Can Never Replace You

Disclaimer: None of the Sonic characters belong to me, but Florina is a fan character, so!

Kero Guardian: Finally! Every chapter before has been building up to this one, I hope!

All: You hope?!?

Kero Guardian: You guys know me; I'm so indecisive!!!

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Chapter 6: Everyone's Miserable

The shuffling sound of paper could be heard, as Vector was fingering quickly through the phonebook, searching for a job. Sure, they did have the case with a certain blond girl, but there were still the bills and a strong feeling made him determined to give the full responsibility to Espio. "And the lass isn't going to be able to pay us, anyway." When he'd made up his mind-he noticed the phone was missing.

"Now where did that thing go?" He scratched under his chin and moved outside, stopping at Maria, who was lifting Charmy over her head. "By any chance have either of you seen the telephone?"

The girl answered through giggles, "Hmm...now that I think about it. I believe I saw Espio using it."

"That's interesting." The adult frowned, 'Espio never uses the phone, unless he's answering it, that is...I wonder what's up, "Charmy, quit playing around all the time and help me find that chameleon."

Giving a loud whine, the little bee gave Vector a rather exaggerated Bambi look, "Aw...but I'm trying to get acquainted with Maria! And I thought she was our client!"

Vector tapped his foot quietly, "Come on, Charmy..." He reached out and yanked the fussing boy with him, "We'll be back in a sec, Miss."

Maria smiled watching them leave, not long after they left she decided to take a short walk. Her mind had been wandering so much lately, and perhaps that's why her body felt as though it needed to catch up.

She was a bit surprised when a tiny firefly danced around her and noted Espio's earlier quote. "Yes, it seems I do blend into the environment." As she watched the critters hover away, it was just now that she noticed how pretty Earth is...The Lake before her reflected the moon with dragonflies causing gentle ripple effects, interrupting the splendid image, then taking off into the secure darkness amongst the forlorn trees.

'I wish Shadow and I could see this together...' Blinking, she waved a hand in front of her, 'why can't I keep my mind off of him?!'

"...Sigh." Her eyes gazed up towards the stars. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"I've found you." A voice spoke softly.

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(Kero Guardian: I think "Silent Hill 3's – Letter from Lost Days" really fits!!)

Espio hissed silently, his hand slamming down the phone. "Omega said Shadow hasn't returned in two days! Where is that hedgehog, and why is he always so hard to track down?! ...Rouge doesn't seem to know where he is either. Hmph! And trying to find Sonic would be a hopeless task......"

"Espio..." A gruff voice rasped quietly.

The chameleon lifted his hand away from the speaking device and frowned at his two friends standing slightly away from the entryway, studying them with narrowed eyes before whispering, "What is it?"

Vector started first, voice hesitant and eyes shifty, "We know how you feel about the gal."

He allowed his eyes to widen a little, but caught himself with a scoff, "I don't think that's any of your business."

The two gave each other an apprehensive glance, bewildered by him actually admitting it. "If he didn't try to fight the fact, then he must be serious!" Charmy squeaked a little too loudly.

He ignored their reaction and moved steadily to a nearby window, "I don't see why this is bothering you two. Time comes and passes, she will too." His voice lowered a little at the last statement, and he hoped that his back was the only side of him in which they could see.

"WHAT?!?" Vector didn't bother to keep his voice from rising.

"So immature..." Espio uttered, closing his eyes.

Before the crocodile could say anything more, Charmy who had been staring at the small picture Maria doodled earlier, burst. "How can you say that?!? You can't just shut your feelings up like that Espio!!"

The chameleon, shocked by Charmy's cry turned to look at him. Vector also. Both could clearly see the tears now, which stuck on to his fur like water dew. And being the older-father like figure, Vector reached out to catch him.

But the frustrated bee, buzzed away from his grasp. "She's the first...no ONLY person you've EVER opened up to!! I've NEVER seen you so happy! And I want you to stop acting so selfish!! We've been worried about you since day one, but nooo you just keep ignoring us!!!"

"Charmy, cool it!" The adult attempted to calm the boy's nerves, but Charmy didn't give in. He was tired of being quiet whenever anyone told him to, he too had a mind to speak, and now it was pouring.

"No!" He sobbed at his comforter, "No! No! No! Espio's GOT to hear this!!! Quit acting so tough, because I can see that you're weak inside! Stop being so cold to her, you've got to tell her how you truly feel!!!" With that he sped over to the teen's face, biting his lip to stop from wailing, eyelids wavering, wanting to blink the hurtful tears.

(Kero Guardian: Personal note - I really like Charmy and I'm not being sarcastic!)

"Grr!" Espio snarled, "What then?! How does telling her how I feel solve the situation?! Do you think that she'd want to stay in this lousy shack forever?!? Or maybe she'd miraculously change her mind about that hedgehog and start falling for me???!!?" His heart ached when he forced himself to say such things, but what more could he do? It was the truth, while there was no way for them to understand. "Don't make me laugh, all it does is complicate things!!!"

The two were at loss in words, there was nothing more they could say. But the defeating stunned silence made the chameleon's vicious behavior turn even sourer. Everything was eating at him from the inside. "So now the truth is out..."

