Chapter 12 A Thousand Miles Under the Sea

"I have waited long enough for your offering, Othilda! You promised that you'd have it ready by the time the spring flowers bloomed... The buds opened many weeks ago and I've grown impatient. I will wait no longer...," Shadow growled from knee-deep in the ocean with a malicious expression in his eyes. He was roleplaying as the mighty Achelis: the god of the sea. His countenance was frightening and powerful, but you knew he was just playing.

"Mighty Achelis!" you cried as you fell to your hands and knees at his feet. "I'm sorry for letting you wait for so long, but your offering is not ready to go with you! We request more time!" The wailing from your lungs made you feel pathetic and worthless, but once again, it was only a game.

Shadow lifted your face so that your eyes locked with his. A calm expression replaced his anger as he gazed down at you. It looked as though... he had made up his mind. "If the offering you've chosen is not ready..., then I will choose who my offering shall be." With that, Shadow picked you up effortlessly into his arms and began to carry you into the ocean with him. Terror shot through the mind of Othilda, but your mind was overcome with impatience. Shadow wasn't stealing you away for himself fast enough! All you wanted was to be with him forever in his kingdom in the ocean... even if you drowned.

"NO! Don't take me! I won't survive with you under the ocean! Achelis!!" you cried as you kicked and shouted to get out of his intense clutches. How you so badly wished you could take Othilda's place and live with Shadow... If only...

The smirk that you had grown so fond of came back to his face. He leaned in close to you and savored every bit of your fake fear. "Then I'll have to carve gills into your neck!"

A distance away, Gilbert was digging a large pit in the sand with the hopes of finding the next chaos emerald inside. He was having absolutely no luck. Barrett was being a lazy tourist and was watching the scenery with a pair of binoculars. Okay, he wasn't watching the scenery at all. He was watching Shadow and (y/n) in hopes that he would see something juicy. And something juicy he did indeed see. While Gilbert was busy digging, Barrett turned to Gilbert inquisitively.

"Hey, Gil. I know this sounds like an odd question, but is Shadow a vampire?" he asked. Immediately after asking, he went back to his binoculars.

"Um... no?" Gilbert replied with a very worried and uncertain expression. He looked up at Barrett from within his pit. "Why?"

Barrett shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, nothing. It's just that Shadow's totally ravenously biting (y/n)'s neck. No biggie."

A look of alarm overtook Gilbert's face and he jumped out of the pit. He snatched the binoculars from Barrett and pointed it in Shadow and (y/n)'s direction. Upon finding his intended target, Gilbert was in a state of perturbed silence and was frozen in place. Barrett had to wrestle the binoculars back into his hands.

"See? Vampire!" Barrett chirped as he went back to watching.

Gilbert blinked a few times and then shook his head. "I... don't want to deal with that. Why don't we pretend we never saw anything?"

Barrett was snickering and blushing as he watched the action. Gilbert could practically see the imaginary dog tail whipping back and forth across the sand behind Barrett. "You do that. I'll continue to enjoy the show~ I was waiting for hugs or snuggles or kisses or even french kisses, but this is better!"

"Pervert...," Gilbert mumbled irritatedly.

"Killjoy," Barrett shot back.

Shadow relinquished his fangs and the lustful look in his eyes burned into your skin. Not even that was enough to satisfy his thirsty desire. His "fangs" had actually only barely grazed the surface of your skin and didn't actually leave any permanent marks. There was no hurt or pain. Only pure, unbridled ecstasy and lust. Somehow, his one slick, passionate movement melted away all of the fear and uncertainty from all of the other times. His strong arms holding you so tight you couldn't move or escape drove you wild. The rushing emotions, the screaming instincts, the blazing warmth--! If only Shadow didn't have to relinquish you like he also relinquished his fangs.

He placed you back onto the ground and looked hesitantly back towards the edge of the beach. From his cautious gesture, you knew something (or someone) was up. You squinted in the direction he was looking and saw Barrett off in the distance. Barrett realized that he got spotted and ducked below a large sandhill on the beach, but there was no way for him to not be noticed now.

"I can't unleash my full potential if this guy keeps hanging around...," Shadow mumbled. The idea of him unleashing some secret, hidden weapon of romance had you intrigued!

"What should we do to ditch him?" you asked hoping that Shadow already had a plan. Based on the sly look he gave you, he did indeed have a sneaky plot up his sleeves.

Without a word, Shadow grabbed the white chaos emerald and showed it to you. The shiny edges gleamed in the sunlight and made it look almost like it was a fallen star. Shadow, rather than pulling it away like all of the other times, let you feel the surface of the mystical gem. The emerald was warm to the touch and seemed to be sending pulses of positive energy through your veins. Just by touching it, you felt invigorated and desperately wanted to cling to the warmth for hours more. Unfortunately for you, Shadow took it from you and held it in the palm of his hand. "Without the proper exposure to the chaos emeralds, people can become addicted to that feeling. They crave power beyond their wildest dreams and believe they are invincible... You don't need to become... like them...," Shadow told you. When he mentioned 'them' his gaze fell to the sand with a fierce intensity. It almost appeared to be... hatred. Who was 'them'?

Nudging him lightly with your arm, you tried to liven up the mood. "Kinda like you, right?"

Offended from your suggestion, his expression hardened and he shook his head vigorously. The very idea of what you were suggesting filled him with intense disgust. "You must be joking! I am not a mad megalomaniac looking to become a god over this entire world! If I were as corrupt with power as them, then I would have enslaved you long ago and ripped out the throats of everyone we've met! The chaos emeralds are dangerous! As soon as we use them to resurrect Maria, I'm going to destroy the emeralds for good so that no one can ever become corrupted from them! Especially not those aliens!!" he snapped. As soon as the word aliens slipped from his tongue, he instantly regretted it.

"You mean... that black creature from my dream...?" you asked cautiously.

He sighed heavily and nodded. Knowing that Barrett was still watching, Shadow grabbed onto your hand tightly and pulled you up against him. The white chaos emerald was glowing brightly between you both and you almost felt like it was connecting you with his emotions... Swirling fear, blazing anger, and churning worry... And right in the middle of it all, there was a soft, fuzzy feeling that you felt from him... It reminded you of a warm blanket or a kind embrace. A peaceful summer breeze or the comfort you felt when you, Shadow, and Maria were all together... playing as little kids... He harbored a deep need for protection of those memories. The desire to see Maria again was stronger than you could have imagined... On top of all of those feelings, there was something else. He cared about something almost more than those two things combined. It was stronger than anything you had ever felt before in your whole life. Fiery, searing passion for something or someone that guided his every footstep and gave him hope. What was it...? Who was it...?

Could you... be the one giving him those feelings...?

Shaking your head, you convinced yourself it wasn't true. How could you inspire such strong emotions in someone? Feelings that powerful were completely new to you. You had never felt them; therefore, how could you cause them?

Shadow concentrated on the emerald's power, and slowly it lit up to the point that you practically had to shield your eyes in order to keep from being blinded. The power of its radiant glow seemed to be shooting everywhere uncontrollably like a firework. Gradually, a transparent sphere began to form around you and Shadow. It shielded you from the outside world... and trapped you with Shadow. You were truly at his mercy. Shadow's concentrated expression faded and he looked out towards the ocean. This was his plan all along.

"Othilda, now that I've given you gills, will you come with me to my undersea kingdom? We will rule together you and I. The waves will be kind to you... and so will I," Shadow vowed solemnly. In your mind, he would be the perfect Achelis... But in your heart, you knew you would always love Shadow over some romantic sea god. Since this sea god also happened to be Shadow, you nodded and smiled. Your heart fluttered excitedly as if anticipating a thrilling adventure!

He swept you off your feet for the second time that day and an excited sparkle was illuminated in his eyes. You had never quite seen him so enthusiastic about anything. There was no hesitation. Just the sudden, rapid change in speed as Shadow rocketed forward with boundless energy and power! The barrier made by the chaos emerald split effortlessly through the sea and not a drop of ocean water penetrated the barrier of light. There were bright colors flying past you and it reminded you of the time when Shadow used chaos control to teleport. When he finally slowed to a stop, there was hardly any sunlight reaching down into the depths. It was the serene darkness that calmed you... All you could see was the light from the barrier.

"Just hang on a second," Shadow said with his eyes fixed out into the blackness of the ocean. There was confident certainty in his voice as he waited for whatever was going to happen.

At first, there was only the stifling darkness that came with the mysteriousness of the sea bottom. Then... there was a faint flicker of light. And then another. And another! The whole ocean started to light up! Majestic, glowing jellyfish were drifting lazily through the ocean and letting their bioluminescent bodies act as a beacon of light to those lost in the darkness. They had no cares or worries... Just peace and calm.

"Jellyfish," you told Shadow as you pointed to them. You were pleased when he gave you a surprised look for knowing what a jellyfish was.

He continued walking along the bottom of the ocean through the jellyfish and made sure not to touch any of them. It wouldn't hurt him thanks to the barrier, but he didn't want to disturb the jellyfish in any way. "You know, I read once that jellyfish don't have brains."

"They also don't have hearts," you added.

"Or bones," Shadow shot back.

"Or eyes."

"Or handsome looks."

You giggled at his response and looked around a bit more. Suddenly, in the distance, there was a looming silhouette threatening to gobble up the horizon. Giant, menacing spikes rose up from the dark figure in the distance and jagged edges were on all sides of the mysterious shadow. Upon seeing the massive figure glaring menacingly at you, your heart began to race. It wasn't from fear, though... The spirit of adventure was calling you towards the silhouette! Luckily for you, Shadow seemed to have the same idea.

"Shadow, what is that? Is it a sea monster?! I want to see a sea monster!" you shouted excitedly.

He smiled a little bit and shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not the legendary Mobibeast of the sea. I'm afraid that's just a sunken ship."

"But there could be a sea monster in there," you pointed out with a grin that was still eager for the adventure, even if that adventure didn't happen to have a sea monster in it.

When Shadow raced towards the massive wreck, you wondered what was there that Shadow was so interested in. In your mind, you imagined the possibilities. Perhaps a treasure trove of magical artifacts. Or a spaceship! Gold and jewels with a deadly curse! Pearls and stars and wishes! The more you thought about the possibilities, the more you figured that he was heading towards the wreck because there was a chaos emerald there. If that was the case, then he would have something else planned along with that. His piercing eyes revealed a plan but not what the plan was.

At long last, Shadow's feet met the deck of the ship. His gaze raked the ship thoroughly as if he were searching for something. There was a wooden door on the opposite side of the deck which led to what was likely the captain's cabin. Shadow treaded lightly towards the door and pushed it open. A bright flicker from the floor caught your eye and danced across the walls of the cabin. Such beautiful reflections! They could only come from one thing. Gold and jewels. Sure enough, the entire floor was drenched in riches that far surpassed anything in your wildest dreams. What caught Shadow's attention wasn't the gold, though. His fixated gaze was frozen to the man in the room with a large, toothy grin and two black holes in his face. There was a shining chaos emerald in his sharp, bony fingers.

"Gross...," you remarked when your eyes finally locked with the skeleton in the pirate attire. He was the only skeleton on the ship. All of the other crew members must have abandoned ship and left their captain behind like cowards. Like every honorable captain, this one went down with the ship.

Of course, Shadow couldn't help but want to play around. He set you down on the pirate's lap as if the pirate were Santa Claus and not some scary, dead thief. The brittle bones shuddered and shook under your weight, but they took you. He had the acrid scent of sea salt and ancient pirate. Despite your need for an adventure, this wasn't exactly the kind you had in mind.

"Shadow, why are you forcing me to connect with the richest dead guy in the world?" you asked with a slightly annoyed look on your face. The skeleton's skull tilted to the side as if agreeing with you.

His smirk grew serious in an instant and he looked up at the skeleton. "It's just a superstition of mine... Maria had books with pirates in them on the Ark and how they haunt the people who steal their treasure," he explained slowly. His gaze was drawn once again to the light blue chaos emerald. "I wanted to appease the pirate before taking the emerald. He won't want to let it go so easily."

Shadow never struck you as the superstitious sort. He was always so analytical and factual. Rarely would he ever believe anything if he never saw it to be true for himself. And here he was talking about ghosts and curses of dead pirates. What kind of books did Maria read to him? Why didn't she share them with you?!

"Okay..., why did you put me on his lap then? A joke?" you asked. The gawking skeleton was starting to become unnerving.

Shadow picked up a bottle from the ground that was apparently still full and handed it to you. Curious, you sniffed the substance in the bottle and quickly jerked back at the strong aroma. "What's this?!" you demanded.

"Only a pirate's best friend: rum." He helped you pop the cork out of the top of the bottle and he gave you a nudge. "I'm sure he'd be pleased if a pretty girl gave him a bottle of rum in exchange for the emerald."

A part of you doubted it, but you weren't about to argue with him. Reluctantly, you forced open the jaw of the skeleton and began to pour the rum into the dead captain's mouth. "Down the hatch," you announced.

Most of the rum just splashed through the skeleton and fell through his ribcage. The torn clothes he was wearing were growing soaked. Sea salt's smell was nothing compared to the pungent scent of rum which was now filling the bubble you and Shadow were standing in with the captain.

The captain's skull hung awkwardly with the rum bottle in its mouth. Despite that, as if the captain himself approved, his hand fell onto the floor and the bony fingers released the blue chaos emerald. Shadow stooped down and scooped it up into his grasp. He bowed his head respectfully. "Your decision will not be a bad one," he vowed.

Shadow left the ship with you back to being carried in his arms. It was quiet again. A thought crossed your mind... Your merry group found six chaos emeralds... Where was the last one going to be? Would it be someplace you recognized? Another idea crossed your mind in the depths of the ocean. Once the last chaos emerald was found, how would Shadow bring Maria back? What if he failed completely? But more importantly, what would happen to you once Maria was restored?

Shivering, you clung to Shadow. The depths of the ocean provided little heat and the chaos energy wasn't warm enough for your tastes. It wasn't so much the ocean's temperature that was making you shiver. Cold dark hands were grabbing at your heart and filling you with fear: the hands of solitude.

"Are you cold?" Shadow asked when he felt the shudders from your fragile body.

Not wishing to impose your dark, hopeless realizations on him, you meekly nodded.

His fingers became tighter as they gripped your arm. The look on his face became harder. "Liar."

"Huh?"

He stopped and sat on the ocean floor. You were being cradled in his strong, caring embrace. Every part of you was being drawn towards him in a magnetic way... that felt a little different than the other times. Shadow had expressed his deep affection for you in several ways, but none of them left you completely satisfied. The addiction you had grew stronger every time he laid his eyes on you and you only wanted bigger thrills. If only it could be like the first time... Back in the island jungle... When he first revealed his innermost feelings and worries to you.

Now there was just ocean and no worries at all except for what was to come when you left..

"(Y/N), I know you well enough to know that you don't look miserable when you're only cold. You only make that face when you're scared... You only make that face when you're scared of losing me," he admitted with his quiet, soothing voice. The voice he would use with Maria whenever she got hurt or when she got sad.

"How do you--?"

"I know because I've felt the same things. That time when you disappeared after that death stunt with the motorcycle, I nearly fell apart that night. You were all I could think about," he continued. Somehow, hearing him confess his own fears helped you calm down a little.

Shadow sighed and pressed his forehead against yours. "What must I do to assure you that I'm not going anywhere ever again without you...?"

There was no answer to his question. You knew it was a rhetorical question, but you couldn't help but try to think of an answer. The heat from his body over yours left you shivering for another reason. His eyes engulfed your entire field of vision. In the depths of the ocean, it was as if the entire world completely disappeared, and it was just the two of you pressed together completely alone. Not even Barrett would be able to spy on you.

"Do you remember the time in the island jungle when we were alone together much like this...? I was preventing myself from doing what I wanted at the time. You told me to stop closing myself off. The truth is that if I didn't stop myself that day, I might not have been able to stop myself at all. And now... I'm feeling it again...," he murmured with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. His caress became tighter. "I was made to be superior in every way. Every skill I have has been improved to the point of perfection. The only skill I still need right now is self-control... because I can't fight my feelings anymore!"

In a sudden flash of movement, Shadow was on top of you and your back was pressed to the ocean floor. The sheer force from his hands astounded you and his gaze was fixed intently on you. His fluffy chest was mere inches away from yours and you fought to keep your heart from beating out of your chest. There were feelings and instincts both old and new rushing through you and you wondered what was happening. What was he... doing...?

His breath became a little faster and he seemed to be acting on a force that wasn't his own and was without rhyme or reason. But just as fast as he worked himself up..., he calmed himself down and hung his head with a look of guilt written on his face. "No..., I shouldn't..."

You almost couldn't hear your own mouse-like voice over the sound of your violently thrumming heart. "Shouldn't what...?"

He climbed off of you and rubbed his temples in shame. No words escaped from his mouth to explain. If only he would talk to you about what he wanted from you... Because a part of you said that... you wanted it too.

