Living With You
By Formerly Known As
Chapter 2
Troubled Waters
Shadow watched as the waves crashed against the dark rocks. For some reason, this was the spot that Shadow always retreated to whenever he and Sonic fought. This was the place he went to for relief and a chance to think things out. Somehow, the sound of the ocean managed to calm him down and his perch over the rocks made an excellent point to think things through. Usually, when Shadow left the rocks, he went to apologize or forgive Sonic for whatever the current problem was. Occasionally both.
The water roared around the rock Shadow was perched on. It looked as though a storm was coming in. Another wave hit the rock and another wave of anger washed over the hedgehog. His red eyes flared with a grim and tormented fire. Shadow couldn't believe that Sonic had said those things, had made that comment. Of all the people he knew, Shadow had always thought that Sonic was the one who understood best just what Maria meant to him. Sonic was the only one with whom Shadow had talked about Maria, the only one who had leant a sympathetic ear. Sonic had always listened, always been a shoulder to cry on. And that kind of understanding had always been more than enough to gain Shadow's apology or forgiveness.
But this time, it was different. This time, Shadow felt no urge to apologize and no wish to forgive. The anger boiled and frothed in Shadow heart worse than the waves pounding on the rocks. This time, Shadow could see no end to the storm of trouble, no calmer waters. This time there would be no forgiveness.
*************
It was already dusk outside and there was a storm rolling in, cutting off the light, rolling the house into an ever deepening blackness. It was through this darkness that Sonic wandered.
He drifted through the house like one lost, like a boat being tossed about by angry waves. Occasionally he let out a moan or sigh, occasionally a tear trickled down his cheek.
Finally, he sat down on a foot stool in the kitchen and rested his head in his hands. "How could I have been so stupid?" he whispered softly. The dark house offered no reply. He sat there for a while as night descended, thinking of how stupid he was, is, and most likely would be again in the future. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to get along, he always found himself and Shadow in contention.
"Shadow," he whispered, thinking of his dark furred companion. "I didn't mean to be such a jerk," he muttered, talking out loud to fill the emptiness of the house. "Not that you needed to be a jerk to me. Why is all this so damn confusing?"
With a sigh of frustration Sonic leapt off the stool and stalked about the house. His stalking quickly degraded to sulking and then to moping. He growled and pouted and made another round of the house. And things weren't looking any better.
Finally, the whole house sunk itself into darkness. Sonic contemplated turning on a light, but instead continued to wander about the dark house, occasionally bumping into random objects with a curse, though ultimately he enjoyed the distraction. It kept him from thinking of Shadow, if only for a few seconds.
Shielded by the darkness of the house and rising noise of the wind howling, someone watched Sonic from the darkness. Piercing eyes followed the hedgehog's every movement, every bump and curse, through the house. The darkness didn't seem to be at all a problem from the person. Nor did the storm outside. The being hesitated, listening and watching the hedgehog. How long it had been watching was a mystery, as was the being's identity. It watched as Sonic wandered into the kitchen. Piercing eyes narrowed. Now was the time to strike.
Sonic leaned against the sink, staring past the ridiculous stack of dishes that did indeed need to be washed before they bred or mutated. Instead of doing the dishes, Sonic stared out the window, watching leaves whip about in the storm. Outside, the first few drops of rain began to fall. Sonic watched them and wondered if Shadow had found some place safe to whether the storm or if he was heading home right now. Probably not. Most likely the idiot was still outside, getting soaked and freezing cold. Sonic frowned. He wondered if maybe he should go outside and look for Shadow.
No, Sonic had no clue where Shadow had gone and it wasn't likely that Sonic would find Shadow even if he did. It was best to stay inside and hope Shadow would come back soon. Or at least find somewhere dry to weather the night.
Sonic sighed and turned away from the window. As he did, Sonic thought he saw something move through the darkened doorway. Sonic froze, staring hard through the darkness, silently cursing his poor night vision. He took a step forward, eyes searching the darkness. He saw nothing.
"Hello?" he called out timidly. Idly, he wondered if perhaps Shadow had returned and was using the darkness to scare the crap out of Sonic. If that was true, Sonic thought, it was working very well. "Is anyone there?"
There was no answer. There was no movement. Sonic sighed. "Pro'ly just my eyes playing tricks on me," muttered the hedgehog, taking another step forward. He cursed loudly as his foot caught on the foot stool. "Time to go turn on a light, I guess."
Sonic put a hand out, feeling along the counter, heading towards the light switch. He found himself again cursing his poor night vision, as well as the stupidity that had kept him from turning on a light earlier. Outside, the storm grew steadily worse.
