A Rose And A Thorn

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A Rose And A Thorn

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: And SonicFrank wins the title of Most Intelligent Reviewer for the last chapter. Yeah, we know Sonic’s a hero. But in my eyes at least, he’s also an egotistical wanker. It’s not losing Amy that he minds so much as playing second fiddle to Shadow, his greatest rival since that drunkard Metal Sonic.

Froggy: Nothing we write on Sonic is out of character. Sometimes it pushes his character traits to an extreme, or sees him losing control, but it makes perfect sense in respect to him as a person. Some of these chapters took a lot of time to get right.

Harley: When push comes to shove, Sonic’s oversized ego has always been his greatest weakness, and this fanfic is no exception.

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Chapter Seven: Can’t Shake Me Off

Sonic groaned, clutching his head, a pounding hangover the result of all the drinking he’d done last night. People had started leaving pretty soon after Shadow and Amy had left together.

Shadow and Amy. That was a thought that left a sour taste in his brain.

Rouge had left directly after Shadow and Amy. Tails had taken Cream home soon after, saying that it was past her bedroom. The Chaotix Crew had excused themselves, saying they had an assignment to work on. They’d all left, except Knuckles, who was sleeping over at his place, at least until he went back up to the Floating Island.

He’d drunk quite a lot even after they had left, judging by the force of the hangover. Then he’d… what had he done? Oh, yeah… he’d convinced Knuckles to go back to Amy’s place and check on her, make sure she was safe with Shadow. It hadn’t been tough, the echidna was still wound up over the bruises on her neck.

And then he’d fallen asleep. His cheek was sticking to something… it was the kitchen table.

“Sonic?” a voice demanded, “Sonic, wake your lazy ass up!”

“Ugh…” with some effort, Sonic managed to unstick one eye. Knuckles was glaring down at him, “Knuckles? You find anything out last night?”

“Yeah, but you won’t like it. I went to Amy’s apartment like you suggested, heard Amy screaming…”

“Yeah?” Sonic sounded hopeful.

“Bust my way in, and Amy and Shadow were getting down to some serious fucking on the couch. The damn couch, Sonic!”

“Aw, man…” Sonic rested his forehead on the table, then looked up, “You sure she wanted it?”

“Hey, I might not be as smart as Tails, but I think I can tell the difference between rape and-“ and Knuckles’ eyes narrowed, “What, you’re telling me you’d feel better if Shadow had been raping Amy? You’re sick, Sonic.”

“Shadow and Amy…” Sonic groaned, “What the hell does she see in him?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Knuckles growled, “I followed them to make sure Amy was safe, not to make you feel any better.”

“Just go away…” Sonic muttered.

“You always hated all the attention she gave you,” Knuckles snapped, “Why do you care now? And if you do care, why can’t you just be glad she’s happy?” With that, he stormed out, muttering to himself. Sonic was such a fucking asshole sometimes.

Sonic clutched his aching head. That faker screwing his girl… the images weren’t pretty. If she wanted reflected glory, speed, and looks she could come straight to him. She always had before.

She’d humiliated him in front of everybody. The slap didn’t sting any more, but the words still did. How was he the liar and a faker? What did that psycho faker have that he didn’t?

Amy…

Amy. Shadow had stolen her. How, Sonic didn’t know. But he had. She’d been his girl and now that bastard had the… the arrogance to say that she wasn’t his girl… Shadow couldn’t give her what she needed… he couldn’t feel anything other than contempt, hatred, rage… he’d probably been laughing at her as she screamed his name…

Amy couldn’t shake him off that easily. She still loved him. He’d prove it.

Dammit, he had to talk to her…

~~~

Amy was walking down the street, two heavy carrier bags in each hand. Each one was filled to the brim with groceries. But she hadn't felt like shopping for clothes today. She didn't know why. Humming as she walked, her mind full of happy thoughts of Shadow, she'd never felt so... so free.

Sonic was racing through the street as fast as his feet would take him, his eyes scanning rapidly for any sign of a pink hedgehog girl. He hadn't felt so confused or angry in a long time. His mind was filled with vengeful thoughts of Shadow.

Sonic skidded to a halt, looking over at her. She’d seen him just as he’d seen her. He’d half-expected her to run over to him as usual... but she didn't. What did that faker do to her?! He jogged on over. "Hey, Amy! What's up?"

"Hey, Sonic," Amy smiled, but it was a pale comparison to some of the smiles he'd been given before, "I'm just shopping for groceries. I need much more now that Shadow's living in with me," she added.

"Oh... Shadow's living with you... Right..." he said, stumbling for words. He had to stay cool and calm. No freaking out like last night. He walked alongside her, looking down and not meeting her gaze, "Um, about last night... I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that..."

"Oh, that's okay," Amy replied easily, "I shouldn't have slapped you in front of everybody. I'm sorry about that, okay?" But she didn't say that she was sorry that she had slapped him, or that she hadn't meant what she'd said.

Sonic continued walking alongside her silently. Very strange for Sonic. Normally, he would be full of boundless energy, but now he was acting like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, "...I just don't get it," he said, "I mean, why Shadow? Of all the people in the world, why him? I know he has his good times, but he's got a few screws loose in his head. Nearly every time we meet, he tries to kill me. He can't seem to make up his mind if he hates us all or not."

Amy blushed, "Well, he seems to have decided about me," she smiled, a real smile, but this one didn't count to Sonic, because she was thinking about Shadow, "He's a lot more sensitive than he lets on, you know? He's scared of his own powers, really. He needs someone to look after him."

"Yes," Sonic answered, "But why Shadow?" he persisted.

"Because... well, he's very kind... he listens to people when they have problems. He cares. He's gentle. And he's..." Amy bit back on the words.

Somehow, Sonic had a hard time imagining a kind, gentle Shadow who listened to problems. To him, Shadow had always been rude, rough, and listened about as well as a brick wall. He wondered if Amy had been placed under some sort of chaos spell, "Not like me, right?" he said, his voice tinged with bitterness, "Look... I'm sorry that I ran from you for so long. I was freaked out by you, but I know that I overreacted. I was... I was so stupid!"

Amy had never heard Sonic ever say anything bad about himself, never heard of him regretting something he had done. She hesitated. The only thing she could say was, "Yes, you were, in a way. But... well, I was a kid then. It wouldn't have worked out anyway. I didn't understand my feelings for you, I wanted to repay you for saving my life, and I was just a kid... that was the only way I could think of doing it."

Sonic closed his eyes. Now he was certain that Shadow was doing something to her. That bastard... "What does he have that I don't?” he asked quietly

Amy squirmed, "I just told you," she said weakly, "It's not about him being better than you... it's about him being better for me than you. You were breaking my heart, Sonic, a little more every day. He showed me that. And he showed me that I didn't have to let it happen."

"I don't trust him," he said, his eyes opening, "He was made to be a weapon, after all. ...I'm worried about you, Amy."

"I can understand you not trusting him, Sonic,” Amy said, sounding annoyed, “But why can't you trust my judgement? I'm not stupid, I know what he is - and I know that he hates being it."

He wasn't going to win like that. It wasn't a race or a battle. This wasn't an arena he was used to. He'd have to find another way, "Just be careful, Ames..."

"I know you're concerned, Sonic," Amy said, "But I'm a grown woman now. I can handle my own life, and I don't need you or anybody else to tell me how to live it." Now Sonic felt like she was brushing him off.

"Yeah, you are..." he said quietly, "Hey, I've got to go. See ya later, Amy!" With that, Sonic took off running again, feeling worse than before. He wasn't lying; he really was worried about Amy. He was angry at Shadow. And he was beginning to learn the hard way that it was true; sometimes you only know what you had once it is gone...

Amy watched him run off, a look of concern on her face. Sonic really was het up about her relationship with Shadow, and she had a nasty feeling that he wasn't going to let it lie.

~~~

Tails was too inexperienced to be of any help with this sort of thing. Knuckles lived on an island staring at a goddamn rock. There was one person, though, who might just be able to help him. Who better than the Shadow's ex-girlfriend? Sonic arrived at Club Rouge and walked in the front way, not expecting much trouble. He was Sonic the Hedgehog, after all.

The police were outside - well, not many. Just one car. But one car still meant police. As Sonic walked in, he saw Rouge talking tearfully to a cop, "...And like I said, he tried to rape me, then when I fought him off, he spindashed my safe and stole the Chaos Emerald I was hiding from Robotnik!"

"Right, Ma'am," said the cop, "I've got that down, we'll deal with it. Don't worry, we'll catch him." He left, nodding politely to Sonic as he passed him.

Sonic felt a cold feeling in his gut as he rushed over to Rouge, "Rouge! Wh-what happened here?"

Rouge tried to decide whether to keep the tears or bin them. Seeing the concern on his face, she decided that it was a good idea to keep them, "Oh, Sonic," she sniffled, "When I dumped Shadow, he... oh, just thinking about it... he got so angry..."

Sonic didn't need to be told any more than that. If there were any remaining doubts in Sonic's mind that Shadow was up to no good, this squashed them. He slammed a fist into his palm in a macho way, "Oh that faker has gone too far, this time! I've got to stop him..."

"Oh no," Rouge sniffled, "Please, please don't hurt him Sonic... not physically, anyway..."

"After what he did to you?" Sonic said, exasperated, "He deserves it, and he won't take it any other way!"

"No, it's not that..." Rouge turned away to hide the smug look on her face, "He hurt me... but it hurts far more on the inside... he was cheating on me with Amy... and when I found out... he was telling me that I was a whore, only good for him to fuck... oh, that hurt so much worse than the bruises..."

She turned back to him and partially bared her chest, showing off a little more cleavage, though not all of it. Five nasty bruises could be seen - if only Sonic had known, she'd put them there herself.

Sonic winced, anger and sympathy mixing. Rouge was a thief and a criminal, but she didn't deserve that... "He won't hurt you again, I promise," he said confidently.

"How can you promise something like that?" Rouge asked, "He doesn't care about me anymore - it's Amy he wants to hurt now!"

Sonic suppressed a growl. "Not if I have anything to do with it!"

"You have to make her keep away from him," Rouge begged, "Somehow... I just can't think how..." she lied.

"I'll figure something out. I'll do whatever it takes..." he said quietly.

"Oh, thank you Sonic," Rouge said, smiling through the tears. To him, it was almost like Amy was smiling at him again, "I just don't want what he did to me to happen to anyone else... or for him to go further..."

Sonic shivered at the thought. No… he couldn't let that happen, and he wouldn't let Shadow get away with it. He was compelled to run off immediately, but he couldn't just leave Rouge a mess like that, "Hey, if you want, I can stay here for a little while. Ya know... make sure he doesn't come back again."

"Would you?" Rouge asked, playing on his sympathy, "Oh, I'd feel so much safer..."

Sonic smiled reassuringly, "Hey, it'd be no problem. That faker wouldn't dare try to hurt you again with me here!"

Rouge smiled again. It looked like she'd just found Sonic's weak spot - his unquestionably massive ego.

Sonic felt a little better, seeing how he made Rouge smile. He could be there when his friends needed him, unlike the faker. Rouge certainly needed the company... the hedgehog didn't even want to think what she had been put through...

~~~

Amy sighed as she re-entered her apartment, putting down her heavy bags of groceries. She reflected briefly on how Sonic had not, at any point, offered to carry them. Too preoccupied, she supposed. She looked around for Shadow.

Shadow was sitting on the couch, staring into empty space, obviously lost in thought. He didn't seem to notice her walk in.

"Shadow?" Amy walked over to him. She was loath to shake his shoulder after last time, but she waved her hand in front of his eyes, "Shadow?"

Shadow blinked and turned around. Seeing Amy there, he smiled up at her, pleased to see her again, "Oh... hello, Amy. Sorry, I guess I was daydreaming..."

"Anything you want to tell me about?" Amy asked him.

"I was just wondering what happens next. I've never really had a future to look forward to," he said. Tilting his head slightly, he reached up and ran a finger across her throat, "Your bruises are looking better."

"Thanks," Amy smiled, deciding to avoid the subject of bruises, "Well, the future is something you can't see... you never know what's going to happen. I think... you were afraid of your future, because it was so uncertain... so you looked to your past instead," Amy sat next to him, "Am I right, Shadow?"

Shadow looked down at the floor, silent for a moment, "...Actually, I looked to my past because I didn't think I would have a future."

Amy tilted his chin, "You mean... because you thought you would die?"

Shadow looked into her eyes, "I didn't think I would have anything to live for."

"Oh, Shadow," Amy hugged him comfortingly, "We have each other. That's all we need."

Shadow hugged back with a happy sigh, "Yes, that is all we need..."

They stayed that way for a little while, then Amy pulled away, "Anyway, you've got to help me put away the groceries. You can't live here and just do nothing, you know!"

The black and red hedgehog smirked, getting to his feet. He had been hoping she had something for him to do. Sitting around doing nothing made him feel useless, "Yes, ma'am. Lead the way."

Amy handed him the bags. There were a lot of canned goods, so they were really heavy. Shadow didn't seem to have any trouble carrying the bags, despite their weight. He was obviously a lot stronger than he looked. He followed Amy, bags in hand, "Hmm… where do you want it all?"

Amy led him into the kitchen, "Well, the canned things go in the cupboards," she pointed, "Meat and vegetables go in the fridge, as so dairy products. And snacks - I thought you might like some snacks, I usually just eat fruit, but guys seem to enjoy clogging their arteries with salt and fat..."

"I usually prefer fruit, myself," he said as he rapidly put things in their proper place, "On ARK, my diet was heavily regulated, with the exception of a few treats Maria managed to sneak to me," he said as he worked, "I never really had much choice in what I ate until I met Rouge, actually..."

Amy shrugged, "Oh well, they're there if you want them. Good thing I didn't get too many!" She stopped Shadow from putting the meat on the top shelf of the fridge, "No, put it at the bottom - more hygienic. And I ran into Sonic today too. He seemed... upset."

Shadow frowned as he continued to put stuff on the shelves, "I figured he would be..."

"He kept asking me what I see in you... and he didn't seem to believe me when I told him the truth," Amy said.

"No, he wouldn't. His jealousy blinds him," Shadow placed the last can up, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms, "He realized what he lost."

"I guess it's true then," Amy said, putting away the milk, "You know, I'd actually considered trying to make him jealous, before, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured too many people would get hurt for it to be worth it. You know... like when you want to die, but you just can't bear to jump?" she asked.

Shadow closed his eyes, a shiver running up his back. That last comparison was just a little too close for comfort, "Yes, I do know."

Amy looked worried, "He doesn't love me. I know it now, because I know you love me. But I've got a nasty feeling he's going to try something stupid."

Shadow smirked. "It wouldn't be Sonic if he did not," he joked.

Amy still looked a little worried, "Yeah..." she said. Whatever she was thinking, she kept it inside. She brightened up suddenly, "Hey Shadow, have you ever been to see a movie?"

Shadow opened his eyes and stood up, looking at her curiously. "Hmm... no, I haven't. Why? Do you want to go to one?"

"I just think you should start getting used to the sort of life people should have let you lead," Amy said, "You've missed out on a lot. And yes, I'd like to go see a movie with you," she added with a grin.

Shadow nodded, "I have missed a lot, yes." He smiled at her, that genuine pleased smile he reserved only for her. "But we'll get to experience it all together. Yes, I would like to go with you to a movie."

~~~

Froggy: End of Chapter Seven.

Harley: Oh, a movie! What will they go to see?

Froggy: Who cares?

Harley: And next Chapter? Rougic. Lots and lots of what happens when I write Rougic with Froggy.

Froggy: And she may or may not be lying. Come on people, review intelligently and give Harley something interesting to put in the Author's Notes!