The Dmgirl: And here Chapter 2. Bring the tissues people, this one is a tear-jerker!
Disclaimer: I don't not own Sonic and company. Sega does.
The Three Posts
Chapter II: Past and Present
Shadow wasn't one for emotion.
In fact, he was one of the calmest persons Rotor knew. Always quiet, soft spoken, but unafraid to say exactly what he had in mind.
But as leader of a village, it was expected. It was expected that Shadow would be the last to react and the first to calculate every option before taking the most logical course of action. It was expected for Shadow to be distant and use his head instead of his heart.
"Damn it!"
But that didn't mean nothing got to him.
"Damn that kid and his fiancée!"
That didn't mean that some situations didn't get the best of him. Certainly when they involved a blue hedgehog that never stopped trying to reach out to him.
"Not having the best day, I take it?" the purple walrus said conversationally while watching red eyes lift up to look at him before a hand cradled a black forehead.
Damn that stupid couple. Damn them all to hell.
"Rotor," Shadow whispered before sighing, and looking at the mechanic with a small smile. One he knew would simply slip the moment he'd open his mouth again.
"I'm that readable, am I?" he continued as he slowly made his way to the closest chair, slumping into it. To say he had been energetic, almost happy to return to the village. To say that he had been eager to head home, take a bath in the pond behind his house, and simply take the entire day off before looking at the disc.
He'd have to show Sonic how thankful he was later. A punch in the gut was sure to drive his point home.
He watched as Rotor shrugged and gave a comforting smile.
"Just a guess, really. Sonic is getting on your nerves again?"
Shadow's hands nearly pulverized the armrests, and his teeth clenched so hard, he could feel them grinding against each other through his gums. Because if it was one thing to think about Sonic's annoying behavior, it was totally another to hear.
He forced his hands to let go, and slowly got the splinters out of his hands. Damn that kid.
"Do me a favor, Rotor. Don't pronounce that name in the next twenty-four hours," he said as pleasantly as he could, watching the purple walrus nod in comprehension before turning to the blank screen in front of him. Might as well, right? He was in the computer room, after all.
He flinched as his ears picked up an old, familiar shout. One he had sworn to himself he'd forget, but wouldn't want to lose for anything now. He sighed, and threw an arm over his eyes. Time had changed him, and changed him good.
"One last thing, Rotor," he breathed, his fingers gripping the disc even harder. He knew what was in there. He knew it was only memories. Memories he didn't have because he hadn't been there. And that was what made it all the more important.
Because there could be information he hadn't known about. Because there could be a way to reach the Entity that was threatening to destroy the world he'd loved so much.
And it might be his only way to see him once again.
"Could you step out? I need to check on something," he said with a weak smile, holding the disc up.
Only to watch Rotor slowly stand up, smile still present.
"Should have asked the moment you came in, Shadow. I would have moved," said the walrus as he made his way to the door, turning back. "I'll be in the village if you need me."
Shadow smiled as the door closed behind Rotor, before turning back to the computer. No time to be distracted. No time like the present.
He gave a glance at the electrical system, and mentally thanked the Entity for the innumerable batteries he had managed to save as he fired it up. If it wasn't for his enemy, this place would have run out of power long ago, and left him clueless.
He opened the disc reader, put the disc inside and slid it closed as he gave a quick look at the screen. There was likely no chance that the Entity hadn't tampered with it. There was little to no chance that it hadn't managed to hack it, and find the information inside.
He blinked as the words "Voice Recognition" appeared. There was little to no chance, but it had still happened. And that only meant...
"Shadow the Hedgehog," he breathed, feeling his heart thump in his chest as a two-tailed insignia appeared on screen. It could only mean the late Tails had had his hands on this, and had coded it beyond the Entity's capabilities. And that meant...
He felt his breath catch in his throat at the apparition of an old, abandoned building. One that haunted his dreams, now, just as much as his last hours with his beloved friend. One that had been their last refuge before the robotic invasion.
How much was left before -
"Sonic, leave that camera alone! We have no time for this!"
He swallowed. Hard.
Hours. This had been merely hours before the last assault.
"And they say I don't have any patience," he mouthed during the chuckle. The chuckle that made him move closer to the screen. He hadn't known that that camera had actually been on. He hadn't known that its holder had managed to make it work. He had underestimated him once more, it seemed.
"Just give me a minute Shads!" he heard before the sound of a creaking door resounded in the video as it shut closed, and the camera quickly found itself in front of a pile of boxes.
And his heart nearly stopped as blue appeared in front of it, and gloved hands tried to adjust the height.
No. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.
His breath caught in his throat as soft green finally faced the screen with a sigh. And a short wave was aimed at the camera.
"Hey Shadow."
