At that moment her recurring memories gave her the answer she had been looking for. Her eyes widened when she realized,"It was him!"Amy gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. The day she had left the town she had met the mysterious hedgehog at the rose garden. That's how she knew him! But how could she forget him? She wondered. Perhaps the events were so saddening to her that she had unknowingly repressed them, making her forget Shadow in the progress.The blue hedgehog moved closer to the girl who seemed to be in a trance and asked, "Are you okay?"The rose girl came back to reality, a worried hedgehog stood beside her. Wanting to keep her thoughts to herself, the girl changed her expression immediately after the question and smiled, "I'm fine." However, the male continued staring in concern, uncertain if taking her to the garden had been a bad move on his part. As the girl observed her companion she confirmed she was fine by adding, "It's just that the garden is so much bigger now! I was overwhelmed because it's so magnificent."The worry from Sonic's face vanished and he smiled, reassured by her words. He looked around the garden and then fixed his eyes on the girl, "They decided to expand the garden since it was quite popular."The girl let go of her escort's arm and ran further inside the garden, running along the stone floor. She examined the new decorations; among them were angel sculptures, a bigger fountain replacing the old one, and a gothic around the garden. As she continued to explore she noticed that they had added a wider variety of roses. Reds, blues, whites, yellows, even oranges! All colors and sizes and it was just so glorious!Amy began to twirl, her dress dancing with the movement. She was enjoying the nice and gentle breeze that ran through the beautiful location as she spun. The roses in the garden seemed to accept her as one of their own, and the girl, being a rose by name and beautiful by form, felt welcomed.Her companion sat down at a bench and watched the girl with delight. His emerald eyes charmed by the sight before him. "You sure haven't changed!" he teased.The girl stopped whirling and giggled, "I guess I haven't!""I'm glad you haven't," replied the blue hedgehog with a grin on his face.Amy's smiled slowly disappeared from her face. Her emerald orbs locked on what seemed to be shadows moving in the brush. She blinked a couple of times, making sure she wasn't imagining it, but sure enough, it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her. The girl slowly backed off from where she was standing, growing alarmed at the sight of the shadows approaching their location. "Sonic…!" said the pink hedgehog alerting her friend.The blue male stood up and spotted the shadows coming behind him. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the girl and then grabbed the girl's hand, "We have to get out of here…!" He led her to the nearest exit in a hurry, trying to escape the ghostly figures.Both hedgehogs quickly reached the town and once in it Amy took a chance to ask, "What's going on?"The cerulean hedgehog turned to the girl and spoke, "Dark things have been happening in the town for a while now."The girl blinked taken aback by the remark, "What do you mean?""It all started three years ago," Sonic looked back and no longer saw the phantoms after them. He let out a sigh and released the girl, feeling safe and secure. He looked at the girl and continued, "Things began to change… people began to fall ill."The pink hedgehog observed the male curiously, trying to understand what he was trying to tell her."See," the charming hedgehog pointed out, "People have been falling into a strange state where, although their body is healthy, they seem to lose their free will and become mindless puppets; these people are able to continue their daily routines, but they don't respond to anything. It is almost as if they have no soul!"Amy's eyes widened, "That's terrible! But then… what about the shadows?""They say that shadows always appear when someone falls ill," responded the male with a serious expression on his face, "I've seem them plenty of times… it seems they have been after me for a while, but I have been able to elude them.""Does anyone know what or who is responsible for it?" asked the small girl terrified."No," Sonic replied simply, "Although there have been plenty of attacks, no one has come close to finding out the truth. Those who have, end up falling ill—or worse!" His eyes moved to the darkening sky, "Since then, people have ignored the problem, trying to hide the terrible secret that the town holds. Everyone is afraid that if they get involved, they too, will lose their souls."The rose hedgehog began to ponder on the words that her companion had finish sharing with her, "Wait a second…! If the shadows are after you, doesn't that mean—""Yes," his eyes narrowed once again, "I'm after the one responsible for this!" The door of the dark mansion opened, revealing a dark hedgehog at the entrance. The male walked in and shut the door behind him. His expression was solemn and cold. He made his way up a flight of stairs when he heard a voice coming from behind him in the shadows that drowned the house."Causing problems again?" inquired a pair of golden orbs.The ebony hedgehog chose not to respond to this companion and continued to walk up the stairs."I told you not to attract any more attention than necessary to yourself, " said a purple chameleon walking out of the darkness, "We have been fine so far, we don't want anyone to get suspicious or take interest, Shadow.""I've made sure that there aren't any clues leading to me or you," replied the ebony hedgehog in a dark tone."It's not about the clues," the chameleon moved to the base of the stairs, "We can easily control a person or two to prevent anything from compromising us."Ruby eyes moved to the chameleon behind him, "Then what is it about?""That blue hedgehog you seem to encounter ever so often," answered his comrade.The crimson and black hedgehog snorted, "Someone has to teach him a lesson for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong…"Golden eyes pierced through the hedgehog, "You're only giving him more reasons to suspect you're the one responsible for—!""I'm going to take care of him soon," interrupted the hedgehog, "then you won't have anything to worry about, Espio."The purple chameleon crossed his arms and knew it was impossible to get through the dark male. He let out a sigh, defeated, and then added, "Try not to make a mess this time."Ruby orbs shone in the darkness and a grin appeared on the ebony hedgehog's face, "I don't think that's going to be possible."The black hedgehog turned his eyes back to the floor that awaited him and continued up the flight of stairs. He then arrived to the second floor of the mansion where many doors waited. He calmly walked down the long hall until he reached a door at the very end. He turned the handle and arrived at a simple Gothic room, his room to be exact.Shadow walked to one of the windows that lead to a balcony. He opened the glass doors and the wind from the dark night entered his room. In his mind, the memory of the rose girl remained; their first encounter played vividly in his head. His ruby eyes locked on the bright moon. Her essence reminded him of someone that was once very dear to him.Amy Rose woke up the next morning with the sunlight that entered through her bedroom window. She slowly blinked her eyes, taking in the light little by little. The memories of the past day remained vivid in her head. After the encounter with the shadows, Sonic dropped her off at her old mansion. He warned her and told her to take care of herself now that she was back in the town. And that's how her night had ended, full of mystery and dark secrets.As the pink hedgehog's thoughts traveled through past events, she stumbled upon the reminder of a very important event. "Wait…" the girl said in a low voice, trying to make out the mental note. "How could I forget?" she exclaimed as she jumped out of her bed. "I have been planning this for months now!" she ran through her room trying to find something to wear, "How could I forget my own party?"The rose girl had been planning to throw a party to be re-introduced to the community the day after she arrived. Whoever, with so many things happening around her, she had become quite forgetful!Amy finished getting ready and then looked out the window. She felt the morning breeze play with her quills as she observed the immense town through her window. Her eyes moved about until she spotted a mansion at the far east of the town. "Shadow…" the girl whispered in a soft voice. She closed her eyes and the memory of the ebony hedgehog came to her head…Amy observed the ebony hedgehog that was walking the opposite direction. Her emerald orbs examined him carefully as he came closer. The moment they were side to side, his ruby eyes moved to see her, catching her off guard. When their eyes met she felt time stop, it was as if they were alone and the world around them had disappeared. Her heart stopped and so did her breathing. As they froze, no spoken words were exchanged, but their eyes took a chance to converse."Who are you…?" her eyes asked innocently and curiously.His solemn reply was a simple, "No one…"Her emerald orbs explored his features; it all seemed so familiar to her. She looked back at his cold eyes and something struck her, "Don't I know you…?""Perhaps…" he responded in a low voice only loud enough for only her to hear him. His eyes moved off of her features and the timeless moment ended, and so he walked away, leaving her behind.The rose female wanted to stop him, but she froze in place. All she did was look back and see him go.The young girl opened her eyes and smiled happily. The memory of his ruby eyes sent shivers through her body. She was eager to know more about the ebony hedgehog and at that moment she found the perfect reason to approach him: her party. She knew she hadn't sent him an invitation and that opened the opportunity for her to deliver it personally! Not only would she have him come to her party, but she would get a chance to talk to him personally before it!"Brilliant!" exclaimed the hedgehog merrily. She knew that it was fine for her to head out, seeing as she had hired special help to decorate for the party. Assured of her actions the young girl eagerly headed out, straight to her destination, in hopes of finding the mysterious dark hedgehog.Amy walked through the streets daydreaming about her future meeting Shadow. Many scenarios about