It took a long time, but Charmy glanced up with a hopeful look, "But she did have a fun time with you, right? So...I'm sure she does like you...at least a little."

Espio's lifted his head to stare at the child insect, his gaze became so pitiful...he couldn't take it anymore, he just broke down.

And cried.

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"Shadow!!" Maria's face lit up so happily, that strong urge to hug him compelled her forward.

"You're...that girl from before..."

"......yes." The bitterness in the hedgehog's voice stopped her from advancing. She smiled uneasily, but forced herself to push further with words. "Shadow the Hedgehog. I know that you don't remember who you are, but I can help you...if you'd just please-"

He shook his head, hair flinging in each direction, "It hurts, miss."

His red eyes lifted to stare back at hers, "The memories torture me." He brought a fist up his chest, still shaking his large head, "Why did you come back? Why do you haunt me so?"

The child tried to force herself to think, wanting to cry, but knew it wouldn't help. "If you'd only listen! We were happy once, Shadow!!"

"Uggh!!" He groaned, clinching his head once again.

Maria wanted to help him, so she hurried to him, as his knees met the ground. A careful hand met his shoulder, but Shadow slapped it away. She stumbled backwards and fell in a sitting position. "What can I do for you?!??" Her voice rose into a worried cry.

"Please! I'm sorry!!" The animal shook his head more violently, fingers pressing painfully at the sides. "Just leave me alone!!! It'd be better if we never saw one another again!!"

The girl choked, "That can't be, Shadow! Please, just let me explain!!! I've seen you suffer emotionally while I was gone!! I only want to make you happy!"

"Then go away!!!" He raised himself and screamed, then fell again, both hands on the ground, sweat running down his brow. "Please..." He pleaded, eyes shut tightly, "It hurts now...Maria."

That was it.

That was all he had to say. SHE was hurting him... "I...I never wanted to hurt you." 'I won't cry...it's not going to help.' "I'm so sorry."

Shadow moaned, lifting himself to his feet. A sigh of relief came from him. He thought that this was the best, but then why did he feel so guilty? Both their lives would be in danger, and he'd only hoped that she'd go back to where she belonged.

With a heavy heart, Maria didn't want to look at him as he left. Instead she collapsed, her arms flung to the rock. 'I've lost him!' Her delicate hands raked at the sides of her tender locks, which hung loosely around her wet cheeks. "Why?!" The grief was so bitter that she never heard her halo crack sharply down the edges. "What was I thinking?!??"

Rain poured heavily, and lightening flashed, as if to exhibit a terrible omen.

"Maria?" She turned her drenched form, but her front never left the boulder. A weary smile graced her lips, which directed it over to the speaker.

Espio drew in a short breath, rubbed his eyes with a blush, nearly dropping the umbrella he held, then frowned hard. "Maria, what are you doing out here in this rain. You might catch a cold and it is late now, please come back to the Chaotix Headquarters to rest, then we can look for Shadow." He flinched slightly at the name.

However the adolescent was too emotionally exhausted to notice, "Espio...I saw him...I saw Shadow. We...talked."

He stepped back, looking at a tree. "Oh." Came softly. "That's great."

Something wasn't right and the specific ninja could sense it, 'why is she still here? Shouldn't she have gone with him?' He shook his shoulders, straightened his face, before approaching her. A nervous hand touched her thin shoulder, "Maria...what's wrong?"

'She's crying!' Not used to comforting others, Espio tried to ideate a way to ease her. And his face flushed when he remembered comics that Charmy read and how the boy would...'urk! Is that what they really should do?' So he slowly placed his arms around the sniffling girl, and seeing how she didn't object to it, he figured the books must have been right, but that didn't stop his heart from going haywire.

"!!" Maria couldn't take it anymore, her breath coughed, and she just started crying again. Her hands clasped at her face, muffling her already gargled words, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused!! What was I thinking?!? What was I thinking???!!! Shadow has friends, Grandfather said, but I wouldn't listen!! I'm such a selfish person!!! I wanted to make Shadow happy, but all I've done is to hurt him!!!"

"What?!?" The chameleon exclaimed. "......Maria." Espio spoke softly, standing up, and placed the umbrella gingerly into her hands. A forced smile appeared, "Please go back to Vector and Charmy. I've got something to deal with.

With that, he back flipped and disappeared in a gust of wind. "Espio?!" Maria pulled her hands away, her hair settling back to her shoulders after the wind threw leaves everywhere. "He's gone..."

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Espio raced through the woods, cloaked in invisibility. Everything, every feeling, frustration was shoved together into one target. "That ungrateful IDIOT!!!!" He shoved some branches away from his face, each time snapping them, "I'll...I'll kill him!!!!"

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Kero Guardian: Whee!!! So much emotion!!

Maria: I think I was a little over-reactive......(sweat.)

Kero Guardian: No...I think I made you a little selfish...(Sweat.) I hope the readers don't take it like that, didn't want it to look like that! And as for Shadow, don't hate him, please!!!

Espio: Actually Maria, I think all of us were written a little too over reactive.

Charmy: No kidding.

Kero Guardian: Arrgh......(Steam.)