Shadow had fallen into a deep sleep after his first meal. He slept so soundly that Sara didn't have the heart to disturb his slumber, especially since his sleep had been troubled since she recovered him after that harsh fall. She finally had a chance to relax after the overflow of emotions that she had experienced when she found him; her heart ached with both pain and joy, but decided not to question it all at once. So, like Shadow, she retired to her sleeping chamber to get some much needed sleep.
Shadow had begun to dream of his earlier days aboard the ARK, when Maria, the Doctor, and everyone else aboard it were content and well. Of course, his fondest dreams were of his friend Maria, who had been his friend for as long as he could remember. The games they played, the stories she told him about having lived on Earth once,…all came back as if they had only happened yesterday. Even some of the more unpleasant memories, such as Maria's strange illness were in his dreams.
He dreamt about the time that Maria was teaching him how to play hide-and-seek, a game she used to play all the time with her human friends back on Earth before Dr. Gerald brought her to ARK to slow down the progression of her illness. She was trying to help him learn his counting faster with this playful exercise.
"Now Shadow", started Maria. "I want you try and count to 30 while I go and hide. After you finish counting, you can come and find me."
Shadow started to count. "1..2..3.." Maria giggled. "You have to cover your eyes so you won't be able to see where I'm going to hide. Alright?" He started over, and got up to 29 when he her a faint thump come just down the corridor. He let his hands fall to his side as he saw Maria collapsed on the floor. "Maria!!" he ran over to her screaming. "Maria! Please be alright!" He started to get up to go and fetch Dr. Gerald when she softly said: "I'm proud of you Shadow. You counted." She then proceeded to get up with Shadow's help. "I'll be alright" she said to him reassuringly. "I just think I got a bit too excited when I heard you count all that way by yourself."
Shadow smiled back at her, although he was generally worried about her falling like that. "Maria was always willing to help me out with whatever she could…" He thought.
His memories then flashed back to that fateful day aboard the space colony ARK. When G.U.N. sent their forces to put an end to Dr. Gerald's research by any means necessary. "Does any means necessary mean having to kill the innocent?" growled Shadow. He watched the whole incident all over again, except that he could see himself in it. He could see himself running with Maria, following the Doctor's last words to him: "Shadow, do whatever you can to keep Maria safe…"…a new flash of memory showed that someone had stalled forces long enough for the both of them to get a running start…a figure covered completely in a dark cloak, screaming, "GET HER OUT OF HERE! BOTH OF YOU GO! NOW!" He saw the both of them running towards the last pair of escape capsules, both of them near the helm of the door, when he heard a loud bang come from behind them, and saw Maria collapse to his side, clutching onto one of her sides. He watched in horror as the blood dripped from her hand, which she was using as a makeshift bandage. Some heartless creature had shot her while they were running.
Shadow's eyes flashed with a burning anger after witnessing what he had just seen. "She was defenseless…innocent…and they still went and shot her anyway". He saw himself running back towards her sniper and doing a spin attack onto his gun before performing a roundhouse kick into the soldier's head, knocking him out cold. "I hope that sick fuck is burning in hell for that." He saw himself run back over to Maria, who had managed to struggle back up onto her feet. Instead of the look of sheer horror that he expected to see on her face, he noticed that she had more of an angelic glow to her entire frame more radiant than any other time in her short life. Her eyes were closed, but no tears fell from them as she inched herself closer and closer towards their intended destination. He watched on as he saw himself running after her, to see if he could help her. He ran into the room, and at first couldn't notice Maria in the corner. He took a few more steps before he suddenly found himself encased within the first escape pod. He tried to move forward to help his past self escape, but it was no good. He looked up to see that Maria was standing in the corner, waiting to finish the escape sequence.
Tears filled his eyes as he saw himself frantically banging upon the glass walls, trying to reach her before it was too late. "Maria…you should have saved yourself...I could have taken care of myself…" he sobbed. He noticed every movement Maria's body made; her free hand, which was on the ignition press, trembled uncontrollably. Her knees knocked, and her starry blue eyes were rapidly losing their shine. She placed what little strength she had left into the press, saying the words that have haunted him: "Give them a chance to be happy... You were brought into this world for that purpose….I know you can do it…" He watched as his capsule slowly descended into the atmosphere, leaving the only place that he had known as home…along with his only friend, behind to their fates. He felt the drowsiness that the escape capsule put upon him, and was rendered unconscious…his last thoughts being: "Maria, for the people of this world…I promise you…REVENGE!!!" He could feel himself ascending higher above the whole scene, still watching on as the G.U.N. troops stormed into the area, not finding Shadow, then turning their sights onto Maria, gunning her down where she stood.
He let his tears run down his cheeks. Having to witness that horrific scene again and again in his mind just made his heart ache. He was truly sorry he had lost his friend. He was willing to do anything to justify her death, including bringing upon the end of the world. But he remembered her promise and kept it. Now that he had done so, he felt empty…incomplete…
Shadow noticed that he was in different surroundings. Clear blue skies, clouds. He felt himself floating in one direction, towards a warm and radiant light. His mouth dropped open when he saw who it was.
"Maria?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few rooms across from where Shadow lay and dreamt, Sara was having her own share of visions as well. She had been having an interesting conversation with her chao companion, Rai, when they overheard the commotion from the Charmy birds. She ran over to get her Kendo staff and ran in the direction of the noise. But what she had expected to be an intruder wasn't one at all. She took something out of her cloak, perhaps a picture, and stared long and hard at it, before smiling and tending to the fallen, who was now no longer a stranger in her eyes.
She and Rai gingerly brought the injured Shadow back to her cottage, which had been built around some ancient structures that were in great condition. With all her knowledge of medical plants and herbs, she tended to the wounded hedgehog with the precision and care of a trained physician. After doing the best she could, all she could do was pray for the blessing of Aozora upon his head….
Tikal interrupted her dream. Sara ran over to greet her. "It's good to see you in good spirits Tikal", she said softly. The beige echidna smiled as she lowered herself down towards Sara, who in her eyes stayed the young girl that she had grown to love as a sister. She gave the tan hedgehog a stern and concerned look. "All is not good I'm afraid", she plainly stated. "This is urgent, and it cannot be overlooked any further." Eyes filled her tears as she turned her face way from the puzzled hedgehog. "A great darkness is resurfacing…"
All at once Sara now understood full well what was at hand. "The disturbance of the balances…" Her face still showed a bit of confusion upon it. "But balance was restored when Atlantis was destroyed and…" Her sentence remained unfinished as Tikal interrupted her. "No Only delayed. The mystical text used to destroy Atlantis housed both spirits. But now, someone has unknowingly disturbed the balances; the spirit of light is safe, but the spirit of darkness is restless and is getting stronger by the second. If the dark spirit reaches its true potential, the world will perish."
Sara fell to her knees upon hearing that. Her eyes struggled to hold back tears, but failed in doing so, letting them come out. "No.." Tikal bent down to help her up. "The sacrifices of the past might not have foreseen this, but they tried. Now it's your turn. You must protect the being of life...and that is all that I can tell you for now…"
She awoke to find herself in bed, holding her Kendo staff within her grasp. "The day which the ancient texts have feared is near at hand…"