STH © SEGA

Sarah © Cozy Shadow

That City Girl © Cozy Shadow

Chapter One:

Amy Rose Is Coming

"Dang…where is it?"

The blue blur reached around on the floor of the dusty, old tractor shed.

The combine wasn't working and the farm would need it to work for the grain next crop season. Sonic had sworn he had put the wrench above his head, but when he wheeled the cart out from under the combine, the wrench was nowhere to be found.

Sonic glanced around the huge shop and coughed, waving his arm around to get the dust away. The window was thankfully cracked open, but since it was early February, he couldn't prop open the garage door for more air or it would've been too cold.

And that wrench was still gone.

A cliché tune rang out and echoed through the shed. Sonic groaned at the bad timing and fished through the pocket of his jacket before his hands clasped around the smart phone. Taking it out hastily, the cobalt male put it to his ear while still looking around the shop for that one tool.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

"This is Sonic," he replied to the female voice with hesitation. It definitely didn't sound like anyone he knew…and yet, sounded quite familiar.

"I know who you are, Sonic." The tone was laced with amusement, but a shiver ran up Sonic's spine. It sort of reminded him of some horror movie.

"Who is this?" Sonic narrowed his eyebrows while glancing around the shop, looking for the wrench but also possibly looking for a creeper ready to strike.

"Oh, come on, Sonic. Don't you have a clue who I am?"

"…Nope."

A long sigh and an even longer minute later, Sonic was left with one deaf ear as the female screamed, "SONIKKU!"

Sonic held the phone away from his ear a little too late. He chuckled as relief spread through his body—it wasn't a creeper. At least, it would've been if Amy still had a fan girl crush on him, but that had stopped years and years ago.

"Ames!" He heard her laugh a little. "Why—I mean, I love that you're calling—but why?"

"Well…I lost my job."

"Shucks, that's too bad—"

"A month ago. I've been trying to pay rent until I get another job, but no one was hiring. Now I lost my home, too."

Sonic raised an eyebrow and looked at the ground. "So…?"

He heard her exhale noisily. "I was thinking I could stay with you—or somewhere else since I know you have a girlfriend!" Amy spoke quickly at the last part, a little embarrassed everything was happening.

Sonic sighed and plucked at the cement ground. "Well—wait…how did you find out about my girlfriend?" he asked quizzically.

"Sarah?" Amy asked nervously. "Oh, right…well…You see, I called your house and this really grumpy voice answered and then someone—Sarah—took the phone away. Who else lives with you? I thought it was just her…"

"Technically, before I met her it was Shadow and me."

"Shadow?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Doom and Gloom?"

"The one and only," Sonic sighed exasperatedly.

"…The dark hedgehog?"

"Yes, Amy."

"Okay…That's not weird. I mean, I never pictured you two living together."

Sonic sat up and waved his hand. "It's not like that. I just…needed a place to stay."

"Then the moment is perfect because I'm looking for a place, too!" Amy happily cheered while Sonic's light smile turned into a rather deep and concerned frown. "You see, I'm at the airport and boarding a plane—it took long enough to find where you live! So I just figured—"

"Whoa, whoa," Sonic held out his hand and shook his head though he knew Amy couldn't possibly see him. At least not yet. If what she said was true, and Sonic had no doubt it was, then Amy was one flight away from popping back up into their lives. "Amy…You can't just…It'd be rude. I mean, Shadow—he…he has to okay this. He pays the bills. He was mad enough when I moved in!" Sonic tried to reason. "I'm not sure this is a good idea if we don't run this through with him first—"

"Oh, Shadow's fine! It's been so long, I'm sure he'll feel sympathetic when he hears about my situation!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Ames, things don't work out the way you plan them too. You of all people should know that. You've got to think this through—"

"Please, Sonic? Please?"

Her voice. Ugh, her voice was so…desperate. Sonic frowned. He didn't want to be a heartless jerk, but he feared that Shadow wouldn't enjoy the news…

The hero swallowed and closed his eyes. "Sure…I'll send someone to pick you up."

"Thanks so much, Sonic!"

He hung up after getting the time of the flight arrival. Leaning his head back against the combine's tire, Sonic stared up at the ceiling. He exhaled heavily, inhaling more dust than air.

"…Well…It looks like Amy Rose is coming…Boy, I hope Shadow takes this one well."

The clang of keys going into a bowl signaled Shadow that his housemate was actually in the house.

Sonic appeared into the living room and saw the news flash on the TV screen before going to commercial. Looking over at the loveseat, he noticed Shadow and a bottle of water. "Hey."

The ebony hedgehog ignored him as usual. Sonic waved his hand in front of Shadow's face. "Hello?"

"What?" Shadow growled while smacking the hand away so he could see the screen.

"Guess who I got a phone call from?" Sonic casually asked while taking a spot on the three person couch nearby.

Shadow groaned inwardly. "Should I care?" he nearly whispered while trying to ignore the blue nuisance called Sonic.

"Shadow…" Sonic eyed him. "Did you ever think about getting a girlfriend?" he suddenly asked out of the blue.

Shadow glanced over at him with a wary expression. "…Where did the sudden interest come from?"

"Oh, nowhere," Sonic said as he leaned back and self-contentedly smirked at Shadow—an idea swirling in his brain. "But you see…there's this girl. And you gotta pick her up at the airport tonight," he pointed at Shadow.

"What?!" Shadow sat up and glared at Sonic, "Me? Why the hell do I have to go?"

"I've got a meeting," Sonic stood up and defended himself, making his way to the kitchen slowly. "It's two hours away; I'll be back before you know it…tomorrow."

"Why can't Sarah do it?" Shadow growled while leaning over the couch and burning holes into the back of Sonic's head. "If she's living here, she should be the one picking up some girl that I don't even know," Shadow spat, lying back in the couch and choosing to try and tune out Sonic and his crazy words.

"Sarah needs her sleep because she gets to teach rowdy little preschoolers," Sonic noted. "And you do know this female. Quite well, might I add."

Shadow was clueless by now. He turned around and peeked over the top of the couch. "…Did I sleep with her?"

"We both know you don't sleep with anyone," Sonic contradicted. "She's…I guess you could say different."

"The only girls I've ever known are Rouge and Sarah…and I don't even know them that well."

Sonic shook his head and walked towards Shadow. "No…You knew more than that. Think deeper, Shadow. Before we all split up and lived different lives, there were a couple of other girls you knew."

"Knew, you see. I don't know her now and I think I don't want to," Shadow stated while he gritted his teeth. His knuckles turned white as his claws sunk into the arm of the loveseat.

"Come on! You two would be cute together!" Sonic smiled at him.

Shadow stared at the blue male with a harsh gaze, "Guys never say cute, Sonic."

"I do."

"See," Shadow turned and stood up, pointing at Sonic. "That is what having a girl does to you! It makes you think like them, makes you dress all nice, and it makes you get or buy things for them. It makes you weak."

Sonic shook his head with a knowing, thin smile. "Love doesn't make you weak, Shadow."

"And you're breaking our hearts. Now, shoo."

Sonic gritted his teeth. He knew this would be almost impossible to get Shadow to go pick up Amy at the airport tonight, but never say never. He took in a deep breath. "Well, then…Just remember, you need to get our friend here to the house by midnight."

"Midnight?" Shadow looked at him as if he were strange.

"Think of it as a curfew," Sonic continued to say confidently. "Her plane comes in by ten. I'll be gone within the hour and Sarah's having some…girl's night out or something."

"So…I'm home alone…with this girl until tomorrow?" Shadow asked, knowing that Sonic wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning and Sarah would probably crash at her friend's if she drank anything (that and Sarah didn't drive in the dark).

"Is that enough time for you two?…" Sonic winked at him in a perverted manner.

Shadow snarled. "Faker…"

"Aw, I thought we passed that phase, bud!"

"We are not friends," Shadow continued to growl at him as Sonic walked towards the kitchen, yelling, "Yes, we are!"

Shadow leaned back in the couch and closed his eyes, trying to rest peacefully. If he had to stay awake for that long, he might need an early nap. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and widened.

"SONIC?!" he leaned against the couch and stared at the archway to the kitchen door where Sonic vanished. "What do you mean bring her to the house?!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention this, but I thought it was super obvious," Sonic poked his head out of the doorway and complacently grinned at Shadow. The latter raised an eyebrow, but his eyes contained nothing but a warning towards Sonic—warning the blue blur that he had better choose his words very carefully.

"She's going to be staying here!"

Shadow sunk back against the couch and exhaled heavily while closing his eyes to control his temper. His hands shook against the arm of the chair as he clung onto it. Claw marks from before were greeted with new claw marks. Black eyelids opened to reveal those red, wild eyes that showed that Shadow might possibly be insane.

Apparently, Sonic's words hadn't been careful enough.

Shadow grumbled to himself as he stood in the empty airport. It took basically an hour—fifty-eight minutes specifically—just to drive to the nearest town to buy groceries or…go to an airport and pick up someone he didn't even remember.

Hm… Shadow hummed in thought. …So, I apparently know her? Well, I don't remember her obviously. Who is it?

Curiosity picked away at his brain. The Ultimate Life Form stood by himself, puzzling over the thought of who he was picking up at the godforsaken hour. Sure, most people would stay up until one in the morning, but Shadow had spent so many years living a normal, quiet life as a farmer. During irrigation, his sleep pattern would be all over the place—Shadow the Hedgehog, in short, loved his sleep.

And this irritating female was ruining that sleep pattern and it wasn't even irrigation season!

This damn chick…I'm making her pay twice the rent that Sonic pays… Shadow paused as a couple walked past him. He took a seat at the waiting area and sighed, leaning back in the plastic, uncomfortable chair. A curious look went across his face then.

…Do I really know her? I remember girls back then when we were still a team…But…Who were the girls? There was Rouge, but she moved away. There was…that little rabbit. What was her name? Vanilla—no, that was her mother. Tails mentioned her plenty of times—Cream. That was it…

Shadow pursed his lips in concentration. It was fifteen until ten—fifteen minutes to sit there…or to run away.

No…It's not Cream.

He looked up at the board of flights minutes of silence later—and minutes of silence later, he had only two minutes left to either wait or run. And after ten minutes of watching two rowdy kids and a struggling mother…he nearly left.

"This better be worth it, Faker."

Oh, if Shadow had only known. Then, he probably would've left.

But his world was about to change as the announcer called for the landing of the flight the mystery girl was on. He stood and watched as many people he didn't know came down the escalators.

No one looked familiar to him yet.

The people walked past him and towards loved ones. There was surprisingly a lot, as he was suddenly crowded in the waiting room. He shrugged his way through, towards the escalators, and was immediately met with a pink figure.

He watched with curiosity and recognition as the female stared up at him.

Red eyes met green. The name clicked in his brain as he watched the emerald eyes that sparkled at him and the smile that nearly blinded him.

"Amy Rose."