A plotless collection of Shadow&Tikal moments.
First encounter
Oh where are they? Tikal thought as she jogged across a field of tall grass in search of her beloved chao. She had only closed her eyes for a brief moment and had accidentally fallen asleep. When she woke up the blue creatures that she was guarding had disappeared.
She had been searching for about fifteen minutes now and still no sight of anything nearly resembling a blue chao. She was starting to worry. What if they wandered off somewhere they are not very familiar and had gotten into trouble? What if one of them was hurt and none of the others can do anything to help? What if they had been captured by some evil person having cruel intentions for them?
Oh dear Chaos let them be fine!
Her train of thought was interrupted when her foot made contact with something. Tikal stumbled forward with a yelp of surprise.
OOF!
Tikal closed her eyes as she fell forward. But it was a little strange. The thing she landed upon was not solid, so it couldn't be a rock nor a piece of log...and she wondered whether she imagined the stunned noise just as she descended and the obvious warm sensation she could feel on her chest.
Tikal opened her eyes and pushed herself up a bit and her blue eyes then stared into fiery red ones. For a moment, she just stared and she would have kept doing so if the crimson orbs gazing at her grew intense like a wildfire devouring an entire forest.
"Oh my goodness I am terribly sorry!" she exclaimed.
"Apology not accepted!" the stranger snapped at her. "Now get off!"
Tikal quickly withdrew from their awkward predicament. Dusting her dirt off her clothes, she looked at the stranger from the corner of her eye and saw that he, too, rose to his feet. She noted the jet black color of his fur with those blood red stripes adorning his body as well the piercing crimson hue of his eyes. In a way he reminded her of the hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, but much different. He looked threatening, but for some reason Tikal wasn't afraid. Perhaps because of the words her grandmother told her about how one should not judge anyone or anything just by how they appear.
She felt a flush of embarrassment rise to her cheeks when the black hedgehog caught her staring. Bowing her head, she attempted another apology. "I'm very sorry."
The hedgehog only scoffed. "Next time, watch where you're going."
In a flash of yellow light, the black hedgehog was gone, zooming away from the female echidna with great velocity. She blinked in stunned surprise. Sonic isn't the only fast hedgehog in Mobius? Tikal had never known that another creature—another hedgehog—that is capable to run at the speed of sound other than the blue hero existed. She had always thought that Sonic was the only fastest thing alive. This lead her into thinking that perhaps all hedgehogs were naturally born fast runners.
"Huh," she said, bowing her head in thought.
Catch
Please come down, now. There is no need to be afraid. Tikal coaxed.
One of her chao had somehow managed to get stuck up a tree about twenty feet from the ground. This was the one chao that didn't like heights despite being a creature having the ability to fly. She had been encouraging the little one to descend, offering it comfort and words of empowerment. Even its fellow chao flew up to reach it and had tried to convince it. But the chao still refused to come down.
" .Chao!" It cried as it clung to the branch like its life depended on it.
"Oh dear," she sighed, feeling very worried now. Her cobalt eyes traced the tree's trunk and estimated its height. She inhaled air through her nose as she readied herself for what she was about to do. "It seems that I don't have much of a choice."
The female echidna marched forward and placed both her hands on the bark. Tikal hesitated for a moment, but gathered all the strength she could for she knew that there was no other way.
She lifted one foot up and then pulled her weight upwards doing the same with her other hand and foot and repeated the cycle over and over, climbing up the tree to reach the frightened chao. The feat was not that very difficult because Tikal had experience with this. She had mounted trees that were more than twice as tall as this one right here, her only problem was that the trunk was a tad bit slippery due to the light drizzle earlier this morning.
Almost there...
She reached her hand forward to grab the branch ahead—
—her foot slipped.
"AH!" Tikal's eyes widened in horror. The sight of little chao she was hoping to rescue was getting further away.
She was falling...
She closed her eyes hoping that the impact wouldn't hurt as much as she thought; clasping her hands atop her chest. She was ready for the pain.
But it never came.
She had heard a hissing of air rushing towards her and the direction to which she was falling somehow changed and Tikal was now aware of something strong supporting her back and beneath her knees.
The ancient girl slowly opened her eyes, seeing the same black hedgehog with fiery scarlet eyes she encountered days before.
Shadow the Hedgehog
He safely placed her on her feet, the action done quite gently.
"Um...thank you," she whispered, uneasily and awkwardly.
He narrowed his eyes at her, crossing his arms over his white-tufted chest. "I understand that life can be boring at times, but there are other means of entertainment aside from climbing trees."
Tikal felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "I was just getting my chao." She gestured at the little being atop the tree that looked frightened as ever. "It's afraid of heights and won't come down."
The ebony hedgehog looked up, snorting...and then made a huge jump towards the tree.
The hedgehog landed on the branch where the little chao was. She watched as he gingerly scooped him up in his arms, her eyes widening when he stroked its head to comfort it and finally jumped to solid ground in front of her.
He held out the chao to her and she immediately cradled it in her arms, caressing its head to calm down its panicky wails. "There, there; everything is fine now. You're safe." She looked up at the hedgehog, smiling gratefully. "Thank you."
He did not say a word, but simply turned around and started to walk further away.
"I'm Tikal...by the way," she called to him, hoping he would also give his name.
He came to a halt. Looking over his shoulder, he replied,
"Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."
A reason to smile
Tikal laughed along with Tails and Cream at Sonic's reaction when he had just been splashed with water by their friend, Knuckles a fellow echidna.
"Knuckles, stop that!" Amy scolded.
