HEY GUYS! I'm BACK!

Oh, it's the distraction.

Uh, you really shouldn't...

What, insult the creepy weirdo? It's true, and you know it.

HEIYAH!

Ow! Ow! Ow!

She's learned Tae Kwan Do.

You can't mess with me anymore, Lazy!

…

You knocked him out... now you have to take his place...

Okay! Getting writing, Missy!

...what have I gotten myself into?

Memoirs of a Forgotten Family

Chapter IX: Autumn

A cool breeze fell through the bedroom. Shadow groaned, turning in his sleep, his eyes opening partially. Had he left the window open last night? No, he'd never be that careless. So why was his room so cold?

A small giggle answered his question.

"Maia," He moaned, turning so his head was buried into his pillow, "It's early; at most five-thirty in the morning," A thought came to him. He turned around a stared questioningly at the giggling girl, "How'd you even get in here? Both our doors were locked."

The small child answered his questions by cryptically tapping the top of her head with right pointer finger. Shadow rolled his eyes in response. As she grew older, she also began proving how intelligent she truly was. Picking locked doors was one of her more recent talents. Shadow would have to find other ways to keep her in her room now.

"You're probably hungry," He noted. She nodded, rubbing her stomach with her left paw, "Alright, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" Shadow laughed, placing Maia on his shoulders. They continued down the stairwell to the kitchen this way. Maia held onto the quills on her father's head, grinning. Shadow just ignored the feeling of his quills being pulled as he made his way to the refrigerator.

Forty minutes, and four pancakes later, the duo sat around the kitchen, talking about nothing in particular. Shadow glanced out the window and winced. Every year Maria and himself would rake up the leaves in the yard and toss them out. This year, he'd have to do it on his own. What would he do with Maia while he cleaned up their yard?

Two blue irises glistened as they stared out the same window, "Daddy, can we go outside?"

"Uh, sure," Shadow blinked. Then shrugged it off. While she played, he could do his chores. He just hoped she wouldn't wander off again. He was still hoping no one would sue him for that last time.

Later, Shadow was raking leaves in the front of the house. Not because he minded how it looked or how others thought of it, but because it got in the way of other stuff. That, and Maria insisted they rake up the leaves every year for some purpose Shadow wasn't quite sure of. She seemed to enjoy yard work, for whatever reason.

Meanwhile, his daughter took a different liking to the outside. She laughed as she ran around in the coat her father got her. It seemed too big, but she didn't mind that. The leaves on the ground made it hard to move around, even in her special boots. A glance over to where her father was standing revealed a pile of multiple leaves varying of bright oranges, crisp reds, and deep browns. She smirked suddenly, as she always did when she got an idea into her head.

Shadow smiled softly as he leaned against the rake. There, that was the last of them. He was done. Now, he'd need a bag to put it all in. He went inside to get one, completely forgetting about the little girl watching curiously just outside.

Maia smirked as her father left. She didn't mind being left alone once in a while; she got to do more things that way. With Shadow inside, she ran forward as fast as he tiny little legs could carry her, and jumped into the multicolored leaf pile. Some leaves flew up into the air, though most of the pile simply flattened. She laughed and spread her arms and legs outward, as though making a snow angel.

Shadow stepped outside, and the first thing he noticed was the multiple leaves floating slowly downwards. The second thing he noticed was his daughter lying on top of his leaf pile instead of doing whatever it was she had been doing. He sighed, wondering why he had left the young girl alone for even a moment. Shadow walked towards the pile to pick her up.

A small hand grabbed his, and before he could resist, Shadow was pulled into the leaf pile along with Maia. She giggled, amused, as her father poked his head out of the pile, "Very funny," He huffed, and picked himself out of the pile. Multiple leaves stuck to his quills, which he had to pull out one at a time. Something Maia found hysterical.

"Hey, Shadow!" The hedgehog picked the last of the leaves off himself as he looked towards the seemingly only one in town unafraid of him, the grocer from the local market, "How ya been, buddy?"

The hedgehog sneered in response.

"Well, that's good," The grocer replied. He then turned to Maia, "Hey little Mai! How's my favorite kitsune?" He either ignored or didn't notice the death glares Shadow was sending him. As did Maia, for she giggled and pulled a little on his hair. He winced, causing Shadow to smirk. Once he got his hair back, the grocer looked to Shadow, "You two going to the town hayride this year? Did you even remember we had one?"

Oh, did Shadow remember. Stuffed on an unsafe, medium-sized trailer loaded with hay as a poor excuse for seating, sitting next to people he didn't really like. Not to mention the safety factor. He had gone one year with Maria, and refused to go back. The local hayride was something he hated with a passion.

"Yeah, about that..." He was cut off by a childish squeal.

"I wanna go! I wanna go!" Maia cried, jumping up and down. Shadow scowled, then turned away so his daughter wouldn't see it. The grocer laughed nervously.

"Ya know, if you want, I could always take her-"

"NO. I'll take her," Shadow realized a full thirty seconds later what he just said. The grocer shrugged and walked away. Maia squealed and hugged her father, thanking him over and over again. Then she left to go jump in the other leaf piles.

And so that is how he, Shadow the Hedgehog, got there, cramped up on a trailer with a load of other people who were frightened by him, with an adorable little girl in his lap. She smiled as the ride began, the tractor towing them through the corn fields not that far outside of town. Crops had just come in and, after everything had been done, the farmers held this festival every year. Apparently, it brought in more money for next year's crops.

The trailer bumped up and down. On his lap, Maia bounced with it. She'd always seemed light, but to bounce whenever the trailer so much as hit a small bump? That astounded most people. They stared at the family and watched cautiously.

"What?" Shadow retorted, "Haven't you ever seen a hedgehog and his daughter before?"

So they left it at that. Nobody bugged them, and in return Shadow didn't interrupt or gag when they started singing show-tunes and eighty's rock. Maia didn't know any of the songs, so she just bopped her head to the rhythm.

The ride ended quickly enough. Shadow took Maia and placed her on his back, when they were interrupted by a cry, "Wait, Shadow!" The grocer ran up to them, "Aren't you gonna stay for the bonfire?"

Shadow glanced to the side, towards him. He didn't even attempt to look interested, "No thank you."

He sped off to his house, with Maia riding on his back as she was accustomed to. The grocer watched, thinking about what an odd pair the two were, before rejoining the others at the bonfire.

Wake up... WAKE UP!

WOAH! What'd I miss?

Midnight Bell just forced me to write this entire chapter! Ow, my wrists hurt...

C'mon, slacker, I want the next chapter by- Oh! You're up...

Yup. Now get lost, sugar. This is my show! (Tennis Racket materializes out of nowhere)

Oh my gosh! (Runs screaming)

So... how long before she comes back to kill you?

Knowing her... not too long. In fact, I'll probably be dead before the next update.

NO! Hurry, people, send me reviews! I can shield my muse with them!

Or, ya know, let me die at the hands of the psycho.

Here's... MB! (Holds up baseball bat)

AHHH! (Runs)

(Sigh)