On Broken Wings Chapter 8

The day after the storm, the day after they had found Shadow, and the day after Katana gained small yellow wings, Shadow became bedridden.

Shadow lay on his bed while the noon hour had struck. It was unusual for him to sleep this long. A knock sounded on his door and he looked drowsily at it. A voice then spoke.

"Shadow? Are you up? It's Amy." Shadow didn't answer but instead continued to stare at the door. His chao was sitting on the windowsill, which got a new window a while ago. "I'm coming in." She said while opening the door. She walked over to him. "Shadow? Didn't you hear me? Are you feeling ok?"

"Just tired..." She went over and felt his forehead.

"Your burning up! This is what happens when you go out in a storm so long!" She then receded her hand. "I'll be right back." She said before leaving.

The room grew quiet again and Katana looked out the window to the outside. Amy returned a few minutes later with a bowl of water and a folded washcloth. She dipped it in the water than put it on Shadow's forehead before leaving once again and than returning with a glass of water and a chair. She handed the water to him as she sat down in the chair.

After Shadow drank some of the water he gave it back to her. She put it on the windowsill next to the curious Katana.

"I told the others you were sick."

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

"Don't worry about it...um...Shadow?"

"Yeah...?

"What happened yesterday?"

"Someone called me so I went to them." He said as he slowly fell asleep. Amy asked him another question but he had already fallen too far asleep to hear her.

Shadow's dream-

He was falling from the sky but saw nothing below of above him. Katana with his yellow wings flew facing downward next to him.

"Did this happen before?"

"I don't want you to remember." He heard a girl's voice say. "But I can't stop it."

"Remember...what?"

"Shadow..."

"Is your name...Maria?" as soon as that left his mouth the surroundings changed. Around him now looked like a space colony from the looks of the outside which he saw through a window. He heard a door open than voices in the dark room. He was shocked at what he saw.

Another dark hedgehog walked alongside a light haired girl.

"Is that...me?" Katana hovered next to him.

"Yes." The girl's voice answered. "And the girl was me." They continued to walk toward the present Shadow and the chao. They did not stop but simply walked through them like ghosts when they came to the ones they could not see. "This is just your memory Shadow. They can't hear, see or touch you."

"What do you think it's like down there Shadow?" The girl in the memory asked the hedgehog in the memory.

The Shadow who watched the memory asked the voice: "What's going on? Are you showing me this?"

"No. You're remembering on your own." The memory slowly faded to white but Shadow and Katana remained.

"Where are you?"

"I have merged with your chao but I will not be able to talk to you unless in a dream now. The rest of the time Katana will be in control."

"Who are you?" He asked but everything was disappearing and became more and more quiet as if there was no air where he stood and no light amongst the light place where he was.

Shadow shot up in his bed. The washcloth fell off his head and he looked to the side. Amy sat in the chair next to him.

"You were moving around and mumbling." She said.

"I think I was dreaming...but now I don't remember what most of it was...All I remember is falling and that someone was there with me." The dream slipped farther and farther away from him till it was almost gone into the depths of his mind. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"Rouge was in here awhile. You've been asleep for hours. It's 6:00." She reached out to touch his forehead again. "Your fever's down. That's good."

"Amy?" He ask while she go up.

"Yes?"

"No. It's nothing. Never mind." Shadow shook his head slightly.

"Alright. Feeling good enough to go upstairs? We're going to eat soon." Shadow nodded as he got off his bed and walked with her upstairs. They went slow since Amy saw Shadow still felt weak but she didn't mind.

They got to the others who were all in the kitchen eating.

"You feelin better Shadow?" Sonic asked. Shadow nodded as he took his seat on the floor with the others. Amy did the same and Katana sat on Shadow's head easting something he had picked out of the selection of food.

For most of the time they ate in silence but once in awhile there would be a conversation. Usually between Amy and Sonic of Rouge and Knuckles; the girls teased them like usual.

Shadow left the kitchen early to go down to his room to sleep more. Rouge talked to the group after he left.

"Shadow was mumbling in his sleep. I couldn't understand what he said most of the time but I understood one word...Maria."

"He was mumbling when I was around too but I couldn't understand anything he said." Amy told them.

"Do you think he's remembering?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't think so because when he woke up he told me he was dreaming but forgot what it was."

"After all he's lived through...He seems happier now with it forgotten but troubled.

hours later-

Rouge sat on the couch watching T.V. most of T.V. sucked at night unlike the radio but there was at least 'adult swim' that had good shows. Rouge now watched it with her full attention. (AN/ for those of you who don't know what adult swim is, it's a group of hours at night on a certain channel that shows a bunch of anime and adult humor cartoons.)

Until Shadow came to her.

"Rouge..." Shadow said from behind her. She got up to face him.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine but I had a dream that I had before again...I wanted to ask about it..."

"What is it?" She was hoping it wasn't about Maria.

"Who's Eggman?" Rouge gave a sigh of relief.

"Dr. Eggman is a mad scientist who tries to take over the world."

"Did I ever fight him or with him?" She didn't know how to answer this but she didn't get the chance because a mechanical hand smashed through the window, knocking Rouge against the wall (which caused her to become unconscious) than grabbed Shadow and took him away.

The commotion caused everyone in the house to wake up and hurry to the den with fear and curiosity.

Knuckles slightly shook Rouge to wake her up and was glad to see her eyes open. "Rouge?" He asked

"Knuckles?" She asked back and Knuckles gave a nod. Rouge gasped and shot up.

"Where's Shadow!" She yelled. Everyone looked around. "He was here when a mechanical hand smashed through the window!" Tails kneeled down to look at the shards of glass on the floor.

"It must have taken Shadow away." Tails said.

"Think it was Eggman?" Sonic questioned.

"Probably." Tails answered while knuckles helped Rouge stand.

"We have to help him!" Cream yelled; Amy and Cheese stood next to her as well as Omega. They all nodded in agreement.

To be continued

Climatic O.o o.O. Asking for 35 reviews. Thank you to everyone who did review