We stayed out, staring at the sky and exchanging words until the tips of the sun's rays were visible on the horizon. In the end, I had lived up to my promise; I managed to tell him what had been going on since the aliens' attack on Earth, minus leaving Matthias behind. If I told him anything about moving on from Matthias, it might give him a hint that I had feelings for Shadow – something that I wasn't ready for quite yet. He shared what happened afterwards to him, going into further detail of the military's offering to him, which consisted of the commander's formal apology for everything done in the past. I decided to back out of the topic of his decision, simply because I felt uncomfortable talking about it. They way he spoke made me wonder if he had a hard time talking about it as well.

Still, it surprised me how talkative he was. He was still the silent and pensive black hedgehog I knew, but when he did speak, Shadow had a lot to say. When he spoke, my ears picked up on more emotion and heartfelt feelings than I usually heard from him. It made me feel even more special to be sitting next to Shadow. There were moments where I forced myself to stop talking out of fear that he was getting annoyed with me, but he urged me to continue what I was saying. Three times that happened; it seemed like he enjoyed the sound of my voice, which flattered me and gave me a new hope for happiness. Someone finally listening to me, especially one of the opposite gender, was the best gift the heavens could give me.

But when a faint light hit the black sky, turning it purple at the edges, I heard Shadow shift. After a brief silence, Shadow stood and offered me his hand. "You should probably return to sleep now. That lasted a little longer than I expected."

I wanted to stay and continue speaking with him, but I instinctively took his hand and got to my feet. I smiled at him, my cheeks red from touching his hand.

"No, it's okay – I wasn't all that tired anyway. I had a really fun time, Shadow. Thanks!" I suddenly realized that my sentences were fluent, my stuttering gone, and my head was clear. Cookie's idea was working, and in no time, I'd be able to confess my love for him. Joy welled up in my heart.

He nodded passively at my comment and started towards the guest bedroom's window. I followed close behind, admiring him from the back. His quills were angled at delicate and perfect points, colored in such a rich satiny black that couldn't be matched by a god. If I were his, I mused, I would be the luckiest girl in the entire universe. To have someone like Shadow hold my hand, show me the way, and protect me from any evil that was out there would be a dream come true. He topped Matthias and so much more; what was I thinking, chasing after Matthias? It was a relationship doomed to inevitable failure and sadness; I wanted to be in one spot all the time and Matthias wanted to be everywhere. He simply belonged with someone else and I belonged with Shadow, and I wondered why I didn't understand earlier.

When we reached the window, he stepped back inside with ease; I was astounded at his agility. I placed my hands on the window frame, preparing to lift my foot up onto it when Shadow offered me his hand. I swallowed when I saw his outstretched hand and I froze up. Was I to show how strong I was and go in by myself or just avoid any possible damage and take his hand? Before I could think any longer, my hand touched his once more, gripping it tightly as he whisked me inside. My feet touched the carpet, and I was amazed to find myself without a single scratch. Finally, a moment between us where I wasn't a stupid klutz.

"Does that kind of 'friendship bonding' satisfy your needs, Crystal?" Shadow asked on the way to his door, escorting me out. I gasped; so that was what it was all about. I blushed, growing so warm that I felt like I couldn't stand up straight for much longer.

"Of course! That's just what I meant!" I replied sweetly. My head disconnected with my heart again, and I began to go overboard with my words. "It was that and so much more, Shadow. I can't thank you enough."

I gained control of myself before I went out of control, shutting my mouth and taking a deep breath. I watched the black hedgehog relax up against his door, taking in the fresh air still coming in from the open window. Shadow's eyes closed for a brief moment as he leaned against the doorframe. When he opened them once more, his crimson red orbs were cast to his left, avoiding eye contact with me. I was in suspense, waiting for any movement or any noise.

"If you enjoyed it so much, I suppose we could do it again tomorrow…" he mumbled. I beamed in response. It was so out of his character to say something like that, I squealed in my brain; my plan was working! I barely had to do anything any longer!

"Sure! I'd love to!" I replied, overflowing with pure delight. Shadow's blank expression remained intact on his face, but he nodded in agreement as he reached over to the doorknob. That was my cue, I knew, to leave him in peace. Though I desired a good night kiss, I decided not to overstay my welcome.

I stepped a mere three steps when something glittered out of the corner of my eye. I stopped in my tracks. When I came into his room before, there wasn't anything sparkly or shiny, or, at least, that's what I thought. I turned my head to my right, searching for the source of the twinkling light; it was Shadow's bed my eyes beheld, but on the headboard I found there to be something strange I didn't see before. It was a long golden chain that held two odd spiked shapes, draped around one post of the headboard. It was a mysterious object, and I longed to get a closer look. My curiosity overcame my intelligence and I tip-toed over to his bed, staring closely at it. It appeared somewhat tarnished and gave off a strange aura.

