Thank you all for the reviews. I "apprecianate" it. (I know that's not a word.) Also, this story will really start to have quick updates over the next few weeks, so I'm sure the readers are happy. Anyways, here's the next bit:

Unlike the few hours he had planned Shadow slept for the entire day, more exhausted from his ordeal than he had thought. It was a nice sleep. He was warm, comfortable, less painful, and he finally had some time to be by himself and think about everything that was happening. He had so many questions, but the one that stuck out the most was why was he still alive? What was there left to do? He had saved the world and more importantly, kept a promise 50 years in the making. He did what he was created to do and he was done, right? Well, he knew that the world would always need saving. But Sonic and his friends had been doing that job for eight years before his release, so the fact that he needed his help right there and then was probably a one-time thing. Now he was beginning to get confused. What was he supposed to do? He went through the information several times in his mind and it didn't make sense. Nothing added up, and it was beginning to frustrate him.

What do I need to do before I can go?

But right now, he didn't want to be frustrated. He wanted to rest more, so he dropped the subject completely for the moment, figuring he'd get a sign somewhere down the road.

And if only he knew how soon that sign would arrive...

Shadow flinched from a sharp pain in his leg and opened his eyes to dark surroundings. The moment he had woken up, he wanted to fall back asleep again. His eyes stung, he was still exhausted, and very light-headed. He turned over slowly and carefully, getting a couple of surprises as he looked up and around the room. The first was the sight of Amy asleep on the couch. Apparently she had waited for him to awaken and fallen asleep in the process, since the television was turned down low and the lamp behind his head was now on. The next surprise was that he was covered by a blanket from the waist down and a pillow lay in place of the hard armrest. He sighed tiredly, falling back fast on the pillow. True, it was a nice thing she did and he was grateful, but he did not want her to get attached to him in any way, shape, or form. He was still going to leave the moment he could walk and didn't want to have to deal with long, sorrowful good-byes or anything of the sort. He didn't need her sympathy or want it. He was fine by himself now and always would be.

"I don't want your sympathy," he repeated, turning back over and resuming sleep.

Shadow slept well into the morning. It was half past 11 by the time the hedgehog had finally begun to stir. He took a good stretch, letting out a relieved sigh afterwards and turning over, scratching his white fur tiredly and looking around at nothing in particular. The first thing that hit him was the wonderful smell of hot food: scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, and a glass of orange juice. He smiled to himself. His warmth and the aroma felt very homely, like ARK once did, even though the smell was making his hunger all the more present. He yawned once, turning towards the other couch, and unsurprisingly Amy was not there. Everything was as it was the night before except for her absence, and with a quick look over towards his right he also saw a plate of food on the table beside the couch. He exhaled a sigh of exasperation and backed away at Amy's act of kindness, and immediately he didn't want the food anymore.

"She could've at least waited," he growled to himself.

"I did wait last night."

Shadow quickly looked up from the plate and at Amy, dressed in a light pink silk robe. For what seemed like minutes, he felt as if he would not be able to breathe again. He tried to speak, but no sound came out at all. His heart was pounding hard, his stomach felt twisted, and he could not take his eyes off of her. He tried hard and suddenly he snapped himself out of his odd trance, turning away to say while clearing his throat in the process,

"I know. I saw you last night."

"You act like that's a bad thing,"she said, pointing out his tone of voice.

"Hm? No, no, uh, no... I was just saying."

"Uh-huh... well, aren't you going to eat?"

Shadow was about to answer what was really on his mind, but withdrew the statement instead.

"Well, I–... I'm not all that... hungry..."

"I don't think a bowl of soup can hold you for an entire day, no matter how good it was," she smiled.

Shadow turned toward her with an annoyed look while she simply giggled.

"Well, you just eat. No matter how much you deny it, I know you have still got to be starving. After all, I don't want you dying while in my care."

He groaned to himself, lowered his head in thought, but of course he gave in to Amy's demands and took the plate off the table, looking back at her in way that seemed as if he had a deep, villainous incentive for her. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and her directions clear. So without another word he ate in silence, being careful to do so as slowly as possible. Shortly after that, he noticed Amy had gone back upstairs and put his fork down in thought.

