Shadow walked down the deserted morning streets of Station Square. The tears had long ago been driven away. The ebony hedgehog kept his ruby eyes locked on the sidewalk in front of him. He dared not look up in fear that his eyes were red and puffy from tears. How could… how could he have forgotten? Was it just a joke for him? Was he just playing with me the entire time? Did he spend the day with me and wait outside my door just to… just to get that? Millions of thoughts raced through the ebony hedgehog's head.
He risked taking a look and saw that his feet were taking him in the opposite direction of his home. Instead, he was heading for Club Rouge; the place where maybe his only friend lived. She had an apartment above the club and sometimes, after bartending the club for her, he would stay overnight in. However, Shadow wasn't ready to confