In the Rain
A/N: Some Shadow/Cream friendship lore once again. Writing any fic about them or Amy, Tails and Knuckles makes me happy and forget the negativity in my life. Hopefully the same goes for you readers. Hopefully this one's interesting.
The cave was dark, save for the makeshift fire he built for them. Cream sat with her knees to her chest on one side of the fire, Shadow was laying on his side on the opposing side of the flames. He lazily looks into the fire, watching as the sparks cackled and popped. He had and Cream had been in the cave for three days now somewhere in a forested area waiting out the rain. It reminded them of the Amazon—it never stops pouring.
"Mr. Shadow?" Cream whispers.
"Hmm?" Shadow's tired gaze looks up at her.
"When can we go home?" Cream asked.
"When the rain stops Dearheart." Shadow answers her through a yawn. She visibly shivered from being cold. The two had nothing to protect them from the elements blasting in from the cave entrance. Getting stuck out in the forest in a cave was the worst thing Shadow ever planned.
It was nightfall and the temperature dropped significantly. It was so cold that even Shadow shivered as he tried to get all the warmth he could from the fire. The two had nothing but the hard, cold rocky cave floor to lay on. When it was time to sleep, Shadow would beckon the rabbit to come to him and would wrap his arms around her to keep her and him as warm as possible.
X-X-X-X
A blinding flash of lighting and a mighty boom of thunder startled Cream awake, causing Shadow to wake up as well.
"What's wrong?" Shadow mumbles tiredly.
"It's thunder and lightning Mr. Shadow." Cream whines. "I'm scared."
With no clock around Shadow had no idea what time it was. He made the wild guess of assuming it was around two or so in the morning. He brought his head up and saw the bright light purple flash outside and heard the boom of thunder from the cave entrance and tiredly brought his head down, grumbling and yawning.
"D-Don't worry about it." Shadow told her sleepily. "You're safe in the cave. I won't let nothing bad happen to you." Shadow tiredly reassures the young rabbit and she lays back down so Shadow could hold her again. His arms snake around her middle and pulls her closer to him; the tighter the better.
"Go to sleep little one." Shadow says while beginning to fall asleep. "We'll see what..." He yawns. "...tomorrow brings..." Shadow ends up falling asleep, his tight spooning hug kept Cream close. She couldn't sleep for a while, but eventually did. The rain, lightning and thunder continued outside.
X-X-X-X
The early morning sunlight shined into the cave through the thick trees as Shadow spooned Cream all night long. The fire went out long time ago and now seemed alright to venture out into the jungle thickness save for the slippery and muddy ground. Shadow woke up once the sun's rays bothered him enough, carefully unwrapping an arm to rub at his sleepy eyes. He noticed how there was finally some sun, but everything was damp. They hadn't eaten since they took shelter in the cave. Shadow gently shakes the rabbit awake.
"Cream, wake up." Shadow's husky baritone wakes her, and she looks up at him sleepily.
"Mr. Shadow?"
"The rain's stopped. I'll look for some food." Shadow told her. As he tried to get up Cream took his arm.
"I don't wanna be alone Mr. Shadow." Cream whined. Shadow took her hand and squeezes it lightly.
"I'll be back little one." He shakes her little hand in his larger one before petting her head. "I promise."
He gets up to leave and he walks out the cave. Cream watched as his dark body disappeared in the green fauna and a sense of fear struck her. She shivered from the lack of warmth provided by Shadow and hugs her knees close to her. At this moment she wished Cheese was here with her.
X-X-X-X
Shadow walked around the jungle, his eyes looking up, down and all around for edible fruit he and Cream could share. Everything looked the same. He didn't want to get too far from the cave. Just when he was getting tired, he spotted some bananas hanging from a tall tree. Shadow smirks up at this and uses his rockets under his shoes to fly up and grab them.
He slowly flew back down and heads for the cave with the bundle of bananas in his hand. When he got there, Cream was laying on her side curled up and he shakes her shoulder.
"Dearheart, I've gotten some bananas for us." Shadow said. She got up and saw the cluster lying next to her. She gets up and thanks the hedgehog, before picking one and peeling it. They weren't fully ripe, but they were edible to the two of them since their bellies were empty for three days.
"I'll find more later. For now, we should get all the proteins and energy we can from this batch." Shadow told Cream.