Finally, Sonic reached the door and where he knew the light switch to be. With a sigh of relief, Sonic reached towards the switch. As he did, lightning struck outside, throwing a grim white light through the room. In that light, Sonic saw a dark shape standing before him, illuminated briefly, then gone back as the light faded. Sonic gasped and staggered backwards against the counter, now complete blind in the darkness following lightning strike. Thunder rumbled outside, an after affect of the lightning, as Sonic cried out. A sharp pain lanced through his arm briefly before fading. Fumbling, Sonic groped with his other hand, feeling for whatever had hurt him. He found it and pulled the offending object from his arm. As lightning struck again, Sonic held the object
up and saw briefly, that it was a dart of some type.
Fear seized Sonic's heart as he dropped the dart to the floor. Still blind, Sonic staggered towards the living room, groping for the telephone and the faint hope that there would be someone he could call. Already, Sonic could feel his arm going numb and a faint dizziness was beginning to sweep through his mind.
Sonic cried out and fell across the table, nearly sobbing with relief as he grabbed the phone. Only to have something else pull it away from his grasp. Sonic looked up in fear and horror at a dark shape looming over him, highlighted by the lightning strikes now flashing through the sky in abundance. He tried to scream in horror and fear but ended up choking instead.
Sonic pushed himself off from the table and stumbled backwards. He tried to get up and find a light switch, a weapon, anything, but found he was losing coordination fast. He fled into the kitchen seeking an escape. He cried out in frustration and fear, feeling the dark shape right behind him. He tripped over the foot stool and toppled to the floor.
Sonic struggled to stand, but found that the room was spinning around, faster and faster. Besides, his arms didn't seem to work right. He sobbed in frustration, thrashing his weak arms as best as he could, trying to drive some feeling back into them. The spinning grew worse and with a sob, Sonic curled up on his side. He shivered on the cold floor and let everything spin around him. Somehow, the thought of Shadow returned to Sonic's drugged mind. Sonic wondered yet again where he was. He wondered if Shadow would ever forgive him for what he'd done. He wondered if he would ever see Shadow again.
The dark being stood over Sonic, watching as his shivering began to subside and his eyes slowly glazed over. Mission accomplished, the figure left the house.
Sonic moaned softly as everything blurred around him. He thought he saw something moving away through the darkness. In his drugged mind, he thought it was Shadow, leaving him once again. He tried to call out to it, but found he couldn't remember how anymore. He thought about standing but then remembered that his arms weren't working. Besides, he couldn't tell which way was up anymore. He closed his eyes in an attempt to make it all go away.
Tears leaked out of Sonic's eyes. As he passed into unconsciousness, one word slipped out past the hedgehog's numb lips.
"Shadow."
By Formerly Known As
Chapter 2
Troubled Waters
Shadow watched as the waves crashed against the dark rocks. For some reason, this was the spot that Shadow always retreated to whenever he and Sonic fought. This was the place he went to for relief and a chance to think things out. Somehow, the sound of the ocean managed to calm him down and his perch over the rocks made an excellent point to think things through. Usually, when Shadow left the rocks, he went to apologize or forgive Sonic for whatever the current problem was. Occasionally both.
The water roared around the rock Shadow was perched on. It looked as though a storm was coming in. Another wave hit the rock and another wave of anger washed over the hedgehog. His red eyes flared with a grim and tormented fire. Shadow couldn't believe that Sonic had said those things, had made that comment. Of all the people he knew, Shadow had always thought that Sonic was the one who understood best just what Maria meant to him. Sonic was the only one with whom Shadow had talked about Maria, the only one who had leant a sympathetic ear. Sonic had always listened, always been a shoulder to cry on. And that kind of understanding had always been more than enough to gain Shadow's apology or forgiveness.
But this time, it was different. This time, Shadow felt no urge to apologize and no wish to forgive. The anger boiled and frothed in Shadow heart worse than the waves pounding on the rocks. This time, Shadow could see no end to the storm of trouble, no calmer waters. This time there would be no forgiveness.
*************
It was already dusk outside and there was a storm rolling in, cutting off the light, rolling the house into an ever deepening blackness. It was through this darkness that Sonic wandered.
He drifted through the house like one lost, like a boat being tossed about by angry waves. Occasionally he let out a moan or sigh, occasionally a tear trickled down his cheek.
Finally, he sat down on a foot stool in the kitchen and rested his head in his hands. "How could I have been so stupid?" he whispered softly. The dark house offered no reply. He sat there for a while as night descended, thinking of how stupid he was, is, and most likely would be again in the future. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to get along, he always found himself and Shadow in contention.
"Shadow," he whispered, thinking of his dark furred companion. "I didn't mean to be such a jerk," he muttered, talking out loud to fill the emptiness of the house. "Not that you needed to be a jerk to me. Why is all this so damn confusing?"
With a sigh of frustration Sonic leapt off the stool and stalked about the house. His stalking quickly degraded to sulking and then to moping. He growled and pouted and made another round of the house. And things weren't looking any better.
