Chapter Text
Amy hummed happily to herself as she shuffled her cards, repeatedly splitting and shifting the deck until no card was in the same place it was before. After all her years of practice, it was a familiar process, one she barely even had to think about anymore. Fortune telling was easily her longest running hyperfixation. Although she’d set the cards aside for a while, she couldn’t help but come back to their magic with newfound excitement. Something about the cards always gave her confidence, knowing she had better clarity into her present and an idea of what the future might bring.
They were the reason she’d met Sonic, after all.
She paused her humming and held the newly shuffled deck in her hands. “What will today’s adventure bring?” she asked out loud. It was her go-to question, the one she asked the cards most commonly. It seemed fitting for a daily reading, after all. If she had something weighing on her, or something she was uncertain about, she might ask for more particular guidance, but most days, she just wanted to enter the day with confidence and a clear head.
She placed the deck on the left side of the table and spread them out into an arc in a smooth, practiced motion. She then took a moment to look over the arc, soon pulling three cards out and placing them facedown in front of her.
She picked up the leftmost card. The first in a Never Lake’s Clarity spread: her immediate future. The motivation for her journey. This one would affect the rest of the read.
She turned it over and let out a quiet “ooh!” at the sight of a compass. Travel—a sign of uncharted territory and new experiences. “Something new…” she repeated to herself. That could mean a lot of things. Maybe she’d meet someone new, or try something she hasn’t before. She’d have to see what the rest of the reading said to find out.
She moved to the second card: her present, a representation of her. The starting point for that day’s adventures. She turned it over and smiled at the image of her own hammer. Virtuous Heart—a sign that she was ready to take care of herself and others. Her friends could look to her for direction, and she could be confident as she guided them.
She looked at the two cards side by side. She could take care of herself and her friends, but in new ways, perhaps they meant. And doing so was her reason for beginning that day’s adventure.
With that in mind, she moved to the third and final card: her fortune. Her interpretation of the second card, the guidance she took from it, would result in the third card. After such a positive second card, she couldn’t help but feel nervous about what the third would say. It might boost her confidence even further, or it might say that she misinterpreted the second card, and that if she continued into that day with her head held high, it would end in disaster.
She took a deep breath and turned it over, promptly letting out a sigh of relief at the statue on the card’s face. Statue Savior—a sign that everything would be okay in the end. She had to trust in herself and in her friends, and together, they could look forward and move into the future with courage.
That confirmed it—she’d have some new experience with her friends, which she could guide them through. As she slid the three cards back into the deck, she wondered which of her friends would be involved. Maybe Cream? Oh, or Sonic! She hoped Sonic would be involved. Maybe she should call him up, and-
No no no, calm down, Amy, she said to herself as she settled the deck into its place within her multicolored array of crystals. She couldn’t force fate. If she was going to have the experiences the cards said she was, she had to let them happen naturally.
And that meant starting her day as she normally would, no matter what her reading said! She stretched as she stood from her fortune-telling table. She hadn’t eaten yet, so that was her first mission. It was important to have three meals a day, or else she wouldn’t have the strength to handle that day’s challenges!
She’d just sat down in the kitchen with her bowl of yogurt when her ears pricked up at a distant chiming. Oh, shoot—she’d forgotten to grab her communicator, again. She dashed back to her room and retrieved it from its charger. She frowned a little at the unknown number on the screen. She didn’t like to answer calls unless she knew who they were from, but… it might be important! Besides, the cards said she would have new experiences. She just hoped the new experience wouldn’t be getting onto yet another spam call list.
“Amy Rose speaking,” she said as she sat back down in the kitchen.
“Hey, hon, you free today?” the person on the other end asked.
Amy blinked in surprise at the familiar voice. “Rouge? How did you get my number?”
“Shadow’s communicator,” Rouge answered simply.
Ah… Amy should have guessed. Rouge did always have a tendency to snoop—she could imagine that nothing was private in Team Dark’s apartment.
“You should come over!” Rouge said in a casual tone, though Amy got the impression it was more of an insistence. “Shadow could use your help with something.”
Amy sat up slightly. This must be what her cards were pointing her towards: the chance to help Shadow with something new! “Why didn’t he call me himself?” she asked.
“Oh, you know how he is,” Rouge replied. “Never accepting anyone’s help. He barely even let me know what was going on.”
“That’s true…” Amy sighed. Shadow never acknowledged that anything was wrong, just stood in the middle of nowhere and stared into the distance in silence. As Shadow’s friend, Amy couldn’t let that slide. She had to take action, convince him to talk about his feelings, and guide him through whatever he was experiencing. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling, Rouge.”
“Of course, hon!” Rouge responded. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”
Amy rushed through her breakfast and gathered her belongings as fast as possible. The entire time, the possibilities of what Shadow could need were running through her head. Maybe he couldn’t get his computer working again? He’d had some troubles with technology before that she’d had to walk him through— but the cards had said there would be something new. Also, if it was something as simple as that, Rouge would have dealt with it herself instead of calling Amy. Hmm… maybe he was being stubborn, and Rouge needed another one of his friends to help her get through to him? Now that sounded a lot like Shadow.
She was still sorting through the possibilities as she knocked on the apartment door. She smiled as it swung open, expecting either Rouge or Shadow to be behind it, but instead she found herself face to face with a metallic red surface. She looked up to make eye contact with Omega.