Well... I guess I'll let her do whatever... it's not like she's doing anything wrong

He resumed eating, but slowly, his pace got faster and faster.

For the next several days life around Amy's house was rather quiet and peaceful, which seemed to be killing her on the inside. Here was Shadow living with her– a total and complete stranger. She wanted to press a bit farther about what was so devastating to him, but so far she hadn't. Mostly, she had been a afraid of what pressing would make him do. As secretive as he had been with her so far and as stubborn as he could be, continually asking was bound to make him retreat even more inside his mind. There was a possibility that he would spill, but it was a very small one. He was like the old saying, "so near, yet so far." And every time she went in the living room or happened to pass by, she was tempted to just spurt out every inquiry that was on her mind. Sometimes, she figured if she did do that and he continued to be quiet, she wouldn't even care much for hurting him far worse than what he was now in an attempt to gain any amount of information. She could be devilish like that. Strangely enough, out of all of the frustration of no answers and more questions, his stubbornness was very appealing to her, seeing as how it had reminded her of someone similar. Again, he was like Sonic: a pure mystery. As she recalled past experiences, she came to the conclusion that she knew little about him also. He was quiet. He was silent. He had probably experienced a similar loss as Shadow had, even though he was in a better mood about it. And again, that conclusion made her more of a believer that Shadow was simply full of nothing but sorrow and not as dark as the others made him out to be sometimes. With that thought, she figured that he would tell if he ever did want to, and whenever he felt the time was right.

Shadow...

The hedgehog grimaced tiredly and mumbled something incoherent.

Shadow...

He awoke himself up some more, surprised not only that he was fully recovered, but by the fact that he was stranded in nowhere. Everything around him was black. He stood up and looked around, but found nothing. He tried focusing, but he couldn't even make out his hand in front of his face.

Shadow...

He felt his short fur stand on end as a chill ran down his spine, but it was hardly from fear. It was from anxiousness. As he focused clearly on the soprano-like echo, the more he could recognize it. A smile slowly crept across his face as the call came again.

"Maria!"

He turned around to her voice and was faced with a light that hit his eyes like a blow to the chest. He shielded them until they adjusted, and took a firm look at the familiar swirling vortex of blue light and fog. That was it! That was her! It's where he wanted to belong... at last! Everything that was on his mind had been abandoned as the hedgehog took off for the light as fast as his legs would carry him, a renewed joy in his heart. Finally, he could belong with Maria. Things could be the way they used to be... the way they were supposed to be... forever. As long as he had waited, it was really hard to believe that this opportunity had just came up and was welcoming him with open arms. But he felt strange... It was as if everything wasn't entirely complete yet and he could sense this mysterious sensation deep down inside, but at this point all his mind and heart were set on was the light ahead and what was beyond it. And the closer he got, the more it overpowered his doubt. Then everything felt as if it was beginning to slow down more and more, like that all-too familiar dream in which one is running but going nowhere. Unlike the dream, however, Shadowwas surely getting somewhere, and every step he took only heightened his spirits and readiness to finally reunite with his long-lost friend. In the odd sense of passing time, things began to speed up again and Shadow found himself right in front of the light. One more bound and he was home...

He was only inches away when he was stopped dead in his tracks by a painful surge of electricity that hit him from the front and went throughout his body. Soon, a fight to go through the barrier reverted into a fight to simply stay alive. As the energy coursed through his body, it felt as if he was being attacked from multiple sides and it was tearing him apart, inside and out. Slowly, the energy began pushing his body back, and he screamed as loud as he could with the remaining breath in his lungs as it threw him back on the floor. He landed hard on his side, coughing and gasping, overwhelmed with pain from various burns and gashes, and from shock of it all. His lack of understanding of the situation put tears in his eyes. Why would Maria... reject him? Had he done something wrong? If he did, it couldn't have been anything too severe, because this moment had been too important to him... He must have forgotten something crucial, because this made no sense at all to him. He struggled to overcome his pain and turned over on his stomach, making a furious attempt to push himself up.

"Ma-... ri-... a...," he whimpered, collapsing forward a bit, "I-... thought..."

