The dinner quickly passed, and Amy's parents shared many stories with them. The young lass was happy her younger brother got the name after her blood father. Mr. Reagan also renewed his name in the family register and corrected the time of death on his tombstone. He also admitted he was visiting it more often now and placing flowers in front of it from time to time.

They all tried to start a conversation with Eclipse, but the most of the time he merely replied not going deeper, and he was avoiding their eyes. Sometimes his answers were very short and mumbled. In the end, the meal was somehow gloomy.

Later that evening, Mr. Rose knocked on Amy's door, and he entered once he was invited inside. There he saw her sitting on the balcony, reading a book.

"What's up, dad?" she asked as the time for the bed was nearing. She was sure it must be something important if he wasn't leaving it for tomorrow's morning. A gentle spring breeze caressed her quills filling her room with the scent of flowers from the garden.

"I'm just worried about Eclipse. He seems to be burdened by something." He sat on the second chair on the balcony. "Did we say something to upset him?"

She closed the book, letting it rest on her lap. "So, I'm not the only one thinking it too. You are right, something is bothering him, but he refuses to tell me about it," she said with gloomy voice. There was sadness on her face. "Maybe I wasn't able to earn his trust yet," she silently mumbled.

He tried to comfort her, gently saying, "It may be just an adolescence... but how old is he?" He scratched his muzzle, realizing demons had different lifespans if at least half of the stories concerning them are true

"You are maybe right, he is actually eleven." She was also thinking the puberty might play a role in it.

"Eleven?" he asked confused.

She nodded with a small smile, answering, "Yeah when he told me about it, I was surprised. To think he was around eight when we met." She averted her eyes, and the smile was gone. "That's just a proof how little I know about him."

"Don't be discouraged," he said firmly, "demons were always considered monsters, but some of them may be like us, we just never had a chance to know them better." His wise words raised her mood a bit.

"Maybe the whole master-slave connection we have is getting into him, making him anxious," she admitted after a while. She never forced him into anything, letting him roam free. But there was no use denying the threat of forcing her will on him wasn't there.

"I'm sure there is a logical reason behind it. I'll try to talk with him," he ensured his daughter, standing up.

"Thank you, dad, but don't press too hard," Amy voiced her worry.

"I know," he assured her and left the room, looking for Eclipse.

He had to walk a bit before he spotted him sitting inside of an arch in a corridor, looking at the garden. He came closer, starting with a casual question, "Do you like it? My wife picked the flowers."

"Yeah, they are nice," Eclipse answered without a hint of interest in joining a conversation. His body curled up a bit. For a brief moment, Mr. Reagan thought he might curl up like a hedgehog, and he was sure with enough practice the demon would be able to achieve it.

"Thank you for looking after our daughter." The reddish hedgehog slightly bowed, continuing the conversation, sounding friendly and welcoming. He hoped it would make him more open.

"Yeah, no problem." Even this answer was dry and void of emotion.

Mr. Rose decided to ask him directly, "Are you scared of us?" He came a bit closer, and the other fidgeted quite a bit. "Amy is worried about you."

"Is she?" he asked, glancing at her father before shifting his gaze outside of the window.

He nodded with a smile, reacting, "Naturally, she sees you as a friend, not a slave. I'm sure you have noticed it too." Eclipse didn't seem to react, so he continued, "It's normal for bad things to happen even between close friends, but if the bond is strong it won't matter. I understand you don't wish to talk about your problems it's never an easy task." He personally knew how hard it could be. Mr. Rose always thought Amy would never learn the truth about her father, but when it came to light, he was afraid she might stop seeing him as a fatherly figure.

The demon was still silent, and it seemed he hoped it would make Reagan go away; however, the red hedgehog was determined to get his message across, so he cleared his throat a bit, adding, "I don't wish to force you. When you see someone close to you be sad, you want to know why, so you can cheer them up."

Eclipse lifted his head a bit. "I just... feel weird among mortals... I'm a demon after all."

Reagan for a bit looked like a fish gasping for an air before he giggled. He put a tightened fist in front of his mouth, barely hiding his silent laughter, making Eclipse confused. The red hedgehog took a deep breath, audibly exhaling before noting, "Right, I forgot."

