Shadow felt ashamed of himself, just what the hell was he thinking? Who was he kidding he wasn't thinking at all when it came to kissing Sonic. It had been mere impulse! An impulse he didn't feel very comfortable with. One, because he never fully considered ever being in a relationship with a significant other at all. Two, Sonic isn't ready for an actual relationship yet, and neither was he.
And now the blue hedgehog had shoved him away, running away while leaving behind a blue streak and a confused Shadow. Some time had passed, nearly half an hour, and Sonic still hadn't made an appearance since, Shadow had tried to follow Sonic but no luck. Even with his memories and knowledge of the Ark's maze-like layabout, the ebony hedgehog couldn't find Sonic anywhere. Sonic's deviously good at hiding when he wished, and Shadow should've figured that out that day in the forest.
Turning down an empty hallway in which the half he walked into was dark while the other end was lit up with lights. His red, white, and black metal skates clunked heavily over the cold steel floors, his shoes had scraped the ground which echoed into the silence and bounced off the walls. It had begun to creep him out, being by himself walking through halls of his past. He understood why Sonic had ran off, in fact he felt guilt clinging to him.
He had meant for Sonic to be brought here to keep him safe, to pull him from the prying eyes of those damned vultures before Sonic had too much and panicked. Not go over the limits and frighten Sonic out of the control room into the deeper parts of the Ark.
Had he regretted it? Yes and no. The kiss had been enjoyable, pleasantly so. But he should've thought more clearly before it, this was Sonic he kissed. Sonic is going through a lot, he doesn't need to add this to his plate.
He was in his sullen musing while he continued searching for the cobalt blur when Shadow's ears twitched after hearing noises coming closer from the distance. Pausing in his place, he listened attentively.
There were voices and more than one pair of footsteps. Instantly knowing that it should only be him and Sonic on the Ark, Shadow swiftly took cover in the dark, not knowing if there was danger approaching or not. The ultimate lifeform was tense, stiff as a board, and ready to strike or attack if needed.
"-Here somewhere." A young voice spoke. Shadow's eyes owlishly stared at the other end of the hall, waiting for the possible intruders to show up. And that they did, only did Shadow relax after three figures approached and were revealed to be Rouge, Knuckles, and the kitsune he recognized as Tails.
"We've checked everywhere, it's like a damn maze in here." Knuckles grumbled, it was easy to tell he was in a bad mood that hadn't been lifted up just yet.
"The readings are saying that he's nearby close." Tails pointed out. Thus, tapping his communicator he had tracking chaos emeralds with his fingers.
Shadow didn't know how or when those three had made there way onto the Ark, but seeing as they were friends and not enemies he made his appearance known. "Rouge?"
Tails had flinched by his voice, obviously startled and not expecting to hear Shadow but no see him. Knuckles' eyes were glancing everywhere in the dark side of the hall until they froze onto Shadow's barely noticeable silhouette. Rouge was flying but had ceased as she looked towards Shadow. The ebony lifeform stepped out of the shadows and Rouge looked visibly relieved.
"So you did come here. How are you two? Those journalists were practically snapping at our heels when we tried to leave." Rouge started, like a worrying mother or sister she looked over Shadow with concern written all over her face. "Chaos only knows how bad it was for you two."
"If I ever get my hands on those idiots, they'll regret the day they were born." Knuckles said aloud and Shadow agreed instantly.
"Those fools scared him...it wasn't good. He froze up while they were taking pictures of him as if he was an animal in a zoo to be leered at." Shadow divulged, his eyes were narrowed as he stared off thinking about how much he wished those idiots would pay for being so insensitive, so stupid and greedy. "I had to think fast so I grabbed him and took us here. It was the only place I could think of." With this Rouge and Knuckles nodded, paying close attention to his words while Tails looked afraid and lost in thought.
"Whe-where is Sonic?" Tails asked tentatively, wringing his hands together nervously when the three older mobians had their attention fixated on him. Then Knuckles and Rouge looked back towards Shadow who didn't know how to answer.
"He is-" Opening his mouth, Shadow had hesitated to reveal the truth but he had been interrupted by the blue blur himself.
"Right here." Sonic said, the blue hedgehog smiled cheekily at the group after he too had suddenly stepped into the hallway besides Shadow yet he refused to make eye contact with the older hedgehog. Shadow felt confused, where the hell did Sonic come from? "Hey guys."
The only one who looked like they believed the smile of Sonic's to be real and truthful was Tails. Knuckles and Rouge shared lost looks before staring at Shadow questioningly. Sonic looked well and bubbly, but that was a lie. And Shadow was determined to help Sonic be the real him and not rely on a mask anymore.
The three other mobians had noted that Sonic had been paying close attention to Tails, as if he wanted to say many things on his mind but kept his lips shut tight. Something was wrong, it was like Sonic's true self had disappeared more as the mask was worn. Had Shadow not already known what was wrong he would've thought Sonic was perfectly okay. That truly scared him.