Finally, the whole house sunk itself into darkness. Sonic contemplated turning on a light, but instead continued to wander about the dark house, occasionally bumping into random objects with a curse, though ultimately he enjoyed the distraction. It kept him from thinking of Shadow, if only for a few seconds.
Shielded by the darkness of the house and rising noise of the wind howling, someone watched Sonic from the darkness. Piercing eyes followed the hedgehog's every movement, every bump and curse, through the house. The darkness didn't seem to be at all a problem from the person. Nor did the storm outside. The being hesitated, listening and watching the hedgehog. How long it had been watching was a mystery, as was the being's identity. It watched as Sonic wandered into the kitchen. Piercing eyes narrowed. Now was the time to strike.
Sonic leaned against the sink, staring past the ridiculous stack of dishes that did indeed need to be washed before they bred or mutated. Instead of doing the dishes, Sonic stared out the window, watching leaves whip about in the storm. Outside, the first few drops of rain began to fall. Sonic watched them and wondered if Shadow had found some place safe to whether the storm or if he was heading home right now. Probably not. Most likely the idiot was still outside, getting soaked and freezing cold. Sonic frowned. He wondered if maybe he should go outside and look for Shadow.
No, Sonic had no clue where Shadow had gone and it wasn't likely that Sonic would find Shadow even if he did. It was best to stay inside and hope Shadow would come back soon. Or at least find somewhere dry to weather the night.
Sonic sighed and turned away from the window. As he did, Sonic thought he saw something move through the darkened doorway. Sonic froze, staring hard through the darkness, silently cursing his poor night vision. He took a step forward, eyes searching the darkness. He saw nothing.
"Hello?" he called out timidly. Idly, he wondered if perhaps Shadow had returned and was using the darkness to scare the crap out of Sonic. If that was true, Sonic thought, it was working very well. "Is anyone there?"
There was no answer. There was no movement. Sonic sighed. "Pro'ly just my eyes playing tricks on me," muttered the hedgehog, taking another step forward. He cursed loudly as his foot caught on the foot stool. "Time to go turn on a light, I guess."
Sonic put a hand out, feeling along the counter, heading towards the light switch. He found himself again cursing his poor night vision, as well as the stupidity that had kept him from turning on a light earlier. Outside, the storm grew steadily worse.
Finally, Sonic reached the door and where he knew the light switch to be. With a sigh of relief, Sonic reached towards the switch. As he did, lightning struck outside, throwing a grim white light through the room. In that light, Sonic saw a dark shape standing before him, illuminated briefly, then gone back as the light faded. Sonic gasped and staggered backwards against the counter, now complete blind in the darkness following lightning strike. Thunder rumbled outside, an after affect of the lightning, as Sonic cried out. A sharp pain lanced through his arm briefly before fading. Fumbling, Sonic groped with his other hand, feeling for whatever had hurt him. He found it and pulled the offending object from his arm. As lightning struck again, Sonic held the object
up and saw briefly, that it was a dart of some type.
Fear seized Sonic's heart as he dropped the dart to the floor. Still blind, Sonic staggered towards the living room, groping for the telephone and the faint hope that there would be someone he could call. Already, Sonic could feel his arm going numb and a faint dizziness was beginning to sweep through his mind.
Sonic cried out and fell across the table, nearly sobbing with relief as he grabbed the phone. Only to have something else pull it away from his grasp. Sonic looked up in fear and horror at a dark shape looming over him, highlighted by the lightning strikes now flashing through the sky in abundance. He tried to scream in horror and fear but ended up choking instead.
Sonic pushed himself off from the table and stumbled backwards. He tried to get up and find a light switch, a weapon, anything, but found he was losing coordination fast. He fled into the kitchen seeking an escape. He cried out in frustration and fear, feeling the dark shape right behind him. He tripped over the foot stool and toppled to the floor.
Sonic struggled to stand, but found that the room was spinning around, faster and faster. Besides, his arms didn't seem to work right. He sobbed in frustration, thrashing his weak arms as best as he could, trying to drive some feeling back into them. The spinning grew worse and with a sob, Sonic curled up on his side. He shivered on the cold floor and let everything spin around him. Somehow, the thought of Shadow returned to Sonic's drugged mind. Sonic wondered yet again where he was. He wondered if Shadow would ever forgive him for what he'd done. He wondered if he would ever see Shadow again.
The dark being stood over Sonic, watching as his shivering began to subside and his eyes slowly glazed over. Mission accomplished, the figure left the house.
Sonic moaned softly as everything blurred around him. He thought he saw something moving away through the darkness. In his drugged mind, he thought it was Shadow, leaving him once again. He tried to call out to it, but found he couldn't remember how anymore. He thought about standing but then remembered that his arms weren't working. Besides, he couldn't tell which way was up anymore. He closed his eyes in an attempt to make it all go away.
Tears leaked out of Sonic's eyes. As he passed into unconsciousness, one word slipped out past the hedgehog's numb lips.
"Shadow."