A/N: I've decided to periodically update Days Go On with short stories and smaller from time to time based around Shadow and his family. Other couples and children will be in these stories as well. But, I thought it would be fun to write about the daily lives of this family. Because - I honestly just want to write Mariam more often. Lmao. My reasoning for this is a shallow one.

There is no rhyme nor reason to these stories. They have no order. And the stories themselves will be separate. It's just easier to keep them all in one place. So, yeah, enjoy this short story anthology about something I enjoy writing?

I honestly don't know. But, I am working on Chapter 5 of Across Dimensions. Just slowly. (Not that anybody is reading it. Ha ha.)

"Mari," said Rorik as he glanced into her room. "Come on. We're going to miss the bus if you don't hurry up. And, nobody is as fast as dad nor Sonic."

Mariam nodded as she got off her bed. The female hedgehog looked in the mirror before fixing her quills. She paused as she placed a hand on her ears. They had never fully uncurled as she grew up. It had been a defect she gained before birth her mother once told her. Mariam knew she felt responsible for her defect, but the hedgehog tried to show that the curled ears didn't bother her. Neither did being deaf. She's adapted to it.

"Mari!"

"If you're not in her room, Rorik, she can't hear you," muttered Shadow as he munched on a coffee bean. "You'll have to go get her again."

"Can't you drink coffee like normal people, dad?" asked Rorik as he watched him. "I'm not going to get her again. She can miss the bus."

Mariam finished fixing her quills except for a stubborn one that refused to lay down for her. She growled at it before huffing. She supposed it'd have to be that way for the first day of class. Her eyes closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She didn't need to make a bad impression on the first day of school. She gave a small yelp as hands ran through her hair. Her eyes opened to see her mother standing behind her. The woman smiled in the mirror before fixing the stubborn quill. She continued to stare at the mirror before speaking know her daughter could read lips.

"No need to be upset over a bit of a quill problem," soothed Krystal. "It'll all work out, sweetheart. Besides, your friends will be in the same class as you. And, it'll be fun to show new people how to use sign language. Don't you think so?"

Mariam's hands moved on their own accord to answer her mother. She was nervous, but she was glad her friends would be there with her. She stumbled over her words before giving up as her hands lay at her sighed. The thirteen years old hedgehog was afraid. High school was different. Would people be nice to her like in middle school? Krystal nuzzled her daughter's cheek before laughing a bit.

"No need to worry about bullies, dear," she said. "I'm pretty sure people are going to know not to mess with you."

Ah, right, thought Mariam with a frown etched on her face. They would know she was Shadow the Hedgehog's daughter. Not very many black and red hedgehogs roamed the world at the moment except him - and his deaf daughter. She closed her only red eye to stare the blue one in the mirror. That was the only physical appearance she got from her mother. One blue eye.

Why do I have to look like dad? she signed. The teachers think too highly of me when they figure out who my father is. Why do I have to be in his shadow?

Krystal sighed before chuckling a bit. She replied in the mirror deciding words were better even for a daughter who didn't hear sound, "Looking like your father isn't meant to give a bitter feeling, Mariam. In fact, I think you should take pride in your appearance. Make it your own. Make people see you not the daughter of Shadow the Hedgehog. Though, I would appreciate if I got some credit here. He didn't carry you around for 9 months. It's not my fault the Ultimate Lifeform's DNA seemed to have overridden my own."

That got a giggle out of her daughter. Mariam wasn't mute. She could make these adorable little sounds from time to time. She never grew up hearing words, so it was hard for her to say them. Though, she could say words. The young hedgehog wasn't stupid. Krystal laughed with her.

Jokes on him, because my mitochondria will always belong to you, joked the girl as her hands moved widely.

You're right! Krystal replied with her own hands forming signs and symbols. Only the DNA of the mother gets passed down in the one cell that gives you energy - No wonder you're doomed.

That got a laugh out of Mariam. She kissed her mother's cheek before grabbing her backpack. She ran out of the room as quick as her legs could carry her and down the steps. She paused as she got into the kitchen. Rorik was giving her a look as his foot tapped against the tiled floor of the house. She gave him an innocent and apologetic smile. The brown hedgehog sighed as he shook his head.

"Let's go, Mari. We'll make it on time for the bus."

Mariam nodded before she glanced at her father. She gave a disgruntled look at him eating the coffee beans. She never understood his weird morning quirk.

Dad, why don't you drink coffee like normal people?

"Hey, that's what I asked him," laughed Rorik as he opened the front door.

Shadow gruntled as he moved to reply to Mariam something he didn't bother to do for Rorik. His hands moved to answer her.

Cause I don't like being like other people.

Obviously, was his daughter's only reply before she moved out the door with Rorik.

Shadow chuckled a bit before leaning back in the chair as he moved to stare at the ceiling. Was his daughter really thirteen years old? Where has the time gone? He moved his head back farther as he stared at the dark grey female hedgehog that stood in the doorway of the kitchen. He smirked at her causing her to snort.

"Yes, Mr. Hedgehog?" she asked him.

"Summer's finally over," he said. "The children are back to school."

"Yes, I can't believe it's Rorik's last year of high school and Mariam's first year of high school," replied Krystal. "Whatever am I going to do? They're going up too fast."

"Mariam needs to stop growing up," he muttered before moving to sit straight on the chair. "I'll have to find a good stick to beat the males off her."

Krystal laughed as she heard her husband. Ah, yes, nobody else would hear such things from Shadow the Hedgehog. She shook her head before draping her arms over his neck before nuzzling the top of his head.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," she hummed. "I'm sure the boys know what they're getting into with somebody who looks remarkably similar to one certain black and red hedgehog I know."