her arrival at his manor and maybe-dialogue played constantly in her head. A big smile was planted on her face as she walked; it was obvious she was happy and excited. Her heart raced in her chest and her eyes shone in the sunlight.Before the girl knew it, she had arrived at the main gate of the mansion, which was open. She eagerly walked in and headed to the mansion. Her emerald eyes explored the golden and black garden decorations as she walked along. Lions stood proudly at the corners of the stairs that led to the front door of the residence. She walked up the stairs and stood in front of a black door with golden lion handles. The rose girl inspected her dress before taking the handle on her hands and knocking. The loud bangs produced by her arrival seemed to echo inside the mansion… however, no one answered. She tried again and waited patiently. The door slowly opened, letting her in.The pink hedgehog turned to thank the person responsible for opening the door but found no one. Her emerald orbs searched her surroundings for a maid or a butler, but the manor was dark and empty. As she turned to empty space in front of her, hoping someone would appear from the corner of the room at any time, the door shut loudly behind her. Frightened, the girl turned but found herself to be the only one in the room.Amy tried to call out for someone, her voice echoing through the massive room, but no one responded. She decided to walk further inside the mansion in search of someone that could aid her or even the ebony hedgehog himself. As she walked through the dark hallways she passed many pictures of a beautiful blond girl in a royal blue dress. The girl curiously stopped many times to examine the pictures, 'I wonder who this is.'The pink hedgehog continued her journey down the manor until she took a flight of stairs and arrived at the second floor. Many doors stood down the long hall. She stood still for a few minutes pondering on whether or not she should take one of the doors or if it was best to leave. Deep in her head she knew it wasn't right for her to continue exploring the mansion unsupervised but her curiosity begged her to see more. After a few minutes she decided, she was unable to fight her curiously and wanted to continue exploring.The rose girl walked through the hallway and opened the third door to her right. Inside the room, many Japanese decorations and weapons adorned the wall. She walked inside the room and found a picture book on a desk. She took it into her hands and opened it; it contained many pictures of a chameleon, a crocodile, and a small bee together. The trio acted very similar to brothers in many of the pictures, always laughing and joking. On the back cover of the book, an old date was written but it was hard to read. She put the book back where it belonged and walked out of the room.Amy was back in the long hallway, without second thoughts, she took another door, and then another. Eventually she had looked inside each room, all of which were dark and empty. Finally, she walked to the last door at the very end of the hall and opened it.The room wasn't empty like the others and it bore many pictures of the blond girl she had previously seen in the halls. 'She must've been really special,' the girl thought as she carefully studied the pictures. The blond had a beautiful smile, pure and innocent. Her eyes shone like bright blue stars and her face was so beautiful it looked like it was carved by angels. The young hedgehog spent some time studying the pictures until she heard a noise behind her and turned around quickly. The darkness made it hard to see but her eyes didn't spot anyone in the room. She walked out, trying to see if someone was out in the hall, but only found herself standing alone.The rose hedgehog made her way down the stairs and then heard loud banging in one of the rooms she had not explored. She walked to the door and noticed it was slightly open. Curious, she decided to see who was there through the small crack. Inside the room was a chameleon training, he was kicking and punching the air rapidly. Suddenly, the male stopped and walked towards the door; the girl grew alarmed and almost shrieked in fear as she saw him coming.Amy didn't know what to do and chose to run as fast and quietly as she could through the mansion, trying to find the exit. After countless halls and turns, she found herself in a large dining room. Swords and knights decorated the room and more pictures of the mysterious blond girl hung from the walls. Steps came closer to the room but she was unable to run any further, the room was a dead end."Hey!" someone called from behind her, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"The pink hedgehog slowly turned to spot the same purple chameleon from before behind her. He had a towel wrapped around his neck and watched the girl annoyingly.Trying to find her voice, the young hedgehog spoke quietly, "My name is Amy Rose, I- I was looking for someone."Espio continued glaring at the girl, "That doesn't give you the right to barge in without notice."Amy grew tense, knowing it had been wrong for her to come in without a proper escort. "I'm sorry, but the door opened by itself and I thought someone was there— so I walked inside but then no one was there and then it closed by itself and—" she attempted to explain her reasons for coming in but her words seemed to jumble up, making it almost impossible to tell what she was saying.The chameleon grew annoyed and asked, "Who are you looking for?"The girl stopped talking and then muttered, "Shadow…""He's not home," the golden-eyed chameleon remarked.The rose girl's spirits dropped at the sound of his words, "Oh… okay."They stood in silence until the chameleon broke his glare and let a sigh escape his lips, "Do you want to leave him a message or something?"Amy nodded slowly and took out an invitation. She walked towards the chameleon and handed him the envelope in her hands, "Could you please give him this for me?"Espio looked at the letter carefully and then at the girl."It's an invitation to a party tonight," the girl felt more comfortable without the chameleon glaring at her and smiled, "If you want to come, you are welcome to."The chameleon was taken aback by the sudden smile and then asked, "Is that all?"The young hedgehog nodded once again."Fine," the purple chameleon turned and then said, "Follow me."Amy followed the chameleon to the entrance of the residence. He opened the door for her and she bowed before walking out. The door shut behind her and the girl sighed in relief. She walked out of the property and headed to her own manor. As she walked through the streets, a smile spread across her face because, even though she wasn't able to see Shadow, she trusted that the chameleon would give him the invitation to her party. She hoped to see him there later that day. An annoyed red streaked, black hedgehog opened the door to his mansion and shut it behind him. It had been another long chase after his target that had been fruitless. He began to walk up the stairs and headed to his room. There he took one of the pictures from his desk and examined it."Someone came in looking for you," a familiar voice spoke.The ebony hedgehog turned to see his comrade standing at the door frame with an envelope in his hands."It was a pink hedgehog named Amy Rose," the chameleon walked towards the dark male and handed him the envelope, "She asked for me to give you this invitation to her party tonight."Shadow took the invitation from Espio's hands and looked at it carefully. He opened the envelope, inside was a cream colored invitation with golden vine decorations at the corners. The golden font gave him the exact directions to the party and the time."Are you planning on going?" inquired his companion."Yes," replied the ebony hedgehog, "There are a few things I must do.""Then I'll go with you," the chameleon's golden orbs met with ruby ones, "I don't want you to cause a fight again."The immense ballroom shone bright gold with the lights. The marble floor and crystal chandeliers gave the dance floor a perfect elegant appearance. At the far end of the room was a stage with an open curtain where the musicians sat playing slow, gentle music. Caterers with delectable finger foods and wine walked around the room, providing the guests with their desires.The room grew quiet as Amy Rose made her way to the stage and delivered a speech, "Good evening everyone and welcome to my home." She smiled sweetly and continued, "I hope that everyone has been enjoying themselves tonight." Her emerald eyes traveled the crowd, "Tonight is a very special night for me because it signals my permanent arrival to Evergreen; back to the arms of my old friends and as well as some new ones." The speech continued for a few minutes before she came to a close, "Now, without further ado… let's dance!"The rose hedgehog made her way down the steps of the stage, where she found Sonic offering his hand to her; she smiled and took it happily. They made their way to the dance floor and others, eager to dance, joined the couple. Music began to play in the background and the ball officially began.The pink hedgehog felt comfortable and safe in the arms of the blue hedgehog; however, her heart seemed to be at ease. She still remembered the reasons why she was once very fond of the male, but it was no longer enough to lead her heart on to romantic escapades like it used to. The closeness of the moment was perfect as friends and nothing more.The first dance came to an end and they parted. The night continued and Amy took the chance to welcome her guest personally. She chatted with old friends and made some new ones, all of whom seemed to be enjoying the ball.As rose girl made her rounds around the room, she spotted Shadow standing behind the ice decorations and cup pyramid. She made her way to the table with the objects, eager to talk to him. Her eyes lit up as he turned to see her and rose his glass of wine as a sign of hello. The male placed his empty glass down, approached the table opposite of the rose girl, and then observed her through the decorations. Although he was able to partially see her, the wall of ornaments separated them from one another. In an attempt to overtake the wall, both slowly made their way down the table; ruby orbs met with emerald as they walked to the end.The pink hedgehog felt her heart race once they reached the end and the dark hedgehog stood before her. Emotions rose as the ebony hedgehog bowed before her and then stood slowly; his ruby eyes bewitching the young woman. He offered his hand to her and the girl, hypnotized, welcomed it. He slowly led her to the dance floor. Both walked, hand in hand, eyes locked, in what seemed to be an enchanted moment.The world around them seemed to vanish as they reached their destination; it was as if they were the only ones on the dance floor. Amy placed one of her hands on his shoulder and he, in turn, placed a hand on her waist. They both raised their already held hands and moved close to each other as the music began.Shadow led her as they danced softly to the rhythm; they moved perfectly with sounds. They waltzed mildly and then they parted, still holding each other's hands. The rose hedgehog then twirled gently back to him and his open arms, her dress moved gracefully with her. He stood behind her as she returned, her arms were now wrapped around herself, and he held her close to his body. The music came to a quiet pause and he took that moment to whisper to her,"I heard you were looking for me."His warm breath tickled her neck and she couldn't help but smile, "Yes… I wanted to talk to you.""I told you before…" the dark hedgehog's face was solemn and his voice cold, "I'm no one.""And yet, someone in my mind," Amy said, almost below a whisper.The music started playing again and they parted. The pink hedgehog spun out of his arms and back to him, her body against his and their faces close to one another. Her hand moved up to Shadow's face as she stared into his ruby eyes.Taken aback by the gesture the ebony hedgehog took her hand into his, "It's not good to fall for a stranger.""I never said I had fallen for you," she responded flirtatiously."Words are never necessary for such things…" the dark hedgehog's eyes locked on hers, "Your eyes tell me all."They continued to dance, Amy naturally moving in his arms with his guidance while mesmerized by his eyes. Her own emerald orbs never turned away from them. There was something about those eyes that attracted her intensively. She explored his dark orbs that seemed so mysterious to her. At that moment they seemed passionate, yet, deep inside there was a spark of pain… almost as if he bore a great burden, something very saddening.As the music came to an end, Shadow took the rose girl close to him and leaned down with her, almost touching the floor. Their faces only centimeters apart, so close that she could feel the warmth from his skin on her lips. She felt a strong urge to lean in closer but the moment was interrupted by a roar of applause. Her romantic moment was cut short as she came back to reality and observed the crowd gathered around them. Both hedgehogs stood together and then bowed. The crowd continued to applaud astonished by their performance. Wanting to escape and be alone with Shadow, she held his hand tightly and made her way off the dance floor. The male narrowed his eyes but did not fight back; he instead, followed the girl outside to a balcony where she let go of his hand.Amy turned to see him, her eyes shone brightly with the moonlight, "I don't know why, but when I'm with you time seems to stop." She twirled with her hands on her chest and added, "It's so magical."The black hedgehog looked at the girl and then up at the night sky. The stars were as bright as her eyes and the moon stood full and strong; it was a perfect night. He turned to see the girl, whose smile reminded him ofher. Their essence was almost indistinguishable; they shared that special air which captivated him.The male remained quiet, deep in his thoughts he began to question his motifs... like he had once done at the rose garden during their first encounter. It was a similar scenario: His true intentions had led him to lure the girl into his grasp so he could let her fall pray to the shadows. But once again, her presence, very similar to hers, made him question his plans.Shadow knew that he could no longer let her escape, his dues were too high and his duty commanded him to proceed. With no personal malice for the rose hedgehog he continued the act. Her essence was similar to his beloved friend, but she was not her. And he would do anything to get her back, even if that meant the end of the female before him.The pink hedgehog stood in front of him and moved closer, "There's something different about you..."Her sweet voice made the ebony hedgehog feel remorseful, almost ashamed of his actions. He couldn't possibly bring himself to harm the innocent girl. But he had to! Without notice, Shadow took the girl into his arms, bringing her close to his body. If he wanted to complete his task, it was now or never. He looked at the girl in his arms, who was overtaken by his actions. Slowly, he began to lean forward, his lips moving close to hers.Amy felt herself fall prey to his arms, feeling weak and stunned. His ruby eyes seemed conflicted as he pulled her closer to him. It was obvious to her, now more than ever, that he carried a heavy burden in his heart. As her body weakened and her eyes began to close, she whispered, "Please… give yourself a chance… to be happy…"Astonished by the rose girl's words, the dark hedgehog stopped dead in his tracks. The girl was now unconscious in his arms and shadows began to form around them. The phantoms seemed to twist and turn with the darkness of the night, eager to consume the girl's soul.
