Chapter ten
Sonic was searching around for his partner when he heard an explosion in the distance. He stopped running and looked to where he knew the sound came from then another explosion happened and a bit of dust could be seen rising up.
"That doesn't sound good." Sonic thought then ran towards the noise and quickly settling dust cloud.
"ITS NOT FAIR!" Shadow shouted as he once again throw a chaos spear in a random direction, hitting a large rock, causing said rock to combust then crumble into dust.
"Well at least it's not Eggman attacking." Sonic thought as he witnessed the Ultimate Lifeform having a tantrum.
"I'm not allowed to make any choices in my life, it is just not fair." Shadow said with little rage and more despair in his tone.
"Not when it comes to Black Doom you don't." Sonic announces his presence, causing Shadow to sharply turn to face him.
"Leave me alone." Shadow hisses out, clearly not wanting the other with him right now.
"Sorry no can do, in case you've forgotten Eggman still wants ya. If he sees you alone and off guard he will attack and take you." Sonic refreshes Shadow's memory with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Do I honestly look like I give a rats ass right now and besides I could do with some target practice." Shadow frowns and crosses his arms over his chest then adds, "So leave me alone."
"And I said no, like it or not I have orders to bring you back to the house where you're safe." Sonic replies back with an annoyed expression.
"Safe! You call imprisonment and lock down safe, What kind of planet is this?" Shadow argues back with a displeased expression.
"One of a kind, now come on I'm not leaving you alone." Sonic says trying to seem less annoyed.
"Fine if you wont leave then I will." Shadow turns then vanishes via chaos control.
"Damn is he so stubborn." Sonic sighs then ran off to try and find Shadow once again.
Shadow watches Sonic leave from high above in a near by tree.
"Stupid hedgehog, stupid yet really cute hedgehog." Shadow whispers to himself then sits on the branch in a sulk, leaning against the trunk of the tree with closed eyes and a deep frown on his muzzle.
An hour passed and Sonic returned to the house in a panic, he wasn't able to find Shadow and now he was beginning to worry. Shadow was still in that tree fast asleep unknown to him that a wide spread panic upon his safety had began.
"What do you mean you couldn't find him?" Gerald almost shouted out in shock.
"He teleported away, I've been running like crazy all over looking for him." Sonic replied in worry.
"We need to stay calm, I'm sure he's fine." Michael said, trying to remain calm himself.
"Yeah it's not the first time he's ran off for hours at one given time." Jason added, remembering all the times Shadow had done disappearing acts in the past then returned in a couple of hours later.
"That may be the case but we were on a freaking space station, not many places to disappear to compared to here." Gerald shot back in a slightly angered tone, not truly meaning it to be directed to his colleague but he was really upset and scared for Shadows safety.
"Hello…oh is this a bad time?" Amy called in as she and Cream walked into the house.
"Oh damn I forgot I said Cream could stay." Sonic thought as he saw said rabbit beside Amy.
"Oh you know the usual, Shadow's disappeared and no one seems to know where he went." Tails filled the two girls in briefly.
"Ran out on ya already Sonic, guess I'm still in for the chance after all regardless of your claims to be gay." Amy thought but said instead, "I'm sorry to hear that, I'm sure he's fine. Anyway I'm just here to drop Cream and cheese off."
"Thanks Amy, see ya around." Sonic said as Amy waved a bye as she out of the house.
"Who's Shadow?" Cream asked innocently as she looked at everyone, Cheese also looking puzzled within the rabbits arms with a question mark above his head.
"Right come with me Cream, I'll fill you in on what's been happening." Tails said as he took one of Cream's hand and lead her in to the kitchen.
"Yep that's Cream, great kid anyway I'm going to go back out and re-look around, he might be on his way back." Sonic said then zoomed off out the front door.
"Yeah if I know Shadow, and I do, he wont be back for at least another hour." Gerald sighed as he took a seat on the sofa.
"Shadow's probable found a nice warm spot by a tree and is just taking a nap." Maria smiled sweetly…
"SHADOW! Come on out we're all worried sick." Sonic shouted out after stopping where he last saw the dark hedgehog.