Shadow, you still have not fulfilled your promise to me. Therefore... you cannot be with me yet.

"But... I–"

Shadow, there are still people that are close to your heart that are not content and happy with your accomplishments. True, you did help save the Earth and were willing to give your life for it, and for that I am very grateful. But you still have a purpose in the world, and thus, are not ready to travel on to the other side.

So it was true. That's why he had lived through everything. He hadn't fulfilled his promise yet. But he was ready to leave that wretched planet behind. He was sure of it! He wanted to be with her now, and yearned everything about her: her ocean blue eyes... her silk hair... her clean smell... her angelic voice... her warm touch... and overall, her love. He fell back on the ground, tired of supporting his weight on his arms, and began to cry. He just let himself go this time, sobbing and sighing loudly, and even going as far as to pound his fist into the ground several times to the point that silver cracks became visible. Shining, cold tears steadily streamed down his face, badly stinging the cuts and burns, but that didn't even compare to the reality that he would not be with his friend for some time now. The feeling of uncertainty he had felt previously had finally surfaced itself in his tears and cries, because he knew was not done yet. In his broken heart, however, he felt he was done with his purpose. He was done with the world, done with its inhabitants... he was done.

Shadow, please do not be sad.

In his plight, he didn't even hear her. To his unknowing, the mist went forth in a straightforward path down towards him, and like his prior visit it shaped into a hand and lifted his head out of his arms. This time though, another hand came forth, stroking the hedgehog's head and scratching him behind the ears, just as she used to do. His crying was quickly slowed to a few whimpers and sniffles, and he even managed a smile throughout his pain. She then stopped petting him soon enough, and in a sudden fit of extreme pressure inside of his body he was healed once more.

"Hmm?"

Shadow, I want you to try and stop your grieving for there is no reason to.

The mist withdrew from him and in the air and he reached out for it, calling her name.

I will always be with you. In your heart, in your memories, and in your dreams. And I may even be closer than that, Shadow... you just have to know where to look.

He stood up, repeating her words over in his mind until he again felt the pressure on his body. The mist had shot inside of him through his chest and lifted him off the ground, rendering his entire body limp as if he had been in a supernatural trance. In a whispered sigh, he exhaled the mist, then closed his eyes and fell back on the floor.

Wake up...

Shadow followed her instruction and woke up in a screaming fit. After throwing the covers off, he found himself sitting straight up, back on the living room couch. He was very hot and shaky, his now layered and shining fur lightly damp with sweat. He then felt a pair of hands gently direct his face around to where Amy was sitting behind him.

"You alright, Shadow? You've been quite feverish for a few hours."

"Yeah," he panted, "I'm fine... I'm fine... I just–"

The hedgehog grunted and doubled over in pain, holding onto his bandaged side. Amy helped to support him as he made a painful, strenuous descent back down onto the pillow.

"Just rest for awhile. You've been thrashing about in your dreams and it's taken its toll on your body," she said as she brought the covers back over him.

"I know... ahh... I'm more tired than before..."

"Well like I said, rest for a few hours. You'll feel a lot better."

He closed his eyes and nodded his head in compliance. Once Amy was sure he had drifted off, she unknowingly reached out for him to stroke his damp forehead, but refrained from making contact after snapping herself out of her daydream. She shook her head and looked down at the sleeping hedgehog that no longer appeared to be her other love once more. Other love? Wait a minute. She could not be falling for him. He was everything Sonic wasn't; A total opposite. Besides, how could she get along with someone who resented her even more than Sonic did? Sonic was a good friend (and soon-to-be boyfriend) but Shadow, as interesting as he could be, was just another person. She figured her mind crossed that thought simply because the two looked alike and dropped it, retiring for the night.

Shadow opened an eye and looked around the corner, rubbing his stomach which was full of huge butterflies. Again, he was breathless and felt sick, which he noticed had been triggered when Amy touched him. A sudden rush of warm ran through him when she did; a rush very soothing and forgotten. The more he focused on this peculiar, yet relaxing feeling, the more he felt better. As he settled down again, the hedgehog closed his eyes and prepared once more for sleep, a heartfelt smile on his face.