"Eh?" I asked, examining the shapes closer. "What's this?"

I felt Shadow's emotion tremor, sending waves of heaviness into the air. It made my heart pound. He walked over to my side, peering over my shoulder and I began to feel warm. I could tell without looking that he was trying to form words but couldn't come up with anything.

"That…" he started, and hesitated. I glanced up at him with big blue eyes. "…that is something that you shouldn't be touching."

Like clockwork, my hand dropped it, letting it fall back onto the bedpost. I backed away, my hands still up at my shoulders.

"I-I'm sorry…!" I stammered. Shadow remained where he was, reaching out to it, touching it lightly. After a moment or two of his stationary position, I slowly walked back to where I was. He was staring at the chain with saddened, dark eyes and his mouth was curved into a frown. I blinked, glancing at it, at him, and back to it once more. I wondered if I broke it; he looked so shattered.

"Shadow, are you okay?" I asked, my heart heavy with concern. He blinked, gripping the smaller shape tightly.

"Crystal …if I tell you what this is, will you promise you will not tell anyone?" Shadow asked. His voice was tense and low; whatever he needed to say, he needed to get it off his chest, and I was willing to listen. It was too serious of a time to reject him now.

"Of course," I answered without pause. Shadow sighed, gathering up the words and strength to tell me the identity of the object he was holding. His breathing was steady and even, but inside, I knew he was dealing with emotions I had never seen him show. I was patient, waiting for whenever he was ready. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he spoke.

"This…is the talisman that my fa–" he stopped, backtracked, and started again, "the talisman that Black Doom wore when he was still alive."

My body felt heavy at the alien leader's name. Shadow killed him in battle just before the Earth was about to be irreversibly changed by his alien minions, and since then, I had never heard Black Doom's name be said by anyone, especially Shadow. I forgot how much emotional turmoil he could have been going through afterwards; he had found out that Black Doom was Shadow's biological father because of the blood and genetics they shared. I didn't know what to say when Shadow spoke that sentence, and when my eyes returned to the talisman Shadow held in his hand, shivers ran down my spine. I felt wary, as if Black Doom's soul was staring right back at us, but when I saw Shadow's calmness, I eased. He looked so tranquil, yet restless at the same time. I frowned.

"Where…?" I stuttered.

"Near a forest."

"But did you find him?" I asked with fear trembling in my voice. Shadow's head moved side to side slowly. My heart jolted.

"I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find any trace of him. This was the only thing left…" he trailed off, finally looking back at me. I folded my hands, trying to hide my tense posture. "The odd thing is, it's a strangely effective way to warn if there's danger approaching. That's how I found your home."

As he released the alien talisman, I longed to ask him how he was coping with Black Doom's death; something told me that he didn't want to kill him now. Killing his last family member must have been hard for him. I couldn't find the right words to say to him, even though I had an intense passion to ask him. Coming up with nothing still, I found myself stepping towards him. I unfolded my hands and wrapped my arms around his torso, squeezing tightly.

His heart pounded against his chest, which pounded against mine, and it triggered a rush of amazing feelings in a flash. My eyes closed, taking in his warmth and soft black fur. He smelled of jasmine and cotton, which threw me for a whirl of pleasure. I vowed after smelling him that jasmine and cotton would be my favorite smells on the face of the Earth. It was a wonder, I thought, how someone could make a hedgehog so sentimental and so handsome at the same time. Shadow was perfect in every aspect; his emotions needed some TLC, sure, but that was nothing I couldn't fix. I never wanted him to leave, nor did I ever want to let him go.

Suddenly reality smacked me in the face. I realized I was hugging Shadow the Hedgehog, and without asking him, too. My face turned red, and I released him, turning around to hide my face.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!" I wished to run away and escape my embarrassment, but my legs were so weak that I couldn't move an inch. I buried my face in my hands, trying to regain my composure. I heard Shadow's footsteps approach me, and I knew I was in for a ride full of humiliation.

I felt his hand on my shoulder, and I lifted my face from my hands slowly. He didn't say anything for a minute; it was just the two of us standing in silence looking at each other for moments on end.

"Thank you." He gave a small, slight smile to me. I blinked up at him, deeply confused and intoxicated by his sincerity. "I'll see you in the morning."

With that, as if he cast a spell on me, my legs strengthened and I was able to walk with him to the door. I exited his temporary room, looking back at him once more before he closed it. I felt my lips curve into a smile, and he closed his eyes, nodded once, and I heard the door latch. In an instant, I ran into my room, fighting the urge to giggle out of delight. My spirit lifted off the ground, flying high into the heavens. I could picture us clearly together, holding hands and kissing. I leaped onto my bed, digging myself into the tangle of the sheets with glee. I managed to hug him without creeping him out completely, and I swore he actually liked it.

With images of Shadow and I holding hands and being together forever, I fell fast asleep with a wide smile on my face.