Can Never Replace You

Disclaimer: Sonic characters do not belong to me and neither do the ones from Sonic X, but Florina does! Also all songs for the background music belongs to their respective creators.

Kero Guardian: Hey look, I'm in College now! Hahahaha…sigh. I'm sorry for the lack of updating, I've just been stuck for a long while…

Espio: Excuses are for the weak.

Kero Guardian: So I'm weak!

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Chapter Nine: Lost and Found

Darkness.

There was nothing but darkness surrounding the confused hedgehog. Nothing but the darkness and the rain.

Shadow raised his head to gaze above him, where the droplets of water was coming from, he did not know, for the sky was a midnight black. And with each step he took he felt himself trip forward before being able to regain his balance once more, for the ground was one large puddle of water, reaching at his ankles.

'Where in the world am I? Is this a dream…?' He examined the area around him once more before looking down at his hands, that seemed to be soaked in blood. 'What the…?'

"Hello…?" His head snapped upwards. "Is there anyone who can help me…? I…I can't find a dear friend of mine…" On the second sentence Shadow was able to locate the voice behind him, turning his head swiftly around, he locked his gaze on a young girl. She was kneeled, the water encircling her like a small pond. Her angel blond hair hung down her cheeks which were partially flushed, leaving everything ghost pale. He heard her cough violently before drawing in another shivering breath, "Excuse me…please…I've lost him…"

The rodent glanced around one more time until he finally decided to approach her. "I'll help you look for him."

Her face seemed to brighten if not a little by his offer. "Really? You don't mind?"

"…no, I'm lost myself. Maybe if we look together we'll be able to find whatever we are looking for."

She bowed her head in appreciation, and held out her hand for him to grasp. Shadow withdrew a little, unused to such a gesture, but smiled slightly, taking the child's hand. "I'm Maria Robotnik and you are?"

"Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."

BGM: Escaflowne - Sora's Folktale

"Have they not awaken yet?" The quiet whisper drew the bat's attention from the side of the bed to a familiar echidna that kept one hand upon the doorframe for balance, "She's not hurt that badly is she?"

"No…the wound is all healed up, but they still haven't woken up yet…" Rouge lowered her eyes back down to a clipboard she held within her slender fingers. "You can tell Espio that she's all right and is just resting…"

The thief pushed herself from the stool to stand, eyes not leaving their slumbering bodies. Knuckles stepped silently across the room and over to the bat. He murmured her name before surprising her with a gentle hug. She stiffened at first and protested, "Knuck--knuckle-head…what, what the?"

"Shh…I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner…" She felt her face flush deeply on anticipation and his gloved hand which ran comfortingly behind her head, "I…Rouge, I love you. You're the true treasure any hunter could be looking for…"

"……." The expression on her face did well to hide the feeling swelling inside her, because right then, Rouge just wanted to glomp onto the guardian and squeal like a certain pink hedgehog always did. "We…well…I guess I could see if you fit in my schedule…"

"What!" He lacked the composure she held, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we'll see…we'll just have to see how this will go." She turned her head to look at his stuttering eyes and smiled widely, before leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"…………….er…" She laughed at how she had turned the tables to him. "C-course. I understand completely…cough, I'd better tell everyone the good news, then."

"About us?"

"Yeah, sure--what! I mean, no, no, no! About how Shadow and the girl are all right!"

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"Maria…all these scenes that we keep passing through…" Shadow looked up to the taller creature. "I feel as though…"

The hedgehog could have sworn that they have been searching for as long as an hour and every step they took brought them to a different area: from a meadow, to cold halls, a window looking down to earth, and finally here to a siren-screaming hallway.

"Shadow! I-I'm scared!" The blonde girl turned to face him with a terrified visage.

"Why should you be? I've told you that all of this is nothing more than a dream and-"

His voice halted when gun shots erupted around them, turning, Shadow saw a group of soldiers shouting angrily at them. Immediately, Maria started to run, pulling him with her. His eyes met with familiar surroundings, the echoing of the halls, the white drowned in red, and a few bodies of what he presumed to be dead scientists.

"Stop! There it is! Project Shadow!" A soldier hollered at them, "Stop or I'll shoot!"

Maria was shot and racked a gasp of pain, stumbling on her feet, but refusing to stop running.

Blood. Tears.

A feeling rarely known to him filled the hedgehog--he was afraid. And upon a reaction to this emotion, he started to skate forward, now leading the frantic child behind him. "Where do we go!"

"In--In there!" She managed to cry out as they retreated into an inner room filled with capsules. "Sha…Shadow…please get into one of the capsules…"

Shadow was so numb with confusion that he obeyed, but the feeling of sudden concern for the girl made him keep his eyes on her. "Are you…"

He trailed into silence as she removed her palm, that did little to block the over pooling blood, pouring upon the white floor below her. He was about to run to her side, but found himself smacking into a glass barrier, "When did this! When did you push--"

"Shadow…I'm…dying…" The girl's voice choked back a heartbroken sob.

The ultimate life-form could not stop himself from shaking his head, 'this is just a dream…just a dream…and yet I…' He pressed his fingers upon the clear glass, leaving fingerprints.

"But what about your friend! I thought you--"

Maria raised her blue eyes, tears falling like the light rain before, "Oh Shadow…I've already found him…it's you."

Memories.

"I love you Shadow…and I won't let you die…"

"!" He stepped back from the translucent covering. He continued to shake his head, then stared into those blue pupils, "Maria…Maria Robotnik…you are……you're the one…"

"Shadow... I beg of you... please, do it for me... for a better future…for all the people who live on that planet... give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason that you were brought into this world. Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Maria!"

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"MARIA!" Shadow vaulted himself from the bed, and landed straight on his face.

The now panting American porcupine lifted his large head up, to see a very shocked friend. "Rouge…Rouge!"

Rouge almost screamed in fright when Shadow suddenly grabbed her arms, pulling her closer to him. Her wide eyes twitched at the sight of his red intensity, "Where is she! Maria--is she all right?"

"Mmm…Shadow?" As if the timing had been perfect, he heard a soft, angelic sigh and the bat's finger pointing nervously behind him.

"Maria!" He almost hollered, rushing to her and clasping her into a tight hug. "I remember! I remember everything!"

The twelve year old had to pause a moment to catch her breath from the death grip her dear friend was giving her before she could register the information he was practically hooting. "Wait…you…Shadow you really remember who I am!"

"I'm sorry, Maria…I'm so sorry for forgetting about you…" He was crying now from either joy or regret, the young girl couldn't tell.

She smiled kindly, beaming with a gentle glow of happiness, she too had tears in her eyes. "It's all right now Shadow. It's going to be just fine now…I'm so glad to have you back, my dear, dear friend."

He stuttered a laugh as they hugged, "Me too, Maria…me too…"

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Unknown to everyone within that small room, a specific chameleon gave a rueful smile to the two weeping friends. He quietly rotated from the door that he was camouflaging above to step out and greet the others with the joyous news. Completely ignoring the bittersweet sorrow in his own heart.

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Kero Guardian: Ack! What a sloppy chapter!

Shadow: Maria! (Hugs her tightly.)

Espio: Sigh…gloom, gloom…I live in darkness, I become the darkness…

Kero Guardian: What am I supposed to do with you two! Especially Espio…

Maria: (Is confused.)

Tails: Will Espio move on, or confess, we'll find out later, as soon as Kero Guardian gets some further ideas!