stronger than this? Spend some time here and you will be able to fight inside and outside. Don't be so weak!”

\tStill gasping, but finally calming down, Amy rose to her feet and looked squarely at him.

\t“Where do I sign?”

*****

\tThe week had been exhausting to say the least, both emotionally and physically, but for all her falls she could also sense she was fighting better. She could calculate moves better when she wasn't relying on her hammer, and under Shadows tutelage she had learned to use her acrobatic skills as a threat as opposed to just getting herself out of a bind. He could still pin her and twist her at dangerous angles but he never once pushed her too far. He would vanish for most of the day though to evening, and though she didn't know where he went he would reliably return with food. She got to cook for him, and though she never received a thanks he always ate everything she made. She was growing accustomed to appreciating the little signs he gave her. At all times her lust was fighting her logic, but either he would exhaust her or she would do it herself.

\tHere they were, a full week later, his hand curved around her ass and his lips tantalizingly close to hers. Her brain dissolved in to a useless mass whenever she came this close to him, but usually they were battling and one of them would attack. The sunset had become twilight and the world was silent, bar the sound of her heart beat in her ears. He didn't move closer, but he didn't relax his grip either, and she sensed he was leaving it up to her exactly where this would lead.

\t“Aaaaaaaamy.”

\tShe squeaked in surprise at the whisper that blew through her ear. Shadow immediately let her go but kept a questionable eye on her. She stared straight back at him but knew the voice had not been his.

\t“Where are you my love?”

\tShe shrunk from the sound and covered her ears. It was coming from the forest; the nightmarish creatures coming to life as the last of the sunshine faded from the horizon. She thought she had heard them once or twice before, but they had never been this clear.

\t“What is it?” Shadow asked, standing close to her. She leaned closer to him.

\t“I don't know, it sounds like...I know it's those things...but it sounds so like....” she whimpered. Homesickness crashed over her in a wave, laced with guilt that she had come so close to giving up on her loyalty to her blue hero. Her friends had crossed her mind so briefly since she had left them, so focussed was she on herself she had let so much time pass without letting them know she was safe. They must have been so worried about her and here she was picturing herself getting down and dirty with their one time enemy.

\t“Shadow, can you take me back?”

\tHe folded his arms in front of him, “You want to go back now? You aren't ready.”

\t“How do you know?”

\t“Your demons still plague you.”

\tShe dropped her gaze from him to the floor. Their words were hidden but she could still hear the whispers from the woods surrounding them.

\t“Can I at least let them know I'm okay? I could go home, grab a few books, I feel like I spend the day vegging out in front of that TV until you come back.”

\tHe frowned deeper, but she looked too pitiful to say no to. ","pools_count":1,"title":"Internal Combustion: 4","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"1","rating_name":"Mature","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"2","name":"Nudity","description":"Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)","rating_id":"1"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"2","views":"106","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}