In response to your reviews...
Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT: Haha! I'm glad you like it! :D
thedreamcastfan: I'm glad you like it. :) And yeah, I've been looking for a good Sonic/Shadow story that's not Sonadow. Couldn't find one, so...Why not make one? XD haha Thanks!
Guest: haha, That's good. I hope you enjoy the rest of it just as much!
Shadow slowly opened his eyes and looked around. "Huh..." Realizing he was now laying on his side, he looked up...To see Maria's sleeping face. He smiled a little at the calm expression she had, and decided to let her be for now. He leaned back to give her room, but that's when he felt something lightly resting on his side. His piercing gaze flew down to see whatever it was that had him in its grasp...and he suddenly blushed darkly. He quickly curled up a bit and hid his face in the crook of Maria's neck. M-Maria is...She's...cuddling me... he thought with horror. AS much as he loved her, and wanted to keep her safe and happy, he was not one to cuddle. But, he didn't want to wake her or make her upset, so he just closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Having seen everything, Sonic smirked a bit. Don't think I didn't see that, Shadow... He chuckled quietly and shook his head, standing up. I've been up for a good hour or so now...Maybe I should go and get some food for when Maria wakes up. he decided, walking off into the city.
Shadow heard everything behind him, and did his best not to run after Sonic. So he saw! I swear, if he's going off to tell anybody...The moment Maria releases me from this affectionate hold, he is dead! He let out a quiet growl, but quickly fell silent when he felt Maria move.
"Hm...? Shadow, was that you? Are you hungry?" she asked, assuming that the noise was the hedgehog's stomach.
He quickly shook his head and gently pressed against her shoulders as he tried to break free. "No. I'm not hungry. C-could you let me go?" he asked a bit quietly.
She giggled and gave him a quick squeeze before releasing him. "Did you sleep okay?"
He nodded. He didn't even remember dreaming...But then again, he wasn't exactly programmed to do such a thing.
"Where'd Sonic go?" Maria asked, standing up. Shadow stood up beside her as she lanced around. "Hm...Maybe he went to go get food." she mused. "Wanna wait for him?"
"Uhh...Sure." Shadow replied, looking up at her. He was still so...amazed... What a miracle you survived, Maria... he thought, looking down at the ground. Was it pure luck...? The Chaos Emeralds? Or maybe...
Maria broke into his thoughts when she gasped. "Shadow, look! Sonic is back!"
Shadow held back a groan as he looked up and nodded. "Yeah...Let's see what he's got."
The two walked over to Sonic, who held three chilidogs and a small, white box. "Here ya go, Maria." he said, grinning as he held the box out to her.
"Oh, thank you!" She opened it up and beamed upon seeing the goods inside. "Oooh, what's this? It looks amazing!"
"Pancakes." Sonic replied, handing her a fork. "They've already got syrup and butter on them, so they're ready to go!"
Maria giggled. "Okay! Thank you!" She quickly began eating the newfound food, and closed her eyes. After swallowing the third bite, she mumbled, "Mmm...These are really good..." She then began eating a bit faster...Until, that is, Shadow grabbed her arm. She looked down at him. "Hmm?"
"Don't eat so fast. They're really rich...They'll give you issues later." he warned. Though it was just a food, he spoke as if it were a poison.
"Oh...Okay." she replied. "Would you like a bite?" she offered, holding out a small bite for him.
"No thanks."
"Oh, come on, Shadow..."
"I said no - Augh!" Shadow quickly swallowed the food that was put into his mouth. "Maria!"
The girl giggled as she held another bite to her own mouth. "Sorry! But you had to try some! It's good, right?" she said before taking another bite. "...There! Done. Thank you, Sonic!"
Sonic was grinning, having watched everything as he gulped down all three chilidogs. "Anytime!" the blue hedgehog chuckled, taking the trash. "I'll be back in a sec."
Maria nodded and turned to Shadow as Sonic zipped off. "Are you okay?" she asked, a bit worried now. "You seem a bit...grumpy, today..."
"I'm fine!" he snapped, crossing his arms and turning away.
Maria flinched. "Shadow...No you're not. What is it?"
Shadow closed his eyes to avoid glaring at her. "You know."
She sighed. "Is this about Ivo?" His only response was a dismissive scoff. "Shadow...Please, don't be so mad about this...I could really use this...And so could he."
Shadow opened his eyes and slowly turned to face her. "And what about me?" he asked quietly.
"Wh-what about you?"
"Does it really matter that much to you?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Um..." Maria hesitated. "Would it bother you if I said yes...?"
"Yes." he replied, uncrossing his arms and turning away.
Maria sighed. "Shadow..."
Sonic soon returned. "So! What are the plans for today?" he asked, his cheery tone not at all matching the mood Maria or Shadow felt.
"I'm going back to my stupid 'house'." Shadow spat, stomping off.
Maria looked back at him, on the verge of tears. "Shadow, wait!"
Shadow turned to face her. "Go talk to the doctor." he snapped. He then turned and skated off.
Maria covered her face with her hands. "Shadow..."
Sonic looked horrified. Since when does Shadow talk like that to Maria of all people?! he thought. "Maria...Is this about you talking to Eggman again?" he asked, slowly approaching the heartbroken girl.
She nodded, looking down at him as she let her hands rest at her sides. "He's so upset about it...I just don't understand why...Surely he's not that bad of a man...?"
Sonic looked down, deciding to keep the man's evil deeds to only those who knew...for now. "Yeah..." He then looked up at her. "I'll go talk to him, okay?"
She nodded. "Um...Can I come with?"
He nodded. "I don't see why not." And they started walking back to Shadow's makeshift home.
Shadow growled loudly and slammed the door. His ears twitched as he heard a small snapping noise, but he ignored it. That door can shatter for all I care. he thought, frowning. At least then it'll represent my...
He plopped down into the old chair in the front room, his hands tightly clutching the edges of the chair's arms. His ears lowered, and he could feel the growl building up deep in his chest.
In his mind, all he could think of was Maria's deep desire to go to Earth...and then Eggman taking over said planet. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a yell. "Dammit, Maria! What do you see in this man?!" He stood up and grabbed the piece of the ARK with his name partially printed onto it. "It was the Professor..." he mumbled, frowning. "...Not that madman..." He carelessly dropped the doorpiece, but then stepped back as the door to his own home was thrown open. "What-?!"
In the doorway stood Sonic, and behind him, Maria. Sonic was the first to speak. "Shadow, come here."
Shadow glared and stepped back again. "No, get out!"
Sonic stepped inside. "Come here and talk to us. Especially Maria."
"No, get out of my house!" Shadow said, taking two steps back.
"Shadow...this isn't helping anything. Come here." Sonic calmly replied, now walking over to him.
"Sonic, get out of my house, now...I mean it..." Shadow ordered, shaking a bit. "Go away, and take Maria with you!"
Sonic only sighed heavily and shook his head. "Come on, Shadz..."
Shadow growled now. "Go!"
Sonic suddenly lunged forward and tackled Shadow, his arms tightly wrapped around the other's waist as he took him down.
Shadow squirmed. "Get off of me, Faker!"
Sonic grinned. I'm getting to him! he thought. "Shadow, listen. You need to talk to Maria...okay?" he asked quietly, starting to get off of his rival.
Shadow did his best to shove the blue one off, but it didn't work all that well. "N-no! She's going to talk to the Doctor! Let her!" he spat viciously, writhing back and forth. He suddenly raised his leg and shoved his knee into Sonic's stomach.
"Oof!" Sonic grunted as he fell forward. "Oww...Faker, what was that for?!" He then shoved Shadow down and stood up, glaring down at him. "You're gonna talk to Maria sooner or later! This has gone way past out of hand!"