"Forgot?" If Eclipse had visible ears, they would perk up.

"Yeah, I actually forgot you are a demon, especially when you are hiding your wings and horns." He eyed him, noting he truly looks like a normal person, then he continued, "Now that I think about it, you are so much like any other young boy." He bobbed his head. "Given your upbringing, it's no surprise you are scared to make bounds with others."

The young demon fidgeted a bit but not because he was uncomfortable. For a strange reason, that remark made him somehow happy. The adult hedgehog came closer to him, petting his head, saying, "Eclipse, I know I'm like a stranger to you, but let me tell you this; If you feel like you are lost, you can come to me. I'll listen to your worries, and I will provide you any advice I can."

Eclipse's eyes slightly closed. His touch was gentle just like Amy's one. "Okay," he murmured after a short while.

To demon's sadness, Reagan stopped petting him, but Eclipse didn't show it on his face, he instead listened to his voice, "The first step in solving a problem is to share it with people you trust." He turned his gaze toward the garden, silently adding, "However, that actually may be the hardest task, but overcoming this obstacle will make you stronger," he added at the end. Then they watched the garden, enjoying the silence of the late evening, hearing only insect's rhythmic songs. Those silent sounds made Eclipse sleepy, and so they wished each other a good night, heading to their rooms.

The young demon was given his own room since he asked for it, and Amy was older, meaning it would be strange for them to share it, but this wasn't the real reason behind his request. It wasn't the first night he had spent away from Amy either, as for the half of the year he was having his own space on the Angel Island. The first nights were especially long and lonely, he barely slept and messed his training sessions in the next few days.

However, there was no helping it. It was something he had to do no matter what, no matter how much he wanted to be with Amy, feeling her presence and fragrance. Staying away was like a torture for him, but getting closer could result in terrible consequences because... He widely shook his head, squeezing the unwanted memories of his brain. He rubbed his arms as strong shiver overtook his body for a moment.

He yawned, feeling the tiredness was getting the better of him. After all, it was a long day. He slowly took his clothes down, neatly folded them and put them inside of the wardrobe, where he took out the pajama, changing into it. He felt the smooth silk caressing his body it reminded him Amy's touch.

His yellow eyes traveled from the soft carpet of reddish color toward the walls up to the ceiling. The room was big, enormous, bigger than the one had on the island which wasn't surprising. There was every piece of furniture one could need, add a small kitchen and it could turn into a small flat.

A breeze flew inside through a tall ajar window, so he went and closed it, adjusting the silk hinges. Then he headed to a king-sized bed covered by soft pillows. They reminded him the time he spent in Amy's room years ago, surrounded by them. He touched one, feeling the velvety surface. A sudden dizziness caught him off guard, so he grabbed it, tightly hugging it, diving under the bed.

This was one of his newest habits. The smaller the place he was sleeping in, the more comfortable he felt. Once he was completely under it, he curled up, digging his face into the pillow, releasing loud and long exhale. The small space started to envelop him, closing him in in a hard shell. Finally, he could feel at ease, as the darkness of closed spaces was helping him to ease his anxiety.

A silent knock landed on his room door, startling him, and he abruptly lifted his head. That was a bad idea since the ceiling under the bed wasn't exactly the highest. He moaned in a pain as he heard Amy asking for permission to enter. He quickly crawled out, but it was too late.

She was already in the room with a pillow tucked in her armpit. He crouched, knowing she would be angry. Amy knew about this habit, and for numerous times she had told him he wasn't a wild animal to sleep under the bed. When it came to this, she was quite strict, trying to make Eclipse behave like a normal person. He didn't exactly hate it; however, there were times it was making him uneasy.

She knitted her eyebrows a bit, and she asked a question she needed no answer for, "Did you want to sleep under the bed again?"

He looked away from her, feeling ashamed he was caught red-handed. Amy came closer, kneeling down. He shivered a bit, expecting a hit, despite never getting any physical punishment from her. The fact he wasn't able to meet her expectations was ticking him off, but the young demon had no idea how to accomplish them. Especially from the time, his body started to develop in an unwanted direction.

