Chapter 4 A Promise

What made you ask for such a thing from him, you had no idea. He seemed reluctant, but he did remember his promise about his boldly broad statement. Something about him not leaving you alone made you feel... comforted. The idea of someone always watching out for you made you feel... as if you had less to worry about. It wasn't something you had ever felt before. Protection was limited to you on the Ark. Maria was the only one who seemed worth protecting... Now was your chance to know what it would feel like.

"Are you sure you want this? Rather than riches or servants or world domination?" Shadow asked looking somewhat confused about your request. It wasn't hard to tell that you had caught him off-guard.

You hugged your knees and looked straight at him. "I... I don't want to be alone anymore... And you're the only one left. I can't run to anyone else... Nothing in this world makes sense to me... But there is one thing that I want more than anything that I couldn't have on the Ark! And that's something or someone who will take away my worries! I don't want you to ever leave my side... or else... I might never feel anything other than loneliness and isolation forever... You were created to save the life of Maria and to be her friend... Couldn't you do the same thing for me...?"

You saw his expression change. It was too dark to tell in what way exactly. Silently, you waited to see if he'd say anything. Even a nod would be enough confirmation to tell you that he at least understood. Finally, he answered you. His voice wavered a little and you figured out what he was feeling in an instant. "It's... just that your sister asked me the same thing once..." You saw him clench his fists in the darkness. "I broke my promise..."

Suddenly, it all became clear in one sentence. He was blaming himself for what happened to Maria. To him, he failed his mission and his purpose. It was the only purpose he ever had and it was gone. For a moment, you felt sympathy. He was clinging to the thought that he could use the chaos emeralds to fix the thing he broke. His promise. "Shadow... You didn't break your promise. You didn't leave Maria... She was taken... by the men with the black uniforms. There was nothing you could have done... I promise that when we collect all of the chaos emeralds, we will bring back my sister...," you explained to him clearly and evenly. You placed an assuring hand on his shoulder. "That's my promise, Shadow."

The moonlight suddenly flashed through the window after the clouds in the night rolled away. You could see the hope in his eyes. He brought his hand to yours which was still resting on his shoulder. As quickly as the hope came, he crushed it and brushed your hand away coldly. "Promise what you want... I'll do what you requested, (y/n)."

Alarm at him slamming the door to an actual conversation in your face shot through you. What was the emotional barrier for?! Why did he put it up around you and everyone he encountered? "Hey! I was trying to be nice! The least you could do was be thankful in return! Why are you so mean to me?" you demanded jumping to your feet.

"That is none of your concern."

"Oh, so we're going back to this now? Not even being able to talk to each other?" you asked placing your hands on your hips out of annoyance.

Shadow nodded and turned away from you.

"WHY?!" you shouted.

He didn't answer.

"Say something! Anything! I hate it when you give me the silent treatment!"

He contemplated for a moment and then replied. When he turned to look you in the eyes, you could see what almost looked like... concern? "Because... If I allow you to become attached to me in the slightest..." A moment passed as if for dramatic effect. "Those men in black uniforms you spoke of... they will kill you for it..."

"I don't care!" you shouted ignoring how much emphasis he was putting on your hypothetical death. His ears twitched in surprise at your lack of consideration.

"You should," Shadow pointed out.

Getting annoyed with his stubborn nature, you explained why. "I don't care if they kill me or not! I care about you and Maria! She asked me herself to take care of you and I don't want to let her down! You are my friend, Shadow! No matter how dangerous that is!"

Shadow hesitated and then shook his head. It was more to himself than to you. "I guess I can't pretend to hate you forever... You said you wished for me to never leave your side and to protect you... The truth is that I was going to do that anyway. And it's not only because you remind me of Maria." He gazed out the window and up at the stars. "You are too considerate..."

You found yourself now wide awake and knew you wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anytime soon. With renewed energy, you walked over to Shadow who was still staring out the window. "You have two chaos emeralds now. Where are we going to go?"

"Far away," he answered immediately.

Far away...

Closing your eyes, you imagined far away. A bright orange sunset with a large rushing waterfall just beside it. The falling water hitting the orange rays of sun would send a rainbow into the sky. Colorful birds flew by singing in beautiful harmony with each other. Tropical flowers of all different colors bloomed around you creating a heavenly scent in the air. None of these things were what sent your heart racing, though. There was a hand holding your hand. The grip was very tight as if telling you that they wanted nothing to come between you and the person. You recognized the hand. No other hand could possibly even compare. Glancing over, you could see Shadow gazing up at you. There was something different about the way he looked towards you which was unlike any way he did before. Something different... Something friendly... Something... magical?

But this reality... is so far away...

The dull realization that this was 'far away' and not right around the corner brought you back to reality. All of the scenery was gone. Every scent and feeling was gone. Perhaps even all of your dreams... all out the window that you were gazing out of. Except... not everything. The tight grip of Shadow's hand stayed. It was real.

"Far enough... that we won't ever have to worry about G.U.N. again..."

Shadow let go of your hand before you could ask and hopped up onto the windowsill as if he were going to do a daring leap out into the dark night. He seemed distracted by something. "There is one thing I have to clear up... I'm afraid I'll have to leave until I see that it's done. Sorry..."

"You're going to leave already??" you asked feeling a rush of disappointment.

"I can't leave it unnoticed! This is not me leaving you. This is me protecting you... Something is coming... I have to stop them."

"Huh? Something's coming...? Who is it...?" you asked.

Shadow didn't answer. It wasn't because he 'deemed you unworthy' of the information. More because he didn't want you to worry about it. He clearly understood it as his problem and his alone. For once, you didn't press the matter. He was protecting you.

You felt a glint of worry for Shadow, but he didn't need it. As long as he was The Ultimate Life Form, he would be fine. Acknowledging this fact, you nodded to him finally accepting his sudden departure. "Just... Come back, Shadow..."

He kept his gaze fixed on the stars. "I will." With that, he jumped from the window and faded into the night.

Brimming with energy after what happened, you sat in front of the window and let your mind wander. It drifted back to the Ark. That strange reality your dreaming mind took you the other night. It was the dream where you were in Maria's place. You were sitting once again in your room. This time, crayons were scattered everywhere across the ground along with a bunch of colored pencils and paper. When you appeared in the dream, you appeared to be almost finished with the picture you were drawing. Recognizing it, you finished the drawing. Pride flooded through you when you finished it and you were about to tape it to the wall.

You can't tape it up yet! Shadow needs to see it first!

Shadow! As if the thought summoned him like magic, he appeared in the doorway looking as if he just returned from some boring meeting. In his hands were giant, thick books. After putting them down, he flopped onto your bed as if it were also his. Had you not have been Maria in this reality, you would have questioned his action. However, you weren't.

"Did you go out to talk to Gerald again?" you asked.

"I've got good news and bad news," he pointed out.

"What's the bad news...?" you asked suddenly getting worried. Just because he didn't seem to be very concerned about the situation didn't mean it still couldn't be worried over.

He yawned without a care in the world. "The bad news is that you haven't improved at all."

"Aww...," you said gloomily.

"But the good news is that you haven't gotten any worse."

"Oh, so I haven't changed at all?" you questioned.

"Basically."

Your eyes clouded darkly at the news even though it was supposed to make you feel better. "If I haven't changed, then my condition is still serious... No matter how nonchalant you act around me to make me feel more assured, you cannot fool me. You're just as concerned as ever, Shadow."

"What exactly is so quick to give me away?" he asked looking up to meet your gaze. You knew you had broken through his emotional barrier..., and he seemed to know you would.

"You're too good of a friend to not care at all...," you explained letting a smile spread across your face.

He finally hopped off of your bed and sat on the floor beside you looking at your newly drawn picture. Something seemed to resonate with him. "What's that?"

Happy he noticed, you lifted up your picture to let him get a better look. "Haven't you ever heard the story? The story of a magical flower that can cure all illnesses? Look! In this picture, you found it... It's a beautiful white color and sweet as honey... Isn't something like that what we always dreamed of?" you asked.

Shadow took the picture from you and inspected it. His expression went from curious to solemn. "The doctor said... that there isn't a thing like this in the world below..."

"I know..., but it doesn't hurt to dream. Besides, I know if I asked you to find one, you would search the entire universe to find it..."

"If you wish for me to find something like this..., then why haven't you sent me to search for it?" he questioned seemingly as if he were preparing himself to leave to find it already.

Knowing what he was thinking and about to do, you hugged him tightly and shook your head. "I don't want you to go... Suppose you didn't come back in time...? I want you here with me... You being here with me means more to me than any cure, Shadow..."

Shadow shoved you away in protest. "But if I find the cure, then I can be with you forever!"