It was. And it explained why the Entity hadn't managed to crack open the disc. The disc was for him. Exclusively for him.
And it was from the late Sonic the Hedgehog who was currently chuckling as if nothing was outside, threatening to destroy his home planet.
"Gosh… Feels weird to talk to you when I just left you in the other room. It's like I haven't left you at all," the blue one said, before looking up and sighing. "Then again, you're probably watching this years from now. And that means you're probably not the same."
A laugh. Before green eyes met his and his heart skipped a beat. He'd missed that. He'd missed being looked at by the person who had led their group until the end.
"You know, I wonder what it looks like. How far ahead you are, and how everything is," was said before a frown slowly formed. "Can't help but think it mustn't be pretty, though. I'm one to trust my gut feelings, and whenever I think about the future, it doesn't look good."
"You have no idea," Shadow replied as he shuffled in his seat, the scents of the chemicals on his skin crawling up his nose. He would need that bath. And the sooner, the better.
"You know," he heard as he brought his attention back to the screen, to the Sonic that was currently staring upwards, seemingly thoughtful. "I came here with an idea of what I wanted to say. I almost had a speech ready, too. And now that I'm there, I don't know what to say. Way to make me feel tongue-tied, Shads."
He couldn't help the smile at the slightly peeved look. Nor the chuckle as the scowl deepened further. Good old Sonic. He never changed, did he?
"There is one thing I want to talk about, though," was said as a finger was held up, and a smile appeared. A smile that made him halt his laughter. A smile that made his heart give a painful thump. A smile that didn't belong on Sonic's face. A smile that held admiration.
"And that's you."
He felt his hand reach for his chest, and tangle itself in white fur. No.
"I know you probably remember everything that's happened here, and probably even more than that, so I won't bother sharing everything I know about the invasion. I know you know that even though those robots are talking about the Eggman Empire, it's not him 'cause they found him… dead in his own facility. And I know you know the toll our team has taken in the past week, and how much it's affected all of us. So I'm not going to talk about that."
Shadow bit his lip as Sonic folded and looked at his hands.
"I'm not sure if you decided to block the memory off, and I wouldn't blame you if you did, but when you went… crazed when Rouge died, I almost lost hope. As I kept trying to convince you that we had to move on, a big part of me felt that I was convincing myself. I didn't realize how much your support meant until you – you just – broke down. I didn't know how much I was counting on you until you suddenly collapsed. I didn't realize how much – how much I – needed you until I saw you fall," was said as he watched Sonic struggle to find the right words, to keep a sad, already fading smile that clearly didn't belong on that usually cheerful face.
"I heard that you don't realize what you have until you've lost it, and I guess it's true. If all of this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have known what I know today. I wouldn't have known how much of a support you were to us, to all of us. But especially to me. I wouldn't have realized how much I – how much I admired you. How much I wanted to get along with you. How much I just – wanted to be with you."
He heard the breath as that chest moved, and eyes lifted to the screen.
"I wouldn't have known how much I love you."
He felt his throat clog as the smile returned, and that chuckle pierced his heart.
"You've gotten a lot stronger since that day, Shads. You have led us, shared G.U.N. plans and motivated us the moment you felt that something wasn't right. Before I knew it, you took a place that I never thought you'd take. You became a leader of sorts, and I found myself listening to your words almost – religiously. I never realized how good of a motivator you were before that. And I never realized that all you needed was a little push in the right direction. You are a wonderful person, Shadow. I hope you know that," Sonic continued as Shadow's gripped his chest, feeling his heart pound. No. Sonic couldn't possibly be implying… He couldn't have! He hadn't!
"And I hope you know by now that whatever you're doing, you're doing it right. You're a leader, Shads, a great one. I'm sure the world is safe in your hands. And I'm sure you'll do just fine on your own. I'll miss you, of course, but that's the way it goes, right?" was said as his hand reached for his mouth. Had he – Had Sonic actually known?
"I think I know now what she felt. Ironic, isn't it? I finally understand why people care for you so much, and want to make sure you live. Why people love you so much. Took me this long to realize. Figures," Sonic stated with a choked laugh before looking at the screen.
"Shadow… I know you're probably going to hate me all your life for this, but please understand. What I'm doing tonight is not for me. It's for you. I can't bear to think what the world would look like if this were to happen to you. You need to live. And I'll make sure you do."
"Sonic! G.U.N. is starting their assault in a minute! Hurry up!"
Black ears twitched at the sound of a chair scrapping the floor as he watched Sonic flinch, and turn to the closed door. No. Not yet. Please, not yet.
"Guess I'm out of time. I'll be brief, then. Shads, whatever I do, today, don't hold it against yourself. Don't you dare do that. I'll hunt you down if you do. Because what I'm doing is entirely my decision. I know it's probably too late to tell you this, but I -"
"SONIC!"
