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CHAPTER TWO: How to mend a broken soul.

Rouge stretched again, having just awoken. A quick glance around the room alerted her that it had been quite a while since they stopped--the pale blue sky had faded to black-- and that she was the only one awake. Her gaze traced to Shadow’s sleeping form.
‘It’s kind of odd to see him look so peaceful…’ she mused mentally. She watched him sleep a moment, his thin chest rising and falling with his breath.
‘I wonder if he’ll ever find what he’s looking for…’ she thought wistfully.
She rolled over, and smiled to herself.
‘I’m sure he will… someone that stubborn is definitely going to achieve something.’

***

‘Where am I…?
I-I can’t see…’

A black fog cleared from his eyes, allowing him to see his supposed captor. A young, fair-haired girl with a pretty face smiled at him.

‘Who…?’

She giggled enchantingly.
“Come on, Shadow, let’s go play!”

‘Who are you…?’

His decidedly younger self followed her.
Something in his chest ached.
It ached for her, for missing her.

‘Who… why?’

His dream self followed close behind the girl, an odd kind of melancholy remembrance filling the air.
Her laugh, her smile enthralled him somehow.
She was important. Important to him.

‘But…’

Whoever he was.

She laughed and skipped about as the world around faded to darkness again.

“Please…” came her voice, this time weak, broken. He saw her lying there.
He saw her blood, her pain.

“For all the people on that planet…”

What was she talking about?

“Give them a chance…”

This was so familiarly sad.

“to be happy…”

He heard his own voice call to her from somewhere beside him.

“Maria!” he called.

‘Maria… ?’ He didn’t understand. Who was she? How did he know her?

“Let them live… for their dreams…”

His heart again ached with her bittersweet words as they permeated the air.

‘No, please…’ He realized what was about to happen.
He was going to see her die.
‘I don’t want to see this, I don’t want…’

“I know you can do it…” she continued weakly, her life drawing slowly to a close before him.

‘She’s so young… please, no…’

“Sayonara… Shadow the hedgehog…”

‘Please…’

He closed his eyes as she passed away before him.

“NO!”

Shadow the hedgehog started awake, panting with panic.

“Shadow, are you okay?!” Rouge sat at the edge of his bed, looking, concerned, at him.
He turned his face away, embarrassed for seeming weak.
“I’m fine.” He said, his voice low. “I think…” He sat up shakily, and slid off the bed and onto his feet, “that I’ll go for a walk.”

Rouge and Omega watched him leave, and Rouge sat, cross-legged , on his bed.
“I hope he’s alright.” Rouge said sadly.

***

‘What in the world was that?’ Shadow was strolling about the hotel, not seeing or hearing anything around him. He was instead drawn in, remembering his dream… remembering her.

‘Who was that girl? …I called her Maria.’ Each time he thought about her, a twinge of sadness struck his already whirling mind.
‘She… was she from my past? Maybe…’ He stopped moving altogether, now blocking the hallway.
‘Maybe it was my own mind telling me about my past…’ His eyes shot wide open.
‘My subconscious… That’s it. That girl-- Maria-- is from somewhere in my past and my subconscious was trying to remind me of her.’
‘Now, if only--’
A familiar voice stirred him from his epiphany.
“Hey!”
Shadow jolted, and found himself face-to-face with Sonic the hedgehog.
‘Oh, hell.’ He was not in the mood to deal with Sonic right about then.
“Hey, what are YOU doing here?!” Sonic continued, oblivious to Shadow’s sudden annoyance.
“Sleeping. And you?”
Sonic smirked. “Just taking a short break. So…”
He took a challenging stance.
‘Oh God.’ Shadow knew he was going to challenge him, he just knew it. He was just not in the mood for Sonic.
“How about a temporary truce?” He growled, and Sonic looked a bit put out.
“What’s the matter? Don’t wanna fight me ‘cause you know you’re just gonna lose?”
‘No,’ Shadow thought in irritation, ‘I don’t want to fight you because you’re an imbecile and I’m exhausted.’
He promptly stated the above out-loud, and Sonic looked slightly taken aback by the sudden insult.
He cocked an eyebrow (or his equivalent).
“Well, whatever. It won’t be a fair fight if you’re not gonna fight back, so I guess it’s a truce… for now.”
He very clearly emphasized the last two words.
Shadow rolled his eyes a bit, a reaction that commonly happened whenever Sonic was around, well, anyone.
“Whatever.” He mumbled softly, and Sonic, apparently pleased in his usual arrogance, announced “Seeya later!” And took off down the hall.
Shadow shook his head in disdain.