"Yes Mr. Shadow." Cream answers him. The two spent their time eating before Shadow went out with a rock he hollowed out to collect rainwater off the leaves. He had the rabbit drink most of it, given he didn't exactly need to eat but still did just because he was still alive like an ordinary Mobian.
"When we get outta here," Shadow begins looking out at the cave opening, "I have a lot of explaining to do to your mother and Rose." Cream looks up at Shadow, smiling warmly as she always did.
"Don't worry Mr. Shadow. It's not your fault." Cream reassures the dark hedgehog. He smiled down at her. It was a small smile; small enough to brighten the rabbit's mood. The exchange of smiles was disrupted when a loud boom sounded of in the distance. It was unknown if it was on the other side of the side or out in the seas, but it made Shadow leap to his feet in a battle stance in front of the rabbit.
"What was that Mr. Shadow?" Cream asked with nervousness in her voice. Shadow shook his head looking out at the forest.
"I'm not sure Dearheart. Stay here, I'll check it out." Shadow told her and walked out the cave. Before he disappeared in the brush Cream called out for him.
"Mr. Shadow!" Cream cried out. He stopped to look at her.
"Be careful Mr. Shadow." Cream nearly whispered. Shadow nodded his head.
"I will." Shadow says before disappearing in the jungle brush. Cream hugged her knees close to her, fear claiming over her once again. Tears threatened to trickle down her cheeks.
What if Shadow got hurt? What if he was captured? She'd be alone and wouldn't know what to do. She did what her mother always thought her: she prayed. She prayed for Shadow's safety and prayed she and him can escape the jungle so she could see her mother, Amy, Big, Tails and Knuckles again."
X-X-X-X
Shadow followed the thick black smoke now emitting from the other side of the mass of trees, bushes and grass. Something nearby must've struck from the sky. Whatever it was, Shadow was in guard. He wasn't sure if the area was controlled by G.U.N. or other form of military. He kept his guard up. He didn't want to skate through untamed jungle to risk tripping and twisting something important. He had the little rabbit alone back in the cave to protect.
Sometime later, Shadow came across a large crater where the site of the mysterious object's ground zero took place. It was a large gunmetal grey sphere still smoking from its fall from wherever it came from. Shadow got low the moment he heard voices. Getting low on his belly, he knew his dark coat would make him easier to spot, so he got under as many trees as he could all while keeping his eyes where he could see the people.
They were military personal. U.S. troops. Perhaps they were testing a new ballistic weapon of some sort.
Shadow watched them with his ears perked up and erect. Based on what he heard, the jungle was military controlled. He had to go back and get Cream and get out of there before they're found. Shadow got away from the ledge overlooking the ditch and silently Chaos Controlled back to the cave. When he got inside Cream hugged him, relieved that he wasn't hurt.
"Mr. Shadow you're back!" Cream said into his chest before the hedgehog shushed her.
"Shh Dearheart." Shadow quieted her down as he held her close to him. "We need to leave now. The U.S. military is operating here and if they find us...if they find me..." Shadow went quiet for a moment. Cream kept her face buried in his chest because his hand was wrapped behind her head protectively. Shadow growls as he shook his head to remove the negative thought he had on mind and took the rabbit's hand.
"Come Dearheart. Let's get out of here." Shadow said as he took her hand in one of his own as the other whipped out the green Chaos Emerald he always kept. He raised his hand up over his head and shouted his famous line, disappearing in a flash of blinding white light. The only remains that the two left was the bundle of bananas they didn't eat and the wood from their previous fire.
X-X-X-X
Shadow Chaos Controlled back to his house and quickly went inside, locking the door behind him like he was being chased. He told young Cream to watch TV while he went to his room to phone Amy and her mother about what happened the past few days. He expected to have an earful from Rose but more forgiveness from Vanilla.
Around twenty-five minutes later, Shadow came into the living room and told Cream the news.
"Well Cream, your mom and Rose said I take you on the strangest of adventures." Shadow smirks and Cream smiles. "They say you can stay the rest of the week. Might as well since in already kept you here three days." Shadow sat down next to her and she snuggled into his side. The dark hedgehog wraps an arm around her as he chuckles.
"Alright now not to hard." Shadow tells her as she giggles into his side. She liked hugging Shadow and he liked hugging her back. Cream stayed with him for the rest of the week...at his house of course. Shadow knew next time not to take her out somewhere far in unexplored the next time she's with him.
A/N: Well, that ending was sweet. I hope everyone enjoyed the adventurous twist of them in the jungle at the beginning. Until another plot storms my brain, take care.