"I hope his name is Shadow," he said with a joking tone. "Otherwise, I might have to murder a hedgehog."

"Hmm, his name might be Shadow. I'm not actually too sure."

"Kris," he said with a small growl.

"Hmm?" she asked as she made him look at her. "Sometimes, you can't take a joke, can you? Well, maybe we can get reminded of who he is."

She moved to kiss him. Shadow kissed her back before smoothly moving her onto his lap causing the woman to make a noise. She gave him a look causing him to chuckle.

"I'm perfectly okay with that," he said before kissing her again.

Krystal purred against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled herself closer. To be honest, they didn't have a lot of alone time much anymore. Shadow was still one of G.U.N.'s best agents, and he was still called to the more dangerous and important missions. She moved to pepper kisses along his jaw before moving to mess with one of his ears before a beep distracted them. She frowned a bit before letting out a groan.

"Tell G.U.N. they have perfect timing," she muttered.

Shadow made a noise before sighing. "Yeah, I'll make them painfully aware of the fact." He didn't move from his spot on the chair. He was content at the moment, and his job was going to ruin that feeling. His communicator beeped once again.

"You should get that," she said. "It could be important."

"I don't really want too," he replied. "I'm content right here at the moment."

Krystal sighed as she moved to get off his lap. She smiled at him before going over to fetch the communicator. She tossed at him before moving to her previous position behind him with her arms wrapped around his neck. He growled in irritation before answering it.

"Yes?"

The communicators had gotten a bit more advanced over the years. Holographic communication was a thing. A holographic picture of a man appeared before them.

"Shadow, this is highly impor -" He paused as he saw Krystal behind him. "This is a classified matter."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You do realize I get all the details of your missions anyway. It's not like I live with him - you know - when he's actually home."

Shadow's lip curled up into a small grin. He did love this hedgehog. The messenger sighed. He wasn't going to get anywhere with these two. He shook his head before agreeing to speak in front of her.

"Very well," he said. "Shadow, we're to believe somebody had reactivated one of Dr. Eggman's old lairs, and everything that had been sealed within it. We need you to get inside and stop them or at least report what they plan to do with the lair and robots."

Krystal blinked. This sounded dangerous. Her grip on Shadow tightened a bit. He made a noise before moving to pat her arm with his hand. He would be okay was the message it sent. Nothing could take him out that easily. Krystal relaxed before going to nuzzle him.

"Alright," Shadow said. "I'll be at HQ in a bit."

"Shadow, the commander requested you no -"

It was at that point Krystal decided to make her point as she bit Shadow's ear causing the hedgehog to bite his lip to keep quiet. The man on the holograph made a noise as he looked away.

"He'll be there soon, promise," she said with a wink before turning off the communicator.

Shadow stared at the wall as he moved to rub his ear. Krystal threw the communicator on the counter before going to sit in his lap once more. She stared at him before rolling her eyes.

"Should I bite the other one?" she asked him part playfully and part sarcastically.

Red eyes stared at her as he snapped out of his stupor. He moved to wrap his arms around her waist to pull her close. He moved to seemingly kiss her before going to bite her own ear. She gasped before he poked his wife's side causing her to jump and squirm. Krystal couldn't do much as he tickled her as he held a grip on her ear.

"H-Hey, I'm sorry," she said through tears of laughter. Her face had turned red at that point. "I w-won't do that a-again."

Shadow stopped tickling her allowing the woman to catch her breath before licking her ear causing her to yelp. He chuckled before nuzzling his wife.

"Good," he said after a moment. "I should be going. I don't think the commander will be pleased I wasn't there as soon as I got the message."

Krystal managed to catch her breath before sighing. "Yeah, I suppose you should go."

She went to get off his lap, but Shadow tightened his grip on his wife before pulling her closer to him again. He kissed her. The female hedgehog made a final noise before she kissed him back.

"Make sure you come back," Krystal said as she pulled away from him. "Maybe we can continue after you come back. Possibly not in the kitchen. Maybe the confines of our bedroom?"

Shadow's ears perked as he heard her. Well, that was a rather good incentive to come home, wasn't it?

"Plus, you can ask your daughter how many boys tried to hit on her during school today," she teased.

Shadow's mood plummeted as he growled his ears pinned back against his head. Well, that thought hadn't entered his head for awhile.

"I'll be home soon," he said before releasing her. "Tell Mariam she's not allowed to have a boyfriend."

"Will do," laughed Krystal. "I bet nobody will believe that Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Lifeform, is an overprotective father of his only daughter." She paused. "We should have another one."

Shadow made a noise as he stared at her. "You can't be serious. Rorik is 18. Our daughter just turned 13. There would be a bit of a grab there, wouldn't there?"

"Oh come on, Shadow," she said teasingly at him. "I think it would be fine. Mariam would be excited to have a younger sibling. Besides, Sonic and Amy are having another little one. And, Aura is 15 years old."

"That's faker and his wife's prerogative not …" he stopped his sentence before sighing. "I know you're teasing me about this."

"There is some non-teasing behind it," she hummed. "I wouldn't mind another one. But, that's not just up to me to decide." She smiled softly at him before patting his cheek. "Just something to think about."

"Not what I need to think about while infiltrating one of Eggma's old lairs, Kris," he said with a short laugh. "But, okay, I'll think about it."

He warped out of the house afterward. Krystal sighed as she sat in the chair before propping her chin on the table via her hand.

"Well, a little one sure would make it less quiet around here at the very least," she muttered.