"I... have no right...," he sighed.

Just as he was about to get up to head back towards the magicians, you grabbed onto his arm and yanked him back to you. You caught him so off guard that he ended up toppling over onto you! Before he could demand an explanation, you shoved it into his face.

"Shadow, I...," your words trailed off as you found yourself blushing madly from the words you wanted to say. Slowly, you mustered up the courage and took a deep breath. "I love you, Shadow. And whatever you want, I'll be happy to give. Whatever it is. Even if it's my life! I owe everything to you! You've shown me everything this beautiful world has to offer! I love you! I love you more than anything! I don't care about the consequences of loving you! I don't even care if I die! Just never leave me! Please!" you cried as you hugged him as hard as you could.

From within your embrace, Shadow was very silent. It was hard to read his expression, but you knew he believed you. And you knew he returned your feelings. Finally, you felt him crawl forward so he could hold perfect eye-contact with you. Lust and ambition were being given away by the way he was stroking your sides and shoulders with his hands and fingers. "(Y/N)."

Chills ran up and down your spine when he said your name.

"(Y/N)..."

Chills again.

"I love you too..., but is this really what you want...? Once we go down this path, there's no going back," he explained.

There was no hesitation. There was no doubt. There was only one answer.

"Yes..., my Shadow...," you replied. You released him from your embrace, but he hardly moved. He just closed his eyes and gave you that smirk that you were so very fond of.

"Then I only have two words for you...," he murmured.

"What?"

He leaned forward and whispered the beautiful words in your ear. There was no longer any doubt in his voice or his face... just pure certainty. Not only certainty... Excitement.

"Trust me."

--

"Giiiiilbert..., I'm bored!" whined a very childish Barrett. From his upside-down position up against a tree, he gave a dramatic frown that looked more like a huge smile to Gilbert because it was upside-down. Obviously.

Gilbert gave a grunt of acknowledgment... but not one of sympathy. "At least, you aren't spying on Shadow and (y/n) anymore. They need alone time."

"But it was so fuuuuun... I never get to see Shadow when he's in his happy, needy mood...," Barrett whimpered pathetically. He fell over from his upside-down position and landed face-down in the sand. His voice was muffled and hardly understandable as he continued to talk. "Mmm phmm hmm mm-MMmm!"

"What was that?" asked Gilbert.

"MMMMMMM!!!! Mmphmm mhmhhmmmmmmmmmmm--!"

"Barrett, get your face out of the sand now. Sure, I don't care for your whining, but it's better than your unintelligible noises in the sand," he remarked with a bitter punch to his words.

Finally coming out of ostrich mode, Barrett lifted his gaze from the sand and smirked. "I wasn't saying anything intelligent anyway."

Just after Gilbert's eye roll, a bright flash of light lit up the beach! Shadow reappeared with you in his grasp. He was reluctant to let you go, but he helped you up to your feet. His hand stayed tightly locked with yours. Of course, Barrett had to run over as fast as he could.

"You're baaaaaack!!" he shouted as he tried to squeeze you into a tight embrace. Shadow shoved him away just before he could with a look of annoyance. Barrett's face looked hurt for a moment. "Why so cold...? I was just saying hi!"

In the brief moment of silence that ensued while you tried to think of an excuse to go back to the wagon alone, his eyes suddenly locked onto something. There was no hiding anything from Barrett... "Wait... (Y/N), do you mind telling me what that is on your neck?? It... It is, isn't it?! That's totally a hickey!" Barrett's grin stretched wider and his analytical eyes started scanning for anything else they could find... "Why, Shadow! You and (Y/N) were getting oh-so-FRISKY! And (Y/N)! Your body has become a living testimony of how much you spoil your hedgehog! You were totally getting it on down there! Awoooooooooooo!!"

"SHUT. UP!" Shadow hissed as he punched Barrett in the gut. It wasn't at his full strength, but it was enough to knock the wind out of Barrett.

"OOF!" he grunted upon impact. It wasn't enough to keep him down, though. Only a millisecond later, he was back up and back at it. "Well, (Y/N), how was it?? Did you ask him or did he ask you or did it just magically happen in a blunder of blind, mindless emotions?? Actually, Shadow, you know she's HARDLY at the right age for that sort of--!"

Shadow punched him again.

Oh, Barrett... You'll never learn.

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