Chapter 35
Shadow finally reached the other side of the swamp lands, his new snake skin shirt and matching boots fit nicely. From here they had to of gone through the caves that he had come through those years ago. It seemed like just yesterday that he had been with them, that he had looked into Tashia's eyes. His thoughts were broken when he came across quite the scene. One of the giant snakes, impaled onto a tree. "Now who could have done that?" he asked himself out loud. He felt the sword strapped to his back vibrate slightly, resonating a soft energy. Somehow, he felt he had his answer. Just then he saw two people exit the cave entrance in the distance. He recognized the two suits immediately. In all the time he had been away from Midgar, they hadn't changed at all. He walked casually towards them, passing by them. As he passed, one of them, a short blond woman, stopped.
"Wait a minute, I recognize you. Who are you?" She demanded. Shadow stopped in his tracks, a smirk spreading across his face. He turned to face the woman.
"I'm just a traveler, nothing more." He said, turning and continuing towards the entrance.
"Wait just a minute." the woman started to say, but her companion, a tall bald man, placed his hand on her shoulder. The man shook his head when the woman looked at him. "but I swear he's one of the men in the data base of Shinra's wanted. He may have even been a special target." The bald man just shook his head again. The woman didn't respond, but instead started to go after Shadow. The bald man grabbed the back of her collar, and began dragging her back in the direction of Midgar. "Come on Rude, I know it was him." The woman protested as she kicked in an attempt to free herself.
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Shadow made his way through the dark cavern, following a set of faint footprints. As he neared the exit of the caves, he stopped. He had heard the sounds of shuffling and scurrying since he entered the cave. It actually seemed to be following him. He stood in silence for a moment, listening to his surroundings Sure enough, he heard what he was listening for. The soft sound of someone breathing. In a flash, he moved, using Masamune to cut through a rock that lay between him and his target. He lifted the blade to strike, but stopped upon recognizing who it was.
"You." Shadow said in surprise.