[TAILS POV]

"You fucking biiiiitttccchhh!!!!"

I stared in disbelief as Amy marched with a vengeance up to Rouge's apartment with a small jerry can in her hand. She opened up the cap and started pouring petrol all over the walls. Then, pulling out a box of matches from her pocket, she lights one up and throws it down. Flames immediately engulf the outskirts of the building.

"Amy what the fuck are you doing??!" I cried helplessly and ran over to try to stop her but it was already too late.

"Get off me fox boy!" she screamed and shook me off, pushing me down on the ground.

This is not what I had in mind when I decided to join Amy in search of Sonic and Rouge. I thought we might just confront them or something! This is bad, real bad.

I really want to see Sonic.

But now I have to fix this mess.

Standing up and brushing myself off, I punched the code for the local fire station into my communicator.

"Hey there, I need fire assistance, hurry please!" I hastily told the operator and directed them to Rouge's house.

Chaos, I hope she's not inside!

"Tails you idiot! Whose side are you on here? I thought you were my friend!" Amy screeched at me before running away as fast as she could down the street, and disappeared over the horizon.

I was nearly hyperventilating with shock and shaking so much I could hardly stand. It's one thing fighting Eggman, I've done that so many times he doesn't scare me any more. But seeing one of your closest friends losing their mind is a completely different ball game. This is really disturbing. I don't know if Amy and Rouge will ever be friends again after this.

"Shit! What am I gonna do now?" I said to myself.

I gotta go find Sonic and warn him, Amy might be coming for him next...

[SHADOW]

"Uuurrgghhh" I groaned sleepily as I started to wake up. My body felt stiff but not as painful as before.

I blinked my eyes a few times in an attempt to un-blur my vision and realised I was in an unfamiliar place.

Huh? Oh that's right, I'm at Sonic's house.

I wasn't used to sleeping in a bed, I have always slept on the floor, it's much better for my back. Despite that, I had to admit Sonic's spare bed was pretty comfy, I could get used to this.

My heart skipped a beat nervously at the thought of being in his space.

"Get a grip Shadow," I said to myself.

I was covered in a thick warm blanket. Sonic must have put that over me while I was sleeping because it wasn't here when I fell asleep. I blushed slightly.

The room was warm and cosy. I looked out the window at the perfect view. The afternoon sun was low in the sky and casting dancing flickers of light over the sea. It was beautiful and made me feel calm and less depressed.

I'd better get up. Phew I stink. I need a shower.

As I pulled myself up from the bed I realised that I had a lot more strength than yesterday. That's a relief.

I wondered if I was alone in the house and decided to go investigate. Walking down the corridor I realised I most definitely wasn't, when I heard singing coming from the front of the house.

"Follow me, set me free,
Trust me and we will escape from the city!
I'll make it through, prove it to you,
Follow me!"

Sonic was singing! A smile almost crept onto my lips. I had never heard him sing before and I had to admit, it wasn't bad. I snuck up closer to the door to get a better view and stood in the doorway with my hands on my hips. He was in the kitchen, dancing around using a ladle as a pretend microphone.

"I don't care what lies ahead,
No time for guessing, follow my plan instead!
Find that next stage no matter what that may be,
Take my lead, I'll set you free-AAAARGGHHHHH!"

Sonic screamed and nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around and saw me watching him. His face immediately went bright red.

"Don't stop on my accord," I said in a playfully mocking tone.

"Er hey Shads, I didn't see ya there, heh!" Sonic scratched his head still looking embarrassed. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well," I replied coolly.

"You must be starving," he said and walked over to the fridge. "I made these last night for us. Well, I already ate mine but these ones are yours! I'll heat them up. Sit down at the table."

I looked at the plate piled high with about 10 chilli dogs in mild disgust. My stomach still felt sore from the poison and vomiting. But I was starving and this might be the only food available to me right now.

I sat down and stared at Sonic in silence as he heated up the food and placed it down in front of me.

The way he was being kind to me made me feel good. No one ever treats me like this. But I couldn't help pondering his motives.

I slowly picked up my first chilidog and took a bite. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour. Meaty yet spicy, rich and velvety but with a tangy kick. Before I knew it I had eaten the whole lot.

"Wow Shads, you really were hungry!" Sonic said cheerfully and he took my plate and placed it in the sink.

"Not bad." I gave him my approval.

"Do you need anything else? How about a drink?" he asked and before I could reply, handed me a large glass of water.

