Chapter 5: Penny For Your Thoughts
Sonic's phone was buzzing. Again.
Although he stepped out for only a second, he was bombarded with calls upon calls from his office, and oddly enough, his urge to answer was minimal. He loved his job and he loved his writers, to which he owed his success to reaching a profitable status in the news world, but now of all times, just wasn't it. He kept on thinking about the reunion that's to come.
Even after all this time, he couldn't shake off the feeling of nervousness. He hasn't seen everyone in some time, and although the funeral is so much bigger than seeing everyone again, he couldn't help but falter into his personal feelings on the matter. Contrary to what he had told Amy, he couldn't help thinking about… them.
He stood outside the steps of one of the office buildings that surrounded the area. Although Downtown Central was filled with more of the corporate world, he managed to find a spot in which foot traffic depleted, to which he can stand around and take in the time in peace. He took a sip of his coffee, now cold from the amount of time that's passed, but he couldn't possibly throw away a good cup of coffee.
Sonic and Shadow's relationship had always been "special". From their earliest beginnings with discovering one another as 'half-brothers', progressing towards a rivalry, then teaming up to fighting Eggman once and for all, the aftermath of it all seemed trivial enough. After settling down into home life, Shadow dedicated himself into the rest of his studies while Sonic grew along with his own journalism career.
One would think that after what's been said and done, that would be the last of their connection to one another, but during time, they remained connected. Whilst it be friends, colleagues, or small get-togethers, there always seemed to be a red string of fate connecting the two. Even more, a pink string.
Amy Rose.
Sonic tilted his head up towards the sky, his green orbs gazing at passing birds as they flew by. That one was always within reach, as early on as Shadow, maybe even more. Although in his youth, Sonic never took relationships seriously, so when it came to Amy, she was just one of the many who's made her feelings known. Albeit obnoxiously, but adamantly all the same, and after some time, he had turned her way.
It seemed almost natural for the two to fall for each other, but after some time of being with her, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it.
It's not to say he didn't love Amy, but sometimes he feels like he's only fulfilling an obligation to her. They have spent most of their past ten years knowing each other through an unrequited relationship (on his end, of course), but even during that time, there was one thing during that time that mattered more to Sonic than Amy herself.
And that was winning.
Winning, even though during that time that Amy was already seeing someone seriously, it was his competitive nature that got the best of him.
It was always about competing for Sonic, even if it meant facing someone who was no longer their foe, to what he would consider a friend…
He had always made it a point to make any form of protest towards Amy when it came to seeing this person after everything had changed, making the situation more uncomfortable, but now was the day of his friend's funeral and Sonic knew better than to keep himself as well as Amy away from him during this time of need.
Even the dark hedgehog himself spoke no word of it, being his companions for some time, but everyone knew when to provide support, despite anything that's happened.
Sonic rubbed the back of his head nervously, his quills ruffling in anxiety upon thinking about it. God, I feel like such an asshole, he thought. He tossed the cup into the trash, making his way back towards the direction of the office, as well as discarding the thought process he had riddled himself with for about an hour.
This room hasn't changed at all.
Shadow made his way into the lobby of his grandfather's estate after being let in with clearance. He gazed at the walls that are graced with old photos of his grandfather: accepting prizes, shaking the hands of important connections, and others displaying places to which he improved on or has done work in. All these different parts of the world flourished the metal interior of his grandfather's otherwise grand and open home, but just as there were moments of his achievements, Shadow's eyes went in on the ones that interested him the most.
A young girl with bright blonde hair and a painted smile shot right through him; he took a step towards the photo that rested on the other side of the lobby. Past the pedestals that hovered Gerald's achievements was a photo of the most important person to Shadow, to which he was here for today. She sat in front of a field full of little daisies and flowers that is just outside Gerald's observatory on the other side of his estate.
Shadow only knew of this place because his grandfather placed it in for her 20th birthday. She was always there, even before her illness took a toll on her. Before Shadow had moved away from Central, he somehow always made his way out there to her, despite her being so out of the way from his usual areas. One would always be able to find Shadow in the library, in the laboratory, and even in the quad, but never in the flower garden. But of course, the hold that this woman held on Shadow was something to be observed and studied, for he didn't know why he gravitated to her.