Upon hearing his name being shouted out, Shadow stirred in his sleep. He groaned lightly then slowly lifted his eyelids open. Shadow looked down to see Sonic's worried features. He stretched then jumped down behind the blue one silently.
"You called?" Shadow said not looking happy about being disturbed.
"What the? Whoa Shadow damn, don't do that." Sonic jumped up in shock at being answered so suddenly, turning to face Shadow as he did.
"Well, what do you want? I was actually having a nice nap." Shadow asked again while frowning.
"Right, yes of course…where the hell have you been? Everyone's been worried sick, you disappear for over an hour Shadow and you were what sleeping? We have a bed for doing that." Sonic answered as the worry and stress was slowly fading and relief washed over him.
"God are you always this clingy?" Shadow rolled his eyes as he spoke.
"What? No, I'm just glad you're safe, come on we better announce that you're fine. Just please don't go off like that again." Sonic calmly said as he took Shadow's hand and led him back to the house.
"Can't promise I wont, it's just how I deal with certain things." Shadow said as they walked then added, "maybe next time I say leave me alone, could you just do that. Saves on the unnecessary worry."
"Sure ok, no problem, just don't go of too far to be alone." Sonic agreed with a smile.
"I rest my case, clingy." Shadow teased with a smirk.
"Hey I'm not clingy." Sonic protested as they walked.
Shadow just rolled his eyes at that and walked in silence to the house.
"Grandpa Sonics found Shadow and they're heading back now." Maria announces from the window then adds, "please don't shout at him, he might run off again."
"My dear I can't promise that." Gerald replies in relief, sighing out loud.
"I'm back and guess who's with me?" Sonic shouts as he walks inside and up to everyone.
"Shadow! What have I told you about running off like that?" Gerald slightly shouts.
"Not to." Shadow calmly answers with crossed arms.
"Have you any idea how worried we've all been, how worried I've been. You mister are on house arrest until further notice." Gerald said as the stress were vanishing.
"That is not fair…life of an experiment, I have no say in what I do." Shadow grumbled unhappily.
"That is not true." Gerald corrected.
"No? Then please tell me, when ever have I've been allowed to do what I want?" Shadow shot back with a deep frown.
Gerald remained silent as did everyone else that came from the ARK.
"My point exactly." Shadow rolled his eyes then added with annoyance, "whatever, since I'm not my own person and imprisoned here I might as well go to my 'cell block' and mope about how more unfair life has become."
Shadow walked out of the living room and down to the underground lab.
"Teenagers are the worst." Gerald sighed as he heard the lab door slam shut.
"Hey I resent that." Maria said with a fake unhappy look.
"Yeah me too…then again I do have my moments." Sonic agreed with a small grin.
"I better have a few words with him." Gerald said then made his way to the lab.
"So that's Shadow then…I like him." Cream smiled brightly with happy closed eyes.
"Chao." Cheese cooed happily in agreement as he floated beside Cream.
"Yeah once you get passed the grumpy parts to his personality, he's pretty cool." Sonic agreed with a proud smile.
"And the stubbornness, don't forget that part." Maria added with a little giggle.
"Definitely can't forget that part." Sonic agrees then laughs.
Gerald entered the lab and walked up to his hedgehog son who was laying on the examination table, one arm over his eyes and the other dangling on the side. Gerald grabbed a chair before reaching Shadow then drags it to Shadow's side, sitting down when he reached the table.
"Shadow…" Gerald called softly to get his creation's attention
"Why does crap have to make life so difficult all of the time?" Shadow calmly asked then removed his arm away from his eyes to look at his human father.
"That's just life Shadow, we all have to face tuff times, fight our way through difficult situations. In the end we all come out stronger and have greater knowledge to pass down to others when they are finding times too hard." Gerald explained with a sincere tone.
"Oh I feel so much better." Shadow sarcastically replied as he rolled his eyes, feeling this pep talk very unhelpful.
"Listen, I know I can be hard on you at times but you have to believe me I'm doing it for your own good." Gerald said semi seriously to his creation.
