Chapter 2
He looked at the planet that was so close to him. Even though he had spent so much time there, he was not yet adapted to it. Therefore, he remained in the only place he would call home, the space colony ARK.
It was the only place that the ultimate life form, Shadow the Hedgehog would be most familiar to; the only place he really had. He stood in the central control room and viewed the planet Earth, and space itself. Shadow had much on his mind.
He took out a photograph that was given to him a few months ago, it was a picture of his creator Dr. Gerald Robotnik, and his granddaughter Maria. Of course, they were the only company that Shadow ever had, but his memories of them are quite faint. They were merely brief scenes of past events.
Why? That was the main question Shadow has been asking himself. It was his missing link. He was looking for an answer.
Why?
Shadow remembered that his creator once told him that he had dedicated his life and work to the citizens of Earth. To make the people happy was his motive. Yet Shadow was still curious about something.
Why?
His supporter Maria, who had an illness at the time, fought along side the professor. Shadow had seen the hope and confidence Maria had in her eyes, regardless of the state she was in. She was a pure-hearted young woman that has been a true friend to Shadow, and he will always keep her in his heart.
Why?
That was his question. He knew he was the ultimate life form, he had proven that countless times. But he had to wonder if he had truly fulfilled his purpose. Shadow had yet to understand why the professor had given him what he called a 'heart'. As he thought more, Shadow was brought back to what Dr. Gerald Robotnik told him, as well as what Maria's words were.
/Give them a chance… to be happy…/
Shadow clenched his fists in frustration as he tried to put the pieces together. The professor, Maria, and their colleges had fought a long battle to bring harmony to the people on Earth. Their hard work to make everyone happy…
Shadow looked at the planet in disgust. 'If they truly had a chance for happiness then,' he thought. 'they have done nothing to earn that from the professor and the others 50 years ago. They have only proven their fear for me, for the professor…for Maria. The people's fear led them to shutting down this research facility, at the same it ended some people's lives, including Maria's.'
Shadow could feel his anger rushing through his body as he clenched his fists tighter. Humans are such strange creatures. If they wanted peace, didn't they have any sense? Shadow was just about ready to regret that he himself had once threatened to destroy the Earth for what the people had done. But then he wouldn't have thought he had fulfilled Maria's promise… and Amy's…
…Yes, Amy Rose.
She had that same look in her emerald eyes Maria had as well, which made Shadow even more confused. He had seen her a few times before; she would definitely be the bubbliest person Shadow ever met in his life. He could almost see that Amy had the same innocence Maria had.
The black hedgehog took out a green Chaos Emerald and stared at it as he thought. He hadn't seen Amy for the longest time. She probably already got into some kind of trouble. Shadow turned and continued to stare at the planet below.
It continued to rain that day, and Amy stayed at her apartment. The overly cheerful girl of the Sonic Heroes, the ever-active person that she was, wasn't feeling this way this time.
Amy sat quietly at her kitchen table, holding a cup of water. She hasn't had restful sleep for a while. She has been feeling gloomy and under the weather, just as she was feeling right now. Maybe the strange weather had an effect on her. Amy wasn't sure, but she felt terrible. She pressed her hand to her head; she had a bad headache.
She took a sip of her water, then suddenly heard a knock from her front door. Amy slowly got up from where she sat and exited the kitchen. When she answered the door, Amy saw her friend Cream in front of her with an umbrella in her hands. "Hi Cream," Amy said weakly.
"Hi Amy," Cream's smile disappeared as soon as she saw Amy's face. "Are you okay? You don't look like you're feeling well."
"I'm fine." Amy lied. She put on a smile, hoping that her rabbit friend would be reassured. But Cream wasn't convinced. "Where's Cheese?" she asked.
"He's in the Chao Garden at the hotel. I'm gonna get him later on today." Cream noticed that Amy was grabbing her coat and umbrella. She wasn't planning on going outside in the rain, was she? "Amy, what are you doing?"
"I need to go to the store for a bit." Amy answered. "I'm running out on food. The store's just around the corner."
"But Amy, I know you're not feeling too good. You shouldn't go outside if you're sick, it'll get worst!"
Amy was already just outside the front door. "I'm just fine, Cream. Watch." Amy wanted to try to walk, but then she suddenly felt dizzy and felt more pain in her head. She stumbled and started to fall.
"Amy!" Cream yelled.
Amy got dizzier as she fell. Then she felt arms catching her, stopping her fall. Those arms wrapped around her as her head were rested on a soft chest. Amy went into unconsciousness before she had a chance to see who had caught her.
Cream didn't notice her mouth dropped. She was surprised to see that Shadow appeared so suddenly and helped Amy. She then sighed, and went next to both hedgehogs to check on them. "Poor Amy…"
Shadow feel the heat from Amy's body, he knew it wasn't normal. She's probably gotten a fever. And she was stubborn enough to go outdoors? Shadow put his hand on Amy's head. Might as well stay here for a while, at least until she wakes.