“AMY ROSE,” the robot spoke. “ARE YOU HERE TO DELIVER THE WHEREABOUTS OF EGGMAN’S ROBOTS?”
“No, I came to see Shadow,” Amy said.
“UNACCEPTABLE. SHADOW SAID HE DOES NOT WANT TO SEE YOU.”
Amy frowned. That couldn’t be right! Who wouldn’t want to see one of their best friends? “But I’m his friend!” she protested. “Can’t I just-“
“Amy?”
Amy ducked slightly to look underneath Omega’s arm. In the apartment stood Shadow himself, arms crossed and his brows furrowed in his resting expression. “Hi, Shadow! There you are!” she greeted cheerfully.
“What are you doing here?” Shadow asked. “The new album doesn’t release for another week.”
“Rouge called and said you needed help with something!”
Shadow’s eyes widened the slightest bit, then his face immediately shifted into one that could only be described as pissed. “ROUGE!” he shouted, turning and stomping back into the apartment.
Amy watched with wide eyes. So Omega was right— Shadow didn’t seem to want to see her. But she was here now, and she wasn’t going to be turned away so easily, certainly not until she knew what was going on. She looked back up at the hulking robot still blocking the doorway. “Can I come in, please?” she asked, giving him her sweetest smile.
Omega stepped back and stomped back toward the living room. “RESUMING DESTRUCTION OF VIRTUAL ROBOTS,” he said. Amy poked her head in and watched him sit in front of the television. Some video game she didn’t recognize was playing on the screen. Omega picked up the controller, which was visibly broken. She sighed and walked past, leaving him to his.. activities.
She entered the kitchen, where the sound of yelling was beating itself onto her ears. “I wasn’t just going to let you kill yourself by not accepting help!” Rouge was saying.
“I don’t need help!” Shadow snapped back. “I have everything under control!”
“What’s going on?” Amy interjected.
“Go home, Amy,” Shadow growled simply.
Amy straightened up, indignant at being dismissed just like that. “Don’t I at least get an explanation for why I’m out here?”
“Because Rouge can’t mind her own damn business,” Shadow responded, glaring at the bat as he spoke. “I told you not to call her.”
“She’s the best person for the job,” Rouge said. Her eyebrows raised slightly in a challenge. “Unless you’d rather I have called—“
“Don’t you dare,” Shadow interrupted. Was that… fear in his voice? What was Rouge about to say?
As quickly as it came, the thought was dismissed from Amy’s mind as Shadow suddenly stopped in his tracks. He put a hand up to his mouth and narrowed his eyes. He looked the most physically uncomfortable Amy had ever seen him, which was impressive given how tense he’d been before the Hot Honey concert. He coughed once into his hand and seemed to suppress a second one. He then blasted past Amy, rocket skates sending him down the hall and around the corner.
“Shadow!!” Amy exclaimed, wasting no time in running after him.
She found him in the bathroom, bent over the toilet, coughing so hard Amy worried his lungs themselves might tumble out of his throat. Once it finally stopped, he sat back with an “ugh” of discomfort. He glanced up at her and immediately looked away again, sighing and shielding his face from her. He seemed exhausted and… maybe even a little ashamed.
“Shadow, are you okay?” Amy asked as she approached. She knelt next to him, placing a hand on his back. “That seemed pretty b..ad…?“ She trailed off as she looked into the toilet.
She could hardly believe her eyes. Floating on top of the water were dozens of pointed yellow flower petals. Unless Team Dark just kept flower petals in their toilet for some reason… there was only one way they could have gotten there. She turned to look wide-eyed at Shadow, who was no longer shielding his face, but still wore an uncomfortable grimace.
“Shadow… do you have Hanahaki disease?” she asked.
“Ugh…” Shadow put his face in his hands.
That was all the answer Amy needed. Excitement began to bubble up in her chest. Realistically, she should be worried—Hanahaki disease was known for being fatal, after all. But that was only if left untreated, and no way was she going to let that happen! Besides, what she was really focused on was its cause.
“Shadow, are you in love?!” Amy squealed.
“No,” Shadow responded, but Amy wasn’t listening. She could hardly believe it. Shadow the Hedgehog was in love! Some lucky person had managed to crack through his heart’s icy walls and plant the seeds of passion and longing inside him. That was what Hanahaki disease was all about, anyway; it was a sickness of love, caused by someone trying to suppress their feelings, which could only be cured by a confession to the very object of their affection. It was a common misconception that it had to be reciprocated for the disease to be cured, but that wouldn’t be fair to the victim or the one they loved. Hanahaki forced someone to come to terms with their feelings and accept whatever they may bring, whether that was a rejection or the start of a new relationship.
Amy had never had firsthand experience with Hanahaki disease, but as a self-proclaimed expert on love, she knew all about it. And now she had the chance to help someone cure it.
“Well, have no fear, Shadow!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him into a hug. Shadow grew stiff as a board, but she paid him no mind. “You just happen to be best friends with the love expert! I’m going to help you craft the perfect confession. We’ll have you cured in no time!”
She put her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her. Green eyes stared directly into red ones as the latter desperately tried to find anything else in the room to focus on instead. “Are you ready to make the most breathtaking, romantic experience you’ve ever seen?”
Shadow groaned, while Amy grinned ever wider. She couldn’t wait for what this new adventure would bring.