There were plenty of other things he would rather have been doing during days like those, but he always found his way to her. Whether she talked about what the city was doing for the day in terms of festivities or if she was observing the birds that she loved doing immensely, she always had something new to talk to him about. Shadow always thought it was silly, but when it came to her smile, he didn't want anything else.
"Shadow! Come sit by me!"
"What are you even doing here? It's freezing."
"You need to come and see this, it's absolutely beautiful!"
Maria… Are you still watching those birds?
He smiled faintly, remembering the small giggle that she made whenever she saw any bird. He remembered how dedicated she was to complete that journal of her bird tracking. I wonder where that could be. He would probably know where it is, thought Shadow.
Shadow walked further into the home, making it into the living space that only contained one black sofa and a small coffee table. If there was something his grandfather always did right, it was his taste for minimalism. Unlike other homes, windows in this one took up a whole wall. Shadow was always mesmerized by the sight and tallness of the windows, displaying thousands of seconds full of life that passed them by. Whether they were birds, aircrafts, flyers, or even the sight of clouds that were in the shape of the imagination, Shadow loved the windows of his grandfather's home. Every room was always so full of light and quiet, it was something he did miss when he moved away.
As he followed downward of the window, he saw the silhouette of a man in a white lab coat, a white mustache protruding from either side. His posture was like Eggman's, but there was more of a warm kindness that emanated from him. "You're here earlier than expected. When did you get here?" asked the coated figure, turning his face slightly enough to meet Shadow's gaze. Shadow sighed, releasing his luggage, walked towards the minimal sofa, taking his seat before replying back, "Not that long ago."
"You're as chatty as usual. It's nice to have you back here, son."
"Can't really say it's good to be back, but I'm here—"
"To pay your respects. Or for something else?"
Shadow paused, "… What exactly do you mean by that?"
The old man released an unexpected hearty laugh, causing Shadow to tweak his brow with concern.
"Come on, Shadow! You should know exactly what I mean! Come on, let's go outside," offered the white-coated man.
He signaled Shadow to walk over to him before pressing the button that opened the window that Shadow had adored so much; a breeze greeted their cheeks, as they watched the window open and allowed for muted noise to be no longer. Shadow glanced outdoors, before realizing that he could see the flower garden that Maria loved going into so much from above. The platform in which they stood extended outwards, becoming more of an edge in which they stood over.
"When was this put in?" he asked as he felt the platform stop in movement.
"I put it in as soon as she couldn't even walk over to the garden anymore."
Shadow's eyes tightened shut, "… So she wasn't able to walk anymore?"
"… No. She lost all feeling in her limbs. She could only be driven out from her bed and placed right here, to see the flowers."
Shadow knew this was always coming. He knew that her time living were counted down from a calendar; he had already made his peace with the idea of passing, but seeing all this is hard to bare.
"She asked about you, by the way."
"… About what?"
"She asked about how you were doing. You rarely ever called anymore since you moved."
"If that's your way of making me feel guilty for what I had to do—"
"No, not at all! I'm just pointing out an observation."
"Well, you did plenty of that, and it's not needed, thank you."
The mustached man smiled softly, "She was so proud of you. Everything you did, she was so proud."
Shadow turned away from him. Oh god.
"… I was doing it for her, Gerald."
Don't let him see.
"I was doing it all for her."
Don't let him see just how weak I really am.
"I just thought I had more time… but now this is something I have to live with."
A bigger breeze grazed through their bodies, the garden's petals flurried from below and made their way upwards, showering Shadow's face in petals. His eyes widened; the soft aroma of daisies filled him with an odd sense of comfort. What the…
Gerald released another hearty laugh, patting his grandson on the back affectionately, "I don't think she thinks that at all. Sounds like you're just making her mad! Why else would she do that?"
'Do'?
Shadow looked up towards the sky unwaveringly, smiling faintly as he felt some petals settle on his dark quills, You're really something else.
