Thanks so much to Guest, jazzybizzle, and June Dune for reviewing the last chapter. As always, I appreciate them. This is like a continuation/follow up to chapter 6.
21. Faith
We stood across from each other, gazing at the other, yet we didn't say a word. I could clearly hear the shrieks of death; the smell of death heavily scented the air, and I could taste the blood of innocent lives lost on my tongue. The world around us was in utter chaos and threatened to crumble at the seams, and yet, at the moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.
Sonic and the others were distracting that psychopath Black Doom, giving me time to try to talk to Shadow. As always, he was the embodiment of calm; all seven of the Chaos Emeralds were nestled securely in his arms. If I didn't do something fast, if I couldn't snap Shadow out of whatever hold or lies Black Doom fed him, Earth and everyone on it were goners.
The silence was soon grating on my nerves, as if it were reminding me that the clock was steadily ticking and that I was running out of time. I really wish I knew what to say to him, but what could I say?
When Shadow began walking towards me, his face almost eerily calm, I instinctively walked towards him. I couldn't help myself; like a moth to a flame, I would always, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, be drawn to him, and I knew he felt the same way about me.
"You're wasting your time, princess," he whispered, and I shivered as those smooth lips grazed my cheek. "The faker and the rest of his ragtag group of friends are only delaying the inevitable." I shook my head vehemently, anger flashing briefly in my eyes.
"Are you just gonna stand back and watch your world burn!? Shadow, I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but Black Doom? Yeah, he's evil. He doesn't care about you; all he wants are those Chaos Emeralds, and once he has them, he's gonna cast you to the side and bring ruin to our world," I warned, my voice quivering.
Was I afraid? Very much so. When Black Doom gets ahold of those emeralds, it's game over. But if he took Shadow too? I shook my head again, willing myself not to cry. I wasn't about to lose him; I couldn't afford to. My heart could only take so much.
A clattering sound reached my ears, and I saw that the emeralds were scattered across the metal floor. I had no time to ponder this as I was soon pulled into his arms, and again, I forgot about the world around us. In this moment, it was only me and him.
When I met those fiery, crimson eyes, I felt myself crying, my body shaking as I finally relented and gave in to my fears, my doubts, my worries. Shadow said nothing, opting to just hold me. I could tell that he was just as afraid and torn as I was.
"Maybe I don't understand, Shadow. I mean, I know how important discovering your past is to you, and I'm not faulting you for wanting to know. But giving Black Doom the Chaos Emeralds isn't the right way to go about it," I said, my hold on him tightening. Did he not know how much he meant to me, to all of us?
He was trembling, and I knew my words had gotten to him. I allowed him to wipe away my tears without protest.
"Sally-" I silenced him with a kiss, and I made sure I put my all into that kiss. I kissed him as if my life depended on it; I let my lips tell him how I felt, and I felt him responding back to kiss eagerly. I let him back me up against the cold, metal wall as we continued kissing each other breathless.
When we finally pulled back, I gave him a quick peck on the lips, hugging him tightly before releasing my hold on him. Quickly, I picked up the Chaos Emeralds and handed them back to him. He took them almost cautiously and gave me a look that said "Are you sure?"
"I know you'll do what's right, and when it's all said and done, I'll be right here waiting for you with arms wide open. Now, go ahead and save the world already," I said, smiling. Shadow nodded his head, flashing me a beautiful smile as we turned to face what could be the end.