"Comin'!" Sonic shouted at the door before turning back to the camera and whispering. Whispering so low, Shadow had to strain himself to hear it.
"I love you, Shadow."
He sunk into his chair as a gloved hand reached for the camera, turning it off. He stared as the screen turned blank, and his mind raced. Raced to the last moments. To when that laser had pierced Sonic throughout while the blue one pushed him out of the way.
"Sonic!" he shouted as he watched the hero fall, and barely caught him in time. No. This couldn't be. Tails had died a few minutes ago. Sonic couldn't be…
"Sonic!" he repeated, "Answer me, you idiot!"
Blue lids slowly lifted, and a weak smile appeared, "Shadow…"
He let out a breath of relief, "You asshole, do you…"
Only to be stopped as a finger landed on his lips. A sticky, bloody finger.
"I'm sorry, Shads."
He moved the finger aside, "What?"
"It's up to you, now. I'm sorry I can't – I can't help any longer," was said with a smile. A weak smile that faded as green eyes slid close, and a breath passed peach lips.
No.
"Sonic?" he said as he shook the hero. The hero who remained motionless in his arms.
"Sonic," he tried once more. Without answer.
"Sonic!" he yelled, searching for a sign. Any sign. He couldn't be dead. Sonic couldn't be dead. The hero couldn't be dead!
"Sonic!" was ripped out of his throat as he was pulled away, and he pounded against the unyielding metal holding his arm. He had to get back. Sonic had to be alive. He had to be!
He hadn't. He wasn't. Sonic had died protecting Shadow from a laser blast meant for him. Sonic had taken the shot to save the black hedgehog's life at the cost of his own.
And by the time Shadow returned to Central City, his corpse was gone.
His ears still rang from the shout he had freed, the screech of metal. His hands still hurt from the singes he had given them with the constant use of his power. His body still felt lit with the numerous Chaos Blasts he had used. His cheeks still felt the burn of the tears that had trailed along them. And his mind was still cursing him to have let Sonic die. To have let him die without telling him why he had changed, why he had aged.
Because when he realized that everyone was growing up, he had asked Tails to help him. To make his body do the impossible. The fox hadn't refused, instead presenting him with a folder a few days later, no questions attached, and they had proceeded with the aging a few months later. Everything had gone well, and Shadow had a few more years to approach Sonic.
Only to be screwed over a year later when the robots rolled in.
The people he had thought strong, impossible to kill, died like flies at the never-ending assault the robots gave. Cream and Vanilla died in the comfort of their own house. Amy was found impaled by a spear a few days later. Then the news that Eggman was dead circulated on the battlefield, only to be quickly followed by Knuckles'. That was when Rouge fought like a madwoman before dying with a smile on her face, and Shadow had gone mad.
He remembered the way Sonic had tried to convince him to keep on, that they had to keep going no matter how many people they lost. And the way Sonic had managed to put him back together by showing him that he also was barely holding on. The dying flame in his chest lit up once again, and reminded him of the reasons he had undergone the aging process a year ago.
He loved that blue hedgehog, loved him with his life.
And he lost him before he could even say it.
His ears flicked at the sound of a drop hitting the floor, and his hand reached for his cheeks. Wet. He was crying. He was crying. And he knew why.
He knew why Sonic had also tried his best in getting closer to him, talk to him, and make him participate in conversations. He knew why Sonic had thrown himself in front of that laser shot to save him. He knew why Sonic had told him to go.
Because, after two thousand years, he finally knew it wasn't unrequited. After two thousand years, he knew it was returned. After two thousand years, he knew that Sonic loved him.
And that he had to keep the new Sonic at arms' length.
It didn't matter if they acted the same. It didn't matter if their Chaos Signature were the same. They were different. They had to be. Else he'd fall right back. Else he wouldn't be able to resist the call his heart made the moment the boy's energy rubbed against his senses.
Because he couldn't. He couldn't even dare sympathize for the kid. This Sonic was taken. This Sonic was getting married. To Sally Acorn. The only person who couldn't stand seeing him for even a second.
Didn't stop the hurt. Didn't stop the liquid pain rolling in his veins. And it didn't stop the shout rumbling in his chest, threatening to break out at any moment.
"Mr. Hedgehog."
He blinked. And stared at the closed door behind him. Who…?
"Mr. Hedgehog, you are demanded at the Border in the southeast corner. According to the signal, there is an intruder demanding for entry."
Amadeus. He wiped his tears, and willed them to stop before quickly clearing his throat.
"Robotic?"
"Not that I could say, sir. Shall I warn the villagers?"
"Yes," he managed as he slowly collected himself, and stood.
Work, Shadow, work. Else you'll never be able to stand here...