Description
CHAPTER TWO: How to mend a broken soul.

Rouge stretched again, having just awoken. A quick glance around the room alerted her that it had been quite a while since they stopped--the pale blue sky had faded to black-- and that she was the only one awake. Her gaze traced to Shadow’s sleeping form.
‘It’s kind of odd to see him look so peaceful…’ she mused mentally. She watched him sleep a moment, his thin chest rising and falling with his breath.
‘I wonder if he’ll ever find what he’s looking for…’ she thought wistfully.
She rolled over, and smiled to herself.
‘I’m sure he will… someone that stubborn is definitely going to achieve something.’

***

‘Where am I…?
I-I can’t see…’

A black fog cleared from his eyes, allowing him to see his supposed captor. A young, fair-haired girl with a pretty face smiled at him.

‘Who…?’

She giggled enchantingly.
“Come on, Shadow, let’s go play!”

‘Who are you…?’

His decidedly younger self followed her.
Something in his chest ached.
It ached for her, for missing her.

‘Who… why?’

His dream self followed close behind the girl, an odd kind of melancholy remembrance filling the air.
Her laugh, her smile enthralled him somehow.
She was important. Important to him.

‘But…’

Whoever he was.

She laughed and skipped about as the world around faded to darkness again.

“Please…” came her voice, this time weak, broken. He saw her lying there.
He saw her blood, her pain.

“For all the people on that planet…”

What was she talking about?

“Give them a chance…”

This was so familiarly sad.

“to be happy…”

He heard his own voice call to her from somewhere beside him.

“Maria!” he called.

‘Maria… ?’ He didn’t understand. Who was she? How did he know her?

“Let them live… for their dreams…”

His heart again ached with her bittersweet words as they permeated the air.

‘No, please…’ He realized what was about to happen.
He was going to see her die.
‘I don’t want to see this, I don’t want…’

“I know you can do it…” she continued weakly, her life drawing slowly to a close before him.

‘She’s so young… please, no…’

“Sayonara… Shadow the hedgehog…”

‘Please…’

He closed his eyes as she passed away before him.

“NO!”

Shadow the hedgehog started awake, panting with panic.

“Shadow, are you okay?!” Rouge sat at the edge of his bed, looking, concerned, at him.
He turned his face away, embarrassed for seeming weak.
“I’m fine.” He said, his voice low. “I think…” He sat up shakily, and slid off the bed and onto his feet, “that I’ll go for a walk.”

Rouge and Omega watched him leave, and Rouge sat, cross-legged , on his bed.
“I hope he’s alright.” Rouge said sadly.

***

‘What in the world was that?’ Shadow was strolling about the hotel, not seeing or hearing anything around him. He was instead drawn in, remembering his dream… remembering her.

‘Who was that girl? …I called her Maria.’ Each time he thought about her, a twinge of sadness struck his already whirling mind.
‘She… was she from my past? Maybe…’ He stopped moving altogether, now blocking the hallway.
‘Maybe it was my own mind telling me about my past…’ His eyes shot wide open.
‘My subconscious… That’s it. That girl-- Maria-- is from somewhere in my past and my subconscious was trying to remind me of her.’
‘Now, if only--’
A familiar voice stirred him from his epiphany.
“Hey!”
Shadow jolted, and found himself face-to-face with Sonic the hedgehog.
‘Oh, hell.’ He was not in the mood to deal with Sonic right about then.
“Hey, what are YOU doing here?!” Sonic continued, oblivious to Shadow’s sudden annoyance.
“Sleeping. And you?”
Sonic smirked. “Just taking a short break. So…”
He took a challenging stance.
‘Oh God.’ Shadow knew he was going to challenge him, he just knew it. He was just not in the mood for Sonic.
“How about a temporary truce?” He growled, and Sonic looked a bit put out.
“What’s the matter? Don’t wanna fight me ‘cause you know you’re just gonna lose?”
‘No,’ Shadow thought in irritation, ‘I don’t want to fight you because you’re an imbecile and I’m exhausted.’
He promptly stated the above out-loud, and Sonic looked slightly taken aback by the sudden insult.
He cocked an eyebrow (or his equivalent).
“Well, whatever. It won’t be a fair fight if you’re not gonna fight back, so I guess it’s a truce… for now.”
He very clearly emphasized the last two words.
Shadow rolled his eyes a bit, a reaction that commonly happened whenever Sonic was around, well, anyone.
“Whatever.” He mumbled softly, and Sonic, apparently pleased in his usual arrogance, announced “Seeya later!” And took off down the hall.
Shadow shook his head in disdain.