Shadow then got up on one hand and spun backwards, kicking Sonic across the face.
Sonic cried out and stepped back, putting a hand up to his cheek. "Ow-! Shadow!?" He winced as he felt blood seeping out of his newfound cut. "Shadow, come on!"
Shadow only growled. "Get the hell out of my house before I kill you!" he yelled.
Sonic crossed his arms. "Fine, Shadow. Be alone. Sorry for trying to help you. You'll be fine on your own..." He turned to head out, ushering Maria back. After motioning for her to keep walking, he turned back. His next words were but a whisper, but in the sudden, dead silence of the old house, they may as well have been a scream. "I'm sure Maria's just fine, too."
Shadow flinched as the door slammed shut for the second time that day. "...Dammit, Sonic!" He stood up then, looking down. "Idiot..." He glanced at the red, metal rim of his right shoe. He frowned upon seeing the blood that was there. He'd definitely done some damage to Sonic's face...
"Who cares?! I told him to get out, anyways! If that's what it takes, then I'll do it!" he shouted angrily, going back to sit down. "This is ridiculous. Stupid Faker. 'Come and talk to Maria' he says...but he can't force me!" His ruby red orbs suddenly shifted their attention to a shining spot on the floor. He winced a bit when he saw that it was blood. ...How much is he bleeding...? he wondered quietly. Did...did I go too far...? He groaned and sat back. "Sonic..." He looked up at the door. "Maria..."
Sonic winced as he touched his cheek. He leaned closer to the mirror and tilted his head so he could see it even better. "Hmm..."
"It looks kinda...deep..." Maria mumbled from behind him.
He tuned to face her. "It is deeper than I expected...But I'll be okay." he replied, offering her a small smile. "After all, he probably barely knew what he was doing. But..." He sighed. "I know he's sorry for it. I know he feels bad..."
Maria nodded. "I know he's just trying to look out for me...but..." She trailed off.
"But he's making it hard on everyone, including himself." Sonic finished.
She nodded again. "Exactly."
"So...I think you should go see Eggman today. I'll talk it out with Shadow. How does that sound?" he offered.
She smiled a little. "Alright."
"Okay. I'll lead you to his place. But first..." He led her off to Tails' workshop, where he found a small wrist device. "Just press the screen if anything happens, okay? If he asks what it is, say it's a watch because we're expecting you back by 6. And if you hold your finger on the screen, it is a watch, see?" He strapped it on her wrist and demonstrated. The time flashed up on the screen in bold blue numbers; 12:17. "Just tap it and it'll send an alarm to mine." He lifted his glove to reveal a device identical to hers.
She beamed. "Wow...okay! Thanks!"
He nodded. "Anytime. Ready to go?"
She nodded. "I'm all set!"
"Okay. Let's go then." Sonic turned and led her off.
Sonic knocked on the door before him. It opened within seconds. "Eggman."
"Hello, Sonic. Maria. Uh...where's Shadow?" the doctor asked, leaning out a bit.
"He's staying at his own house for now." Sonic explained. "Well...enjoy your time, Maria." he said, waving as he turned to walk off.
Maria stepped inside and nodded, waving back. "Thanks, Sonic." She smiled as the door closed behind her. "...Ivo."
Eggman smiled. "Heh, hello, Maria. How are you?"
"I'm great. Just...a little sad about Shadow."
"Come, sit down..." Ivo led her to a couch, where the two sat beside each other. "...Is he still mad about this?"
Maria sighed and looked down, nodding. "...Yes. I don't know why...He's always mad about this...But I don't think he fully understands what this means to me."
"Well, if it's any condolence, you're free to leave at any time if you feel he's been alone too long." he told her.
She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Ivo...You really are a good person."
He chuckled. "Well...you see...he's not entirely wrong about me wanting to take over the Earth and such..."
Maria tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Perhaps I should explain this idea, the 'Eggman Empire', to you..."