"For my own good? So not allowing me to see my biological father is for my own good, keeping me locked up in this place is for my own good, not allowing me to make my own choices in my life is for my own good? If that's the case, kill me now because I don't want any part of this life anymore." Shadow replied with anger, sitting up as he spoke.
"Please try to understand Shadow." Gerald started to say but was cut short.
"No, understand this, I've had enough. I don't want this life, I. Want. Out." Shadow depressingly said almost on the verge of tears.
"You don't mean that, you're upset." Gerald replied not sure on how to feel about this.
"The thing is right now everything seems so much more complicated then they did back on the ARK. At least when we were there no one was planning to use me for decades to come, I would have had plenty of time to plan ahead. It's just so overwhelming. Last week the only biggest worry was whether or not the correct paperwork was filled out and handed in on time and now…" Shadow admitted in a sad tone now sitting on the edge of the table and looking down to the floor.
"I know a lot has happened within the last few days or so and it's a lot to take in all at once but you have to remember you are not alone. You have all of us to help if and when you need it. Right now we need to make sure my grandson doesn't try and take you away. Also we will think of a plan for when Black Doom arrives, just in case he is lying and hasn't changed, ok." Gerald replied as he lifted Shadow's head up to make eye contact.
"O-K, I can work with that." Shadow agrees with a faint smile.
"Good, are you coming or do you want to stay here for a bit?" Gerald asked as he stood up.
"Na I'll come. I'm feeling somewhat better now." Shadow replied more cheerfully, jumping down and following the Professor out of the lab.
"Hey Shadow feeling better?" Sonic asked as he noticed him enter the kitchen with Gerald.
"Yeah for the moment…who's the rabbit and what the hell is that floaty thing?" Shadow asked as he eyed them both up and down suspiciously.
"Shadow this is Cream, she's staying with us for a few weeks. That floaty thing you are referring to is called a Chao, His name is Cheese. I'll explain more about them another time ok…Cream, Cheese this is Shadow, my boyfriend." Sonic introduced the three properly.
"So that's why Amy isn't very talkative, you have a boyfriend. It's very nice to meet you Shadow." Cream said very politely and held a warm friendly smile.
"Chao, Chao." Cheese cried out cheerfully.
"It's a pleasure." Shadow smiled back the same.
"Are you and Sonic going to get married?" Cream asked innocently.
"Excuse me?" Shadow replied in shock and surprise.
"One step at a time Cream yeah, we don't want to scare him off now do we." Sonic said with a wink at the child rabbit, who smiled back innocently.
"Is there something you want to talk to me about, Sonic?" Shadow frowned dangerously as he looked over at his winking partner.
"What ever do you mean? So who's hungry? I say lets get dinner." Sonic faked an innocent look then changed the subject, ignoring the dark look from Shadow.
"Sure, what are we going to have?" Tails asked with a smile.
"Not sure, I'll get back to ya on that in a minute, better yet how about I go out and pick up some pizza. Shadow you could come too." Sonic replied then looked over at his boyfriend.
"Sure I would love to but alas, I can't…I'm under house arrest remember." Shadow reminded the blue hero, starting of very dramatically then ending unhappily with a small frown at his situation.
"Oh yeah bummer that, maybe you wont go running of in the future." Sonic grinned teasingly at his boyfriend.
"No lesson has been learned…I mean yes lesson learned, no running off." Shadow said then corrected himself as he got an unhappy look from Gerald.
"Shadow." Gerald called out the name of his creation in an annoyed tone.
"What? We all know I'm bound to do it again, so why bother to lie about it." Shadow grinned as he spoke.
"What am I going to do with you?" Gerald sighed out in defeat.
"Love me, care for me and never leave me." Shadow playfully said.
Gerald rolled his eyes and smiled at that reply.
"Ok. I'll just go solo." Sonic said then gabbed some cash and ran out of the door, not bothering to collect any orders.
(Thanks for reading and i do hope you liked the adition to my story. Please let me know your thoughts by reviewing and don't for get to follow and add to fab list so you never miss an update...)