The pink hedgehog girl softly asked, "Will you mind If I sleep next to you?"

Eclipse's fingers twitched, and he hoped she didn't notice his excitement. He turned his head away more, hiding the redness on his cheeks, silently mumbling, "But you are a girl... in that age..."

"Well, yeah," she admitted as she made sure to tell him that on many occasions. She quickly continued, "However, it's okay from time to time. We are friends, and you haven't seen me changing," she added at the end cheerfully, sounding as happy as she could.

But there was no reaction from Eclipse, and Amy noticed her voice was shivering a bit, there was no way her familiar wouldn't know that.

The silence between them was robbing them of body heat, making them cold and nervous. A spark appeared in Amy's eyes, and she had decided to break the ices, tackling the question that was eating her from inside. "Do you hate me?"

Her voice was almost too quiet to be audible, nonetheless, Eclipse heard her loud and clear since his head jerked and he turned towards her, barking, "What?" There was a clear confusion in his eyes.

This time it was Amy's turn to avert her eyes, and she spoke softly, "In the past months I feel like you are putting an invisible barrier between us. You are keeping your distance, you look like you are uneasy in my presence, you are averting your eyes... it feels like you are better without me." Her fingers dug into the pillow she was holding. She was scared to know the answer, but living in an eternal uneasiness was worse. She promised herself to be strong, and that meant being able to accept even the worst outcomes.

Eclipse bit his trembling lip. He didn't realize how much stress he put on her, but keeping his distance was the only solution he could take. "No, that's not it... it's just..." he silently said, unable to continue since he had no idea how to explain it without breaking his promise to his brother Sirius.

"Is it because of the collar?" she asked, giving him an idea where to start.

He shook his head.

"Because of the training, you had to go through?"

His answer was again negative, giving her harder time to think of the reason for this change in his behavior.

"Because I'm a terrible partner?" she finally asked with trembling voice afraid this was the cause of it.

"No, you are perfect!" he finally answered her question with a strong voice. But there was more he wanted to say with watery eyes, "You are letting me roam free, doing what I want. You have never forced your will upon me." He rubbed the budding tears away not wanting for her to see them. "You were always next to me when I was down, encouraging me, helping me get better. I'm lucky I have met you."

She smiled, feeling relieved. "Me too, I'm a lucky girl to meet you."

A silence untold between them once more, but this time it wasn't suffocating them. The biggest question was answered, but there was still one matter that had to be addressed, and only Eclipse could solve it, so he spoke, "I like it under the bed, it's comfy, I think too big space makes me nervous. I feel so tiny inside, so insignificant." It wasn't exactly a lie, but he couldn't tell her the cruel truth. The thoughts of losing her were tearing him from inside, scaring him endlessly.

She looked around, realizing something she had forgotten for a long time. "Now that you mention it when I was a kid, I as well felt so small in my room." Those times she felt lonely, despite the mansion was full of people there was nobody she could truly connect to.

He fidgeted, crawling a bit under the bed. "But you know... there is enough space here," he mumbled looking down at the carpet. "This rug is soft like a bed."

Amy gently kissed him on the forehead. "Then I'll bother you for a night."

He moved away a bit, giving her space to enter. It wasn't necessary as the bed was at least two meters long, providing a resting area for five or more people. Amy had to admit the carpet was soft, tingling her a bit. It made her feel a bit ashamed she had never noticed something so obvious. She quickly adjusted her pillow, laying down when Eclipse burrowed his head into her arms.

It surprised her, but she hugged him, feeling his trembling body. He gently caressed his quills, listening to his breathing as it slowly calmed down. 'You aren't feeling anxiety from this room, but from this big world where everyone is viewing you as an enemy. But don't worry, I know how kind heart you have. I'm sure many people will realize it too.' She again kissed his forehead and tried to stay awake, until he had fallen asleep.

Before she had fallen asleep too, she felt Eclipse's body shivered from time to time. Amy had no idea where it started, or what was causing it. 'Is he feeling cold?' she thought before she entered the land of dreams.

If she would ask about it, Eclipse would never reveal the truth to her because that would mean getting separated and that was terrifying him to no end. The secret of his body had to remain burrowed in his mind forever.