On Broken Wings chapter 14

"Rouge?" Shadow asked in the den.

"Shadow? You're up? It's 3 o'clock in the morning!"

"I need to ask you something."

"Oh. What is it?"

"Why aren't you mad?"

"About what?"

"What I did..."

"ARK?"

"Yeah. None of you show it. That I did something." Rouge was confused.

"Shadow..."

"Why don't you yell at me?"

"We forgave you..."

"Why?"

"Why? After all I did! I should die..."

"Don't say that! You realized your mistake! We're all happy you're alive!"

"Rouge...I miss her..."

"Shadow! Don't blame yourself so much! And don't try to do everything on your own! And Maria wanted you to be happy!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Shadow...it's going to take time but we'll be here to help you."

"There's something I wanted to say while I fell from ARK."

"What was it?" Shadow didn't say. "Come, Shadow, sit down." Rouge wanted to get his mind off things. She led him to the couch and sat down with him. Rouge turned on the T.V. and searched around for a movie. 'What kind of movie would be good for him to watch?' she wondered. She stopped on a channel that was showing "Silence of the Lambs."

The movie seemed to distract him, which was what she hoped. By the end of the movie, Shadow had fallen asleep and lay on the couch. Rouge turned off the T.V. and left for her room upstairs for sleep.

Shadow woke up the next morning to the sent of Amy's cooking. Cream was helping he heard from his place on the couch.

"No, Cream! Don't put that in!"

"I'm sorry, Amy!"

"Here, put this on the table."

"Sure." Shadow jumped up when he heard the crash and shatter of something.

"Cream!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Shadow got up and went to the kitchen doorway to see the two girls picking up the mess on the floor. They didn't notice him yet so he went over to help them.

"Oh! Morning, Shadow!" Amy said.

"Thank you for helping us!" Shadow nodded in acknowledgement.

When they were done, they told Shadow he could eat. He hesitated but soon found himself eating the food they had cooked for everyone.

"Hey, what was the noise I heard? It woke me up!" Sonic said now entering the room. "Hey, Shadow" he noticed.

"Hey." Sonic turned back to Amy and Cream.

"So what was it?"

"I dropped a plate. I'm sorry!"

"You ok?"

"Y-yes!"

"Shadow helped us." Amy said pointing to where Shadow sat. He was gone.

"Hey...where'd he go?" Sonic asked.

Shadow returned to his room. Katana was sleeping on his bed in a pile of sheets. Shadow leaned against the door. "I don't belong here...do I?" he covered his eyes with his hands. "But I want to... I...I want to live here with them! Is that selfish? I think it is...I miss Maria so much..."

Rouge walked down the stairs from the top floor. It was around 11 am and she was the last one up. She walked into the kitchen where delicious scents came from. "Morning, everyone."

"Morning, Rouge."

"Good morning!"

"Good morning."

"Hey, where's the two-tailed one? And grumpy?"

"Grumpy?" Amy asked.

"It annoys Knuckles when I call him that." she winked.

"I see." Amy giggled.

"Tails is in the workshop." Sonic said. "And Knuckles is outside by the tree."

"And the dark one?"

"He was here but now he's not. Probably in his room." Amy told her then turned to Sonic who was stuffing his face with food. Amy hit him with a spatula. "Slow down!"

"Is that wrong, Katana?" Shadow sat holding the chao on the floor. "Is it wrong for me to stay here?"

"Chao."

Shadow suddenly dropped Katana and fell on his side as though he had lost all of his energy at once. "I'm so tired..." he closed his eyes. "I'm gunna sleep...just a little..." Katana crawled over to his hedgehog friend. "Chao..." Shadow drifted into a sleep and fell into a dream.

Shadow was not sure where he was. All he knew was it was dark and cold. The only thing he was able to see was Katana who was glowing while he flew near Shadow. "Katana?" Shadow's eyes soon adjusted and he was able to see that he was in a forest. "Where am I?" he aimlessly started to walk and he wasn't sure why.

"Shadow." he heard Maria's voice call. He stopped walking for a second.

"Maria?"

"I want you to be happy..."

Shadow started walking faster. "Where are you?" he quickened his pace.

"Don't blame yourself!"

"I'm sorry! I've done terrible things! I broke my promise!"

"Shadow! You've never broken your promise! They are happy you live with them!"

"I think I bring them sorrow! I think I hurt them!"

"You don't!" Shadow tripped over a tree root. He didn't try to get back up.

"I tried to kill them all..."

"But you didn't. You realized your mistake and they forgave you."

"They forgave me?"

"Yes."

"Maria..."

"Please...be happy, Shadow the hedgehog..." his dream slowly faded away and he was back in his room. He tried desperately to cling to it. Katana was curled up next to him, sleeping.

"Maybe now I can forgive myself...because they forgave me..." Shadow sat up while looking down. "I still miss you...Maria...It still hurts..."

FeatherWings- Review response time

Rouge1992- hmm, Shadouge? I dunno. I wasn't planning on it. actually I already wrote all the chapters. but they're in a book and I have to enter them in the computer which takes a while.

Shadow Chaotic Soulright- if you write a poem, i'll read it :D

shadow-conker- keep reading and reviewing to see if he's ok n.n

Yersi Fanel- yup! cute Shadow and his chao :3