I had so much I needed to get off my mind. I was becoming irritated with the way Sonic acts overly positive all the time. He avoids any serious conversation like the plague and it's confusing to suddenly have someone, especially him, behave like this when I have not encountered kindness for a very long time. Not to mention these strange interactions that keep happening between us.

"Why are you being so good to me?"

Sonic's face dropped and he looked serious for a moment. Pulling up a chair next to me, he sat down and looked me in the eyes.

"Shadow, I really care about you."

My stomach flipped and I started blushing. I looked away not wanting him to see me be so bashful.

"Why?" I demanded.

"I... err..."

I looked back at Sonic and saw he was blushing too. There energy in the room was really intense. Like we both had things on our minds that we weren't saying.

Our gaze lingered for a few moments and I started losing myself in his emerald green eyes.

"Because you're my friend, silly!" Sonic broke the tension and snapped back into his jovial self.

"Friends. Of course." I said feeling slightly disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting him to say.

I started to feel frustrated. I know that something supernatural happened between us when I looked into his eyes when we were sitting in the circle at my house. I need to get to the bottom of this.

"So Sonic, tell me something." I said, about to slap that happy facade off his face.

"I need to know why you had your arm around me when we were sleeping at my place. And why you were so... excited... to be next to me." I thought I would embarrass him a bit to see if there was any emotion attached to his actions.

Sonic nearly fell backwards off his seat and his eyes widened in bewilderment. His face went white with shock.

I folded my arms and stared at him with an emotionless expression on my face. I was enjoying watching him squirm and not being so cocky for once.

He got up and started pacing around the kitchen staring at the floor. He exhaled sharply and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look er... about that. I was just er... having a dream that's all. Yeah, I was having a dream."

I wasn't born yesterday and I can easily tell when someone is being dishonest. I stared at him coldly not shifting my gaze. He didn't make eye contact with me.

"Must have been a good dream," I said in a sarcastic tone, to ensure he knew I could tell he was lying.

His face went from white to red. Never before have I seen Sonic look so uncomfortable. For once the hedgehog didn't have a stupid witty comeback. I had got him.

Standing up I walked slowly over to him and stood directly in front of his face, so close our noses were nearly touching. I placed my index finger under his chin and lifted his head up so his eyes met mine. I stood with my back straight and my chest out to make him feel intimidated. His bottom lip started quivering as he looked at me nervously. I was enjoying this.

"And tell me Sonic," I lowered my voice to a whisper and brought my face in even closer. "Why do I keep catching you gawking at me? Do you like what you see or something?"

"I... I..." Sonic stuttered but didn't manage to give me and answer. So I carried on talking.

"There's something about you that I can't quite put my finger on," I continued. His expression changed to a more confused one. I started to feel apprehensive about what I was going to say next, but I said it anyway.

"When I look into your eyes I feel... something..."

SMACK!

I stumbled backwards in pain as Sonic punched me in the face.

"Shut up Shadow! You don't know what you're saying!" Sonic was trembling and tears were pricking his eyes. "You're fucking crazy!"

He turned his back on me and ran out of the room.

What the...?

"You really care about me huh? Then why do that you son of a bitch!?" I yelled at him.

I slumped back against the countertop and leant on my elbows for support.

I wasn't expecting this reaction.

I pushed him too far.

For fuck's sake, why did I reveal my feelings to him?!

Standing all alone in Sonic's kitchen, I rubbed the sore patch on my cheek and started to feel waves of regret and sadness. I slammed my fist down on the bench in frustration and put my head in my hands.

A few minutes passed and I debated on whether I should Chaos Control back to my place. But something made me decide to wait a little bit longer.

I could hear angry footsteps stomping back towards the kitchen.

Sonic suddenly appeared in the doorway. He had been crying. My heart twisted in agony and attraction at the sight of him looking so vulnerable. His eyes were glaring at me intensely.

For a moment we stood there locking eyes. The tension between us was unbearable. The room felt hot, like it was on fire. A fire that was wild, powerful and untamed.

What happened next changed my life forever.

Sonic ran towards me, anger and determination all over his face. He was going to attack me again. I braced myself and prepared to fight back.

But when he reached me, instead of throwing a punch, he grabbed my face with both hands.

Time stood still for a second and then everything started unfolding in slow motion.

Holding my cheeks tightly he drew my face towards his. The scent of his hot breath filling my nostrils sent shivers down my spine. My heart stopped as he put his lips against mine and lightly pressed his tongue into my mouth. Goose bumps prickled over my whole body. Finally, with an erotic, lustful groan, he pulled me into the deepest and most passionate kiss I have ever experienced.