"I know... You just have to understand that... I need you here. To never leave me until the very end..."

Shadow seemed to think on this for a moment. He desperately wanted to help you in any way he could. Knowing this, he knew this was the best way he could. Staying with you was what would bring the most joy and happiness to the both of you. Giving in, he nodded. "I promise that I will never leave you, (y/n)."

Peace came over you to hear him say that, but you knew that it was selfish to make him promise such a thing. "You don't need to promise anything, Shadow..."

Your eyes snapped open when you heard the sound of violent destruction in your room! Black figures catapulted through the walls and the window. The door swung viciously open and shut as the black figures marched into the room. When your vision cleared up, you saw who they were. It was the men in the black uniforms... Dread pierced your heart at the realization.

"The target Shadow the Hedgehog - Ultimate Life Form - has been spotted in this building! Scout the area! Take prisoners if necessary!" shouted the leader's voice over the chaos.

"SIR!" bellowed the others.

They continued swarming the room and in an instant, they discovered you. Tough, black hands dragged you to your feet and you hardly resisted. It was pointless to. "There's someone in here, sir!" one of the men shouted.

As quickly as it started, the chaos stopped. Everyone froze in place where they were. Turning to you, you could see a man in a slightly different uniform than the others. He slowly approached you. "Well... If it isn't Gerald's granddaughter! The fugitive... We've been searching for you a long time..." It was hard to ignore the sly, snake-like tone in his voice which made you gnash your teeth together.

"You're wasting your time if you're searching for me! I'm just trying to not die at the hands of you! Like how you killed my sister on the Space Colony Ark...," you spat. Never before had you ever felt the burning desire for justice so much. Rage blazed deep in your chest. You wanted to kill them. All of them. It was what they deserved.

"My, my, my... Don't you understand that it was for the best? Do you not realize what your grandfather was trying to do there? I doubt you do. We found no records about you. Just a room and papers of stories and games which I assume belonged to you. Well, (f/n) Robotnik, your grandfather was trying to find a way to create eternal life! According to our research, he was almost there... Such power... can't be given to anyone... It's dangerous. He made it... through the "Ultimate Creature" known as Shadow the Hedgehog. This is why that hedgehog must be destroyed!" the leader shouted.

Disbelief filled your senses. What was he talking about? Eternal life? What did that mean? The concept never existed to you. Only life and death. How could you remove death from the end of the equation? But that wasn't what mattered then. "He only wanted to save Maria, you imbecile! What did you think he was going to do with it?!"

"Sell it for himself. After discovering such a thing..., you could gain an infinite amount of money for it. If this eternal life fell into the wrong hands... Just imagine the consequences! Wars would last forever! Pain and suffering would never cease! Humanity can't live forever. That's not the way it was supposed to work. You can't cheat the system," he explained.

You had to admit that his argument made sense. While it was dangerous, the way they handled the situation... was completely wrong. Besides that, they succeeded. Maria and Gerald were dead. Wasn't it pointless? "My grandfather is dead. You said he didn't finish his research and didn't succeed in creating eternal life. Why are you still hunting everyone down on the Ark anyway...?"

"If Shadow is the result of the experiments, then he surely must be stopped."

"HE MEANS NO HARM! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" you shouted annoyed at how they could possibly believe he would use his powers for such a terrible thing.

"That tone in your voice... You know him. I'm certain of it," the leader said forming a plan in his mind.

"What!? No! I don't! I swear!" you feebly shouted hoping to convince them. He smirked at you knowingly.

"You may very well be the key to ending Shadow. If he truly means no harm, then he will hope no harm comes to you, won't he?" he asked. He turned to the other men who were silently waiting for his orders. "Take her hostage! Shadow may just come to us with her in our midst!"

"YES, SIR!" they all shouted. Before you knew it, they had you tied up in tight, scratchy ropes. You thrashed around to try and get them to let go. A part of you wanted to shout for Shadow, but that would only confirm their statements even more. Hot tears ran down your face in despair. There was no escape.

It wasn't actually yourself you were worried about.

He's... He's in danger! Shadow...

"Take her to the base. I'll leave a message here that will surely send Shadow straight to us if he actually cares anything about her," the leader told them. He turned and went to the other end of the room with something in his hand. He spoke into the object he was holding with a grin on his face. You hated that face. Everything in you hated that face. Everything in you knew that he was the real enemy in your story.

Shadow..., you're not the one to blame for what happened on the Ark... It's HIM.

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