It was so nice for the guardian to finally have a break from watching over the Master Emerald. She had been told that the red echidna had done nothing but sit alone beside the magic rock morning noon and night, never socializing with his friends. He had always refused invitations before...but perhaps because a certain bat named Rouge promised never to go near the ancient shrine for a month if he came with them to this get-together.
"Hey guys!" a female voice greeted.
Rouge had finally arrived and with her, trailed the black hedgehog who looked irritated.
"Sorry we took long," she said, "someone was being stubborn earlier."
Shadow groaned. Tikal regarded them both in curiosity. Knuckles' friends knew this hedgehog?
The other had already dived in the water with the exception of Sonic who had decided to go for a run along the beach. Amy Rose had offered to come but the hero of Mobius declined saying he would rather be alone. But Tikal knew Sonic wanted to, but too nervous to be around the pink girl. She knew because she has a way of reading people through their actions. Besides it was clearly expressed by the glint of nervousness in his emerald eyes.
Tikal only stayed under the umbrella because she was still new to her surrounding, even when Cream and Amy asked her; still unsure. Beside her was Shadow, who refused to join the group in the sea in their activity.
Tikal stared at him calculatingly. He was always frowning, she thought. His expression dull and showing no forms of emotion aside from anger, annoyance, boredom, disinterest and every negative emotion she knew. How could he do that? When there are so many things to smile about?
"Want something?" he quipped all of a sudden without looking at her.
"Huh?"
"You're staring at me." He said bluntly.
She immediately looked away. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just curious."
"Curious?" He raised an eyebrow and was now directly looking at Tikal.
"You hardly ever smile," she admitted.
"If there is a reason to, I will."
She frowned, a bit disappointment. "The weather is beautiful and everyone is happy." Tikal said. "Isn't that reason enough?"
Shadow's eyes widened for a second at her words, but then scoffed and turned away.
Monsters
"What are you doing?!"
Shadow narrowed his eyes at an appalled Tikal who had grasped his hand that was poised to unleash a chaos attack. "Move aside. This does not concern you!" He commanded.
She continued to stare at him disbelievingly, blue eyes openly expressing her feeling of dread. But then the female echidna's horrified state seemed to vanish and came in its place was an emotion Tikal had never ever allowed to touch her heart: anger.
She released her hold on the red striped harm and instead ran and stood in front of the green hedgehog that was laying on the dirt, defeated, her arms spread on either side of her in a gesture of protection.
"Get out of the way! That bastard needs to be dealt with," Shadow barked. Tikal didn't move an inch, instead faced the ultimate lifeform's death glare and threw one of her own.
His jaw clenched. "If you think I'm not going to attack just because you're there, you're gravely mistake. I will unleash a chaos spear and I don't care whether you get hit!"
"Then do it!" Tikal spat.
Shadow growled at the obvious challenge in her voice...and he wondered whether he merely imagined the slight quivering of tone there. She was afraid, and she had every right to be.
"I'm saying this one last time. Get. Out. Of. The. Way!" the ultimate lifeform roared.
In response, Tikal only firmly stood her ground eyes now narrowed determinedly. She had heard rumors about the ruthlessness of the black hedgehog and she had just witnessed it firsthand just a moment ago. "Never."
His eyes flashed menacingly and Tikal had to hold back any reaction indicating she was scared of him.
But she was. Tikal was trembling inside, her heart pounding furiously like a wild bird trapped in a cage. The glares Shadow throwing at her was enough to send the most notorious villain running. But no, no matter how afraid she was she was not about to let him kill the hedgehog behind her. It was uncalled for.
"You do not own his life! You have no right to end it."
Shadow couldn't believe his ears. "Are you blind? You've seen what he did; death is apt punishment for him!"
"That is not for you to decide."
"So what?! You want that monster to run lose and cause destruction again?!"
"The real monsters, Shadow, are those who bring pain and misery to other people and do not feel the slightest shred of pity for them..." She paused.
"And right this moment, you seem to fit the description."
Thank you
Should I go to him? She mused, wondering whether it was the wise thing to do. He obviously wanted to be left alone...but still, that does not mean he didn't need it.
"You shouldn't be going around spying on people, you know." Shadow said suddenly, his eyes still locked forward.
Tikal blinked in surprise. Was he referring to her or just talking to himself? I should stay hidden just in case. She ducked lower into the bushes, being careful not to rustle the leaves.
"I know you're there. Come out."
She made a sudden intake of breath, frozen in place for a moment. Calming down, the female echidna slowly walked towards the black hedgehog who was sitting leisurely against the log near the cliff, watching the sun as it slowly sank under the horizon.
She sat on the piece of wood as well leaving a good one foot gap between the two of them. For a while they just sat there, neither was taking the initiative to start a conversation.
Tikal was still unsure of him, but she was not afraid. The aura around him is just tensing and she didn't know why. Perhaps because of his demeanor, how he carried himself. He always had this air of superiority around him, and a tad bit frightening especially by the fierce look on his face that doesn't seem to change.
But...just a week ago, he had done something that she was not aware he might be capable off. For that, her negative thoughts of him disappeared and she had come to admire him for that.
"Thank you." She said out of the blue, her gaze fixed on the beautiful sight before her.
The slight shifting of weight on the log told her that the black hedgehog was now staring at her, probably wondering why she had uttered those kind words.
"For saving me that day," She turned and smiled warmly at him. "I forgot to tell you."
He appeared to be speechless, but managed a breathless, "you're welcome..."
Well, there you have it. My first shot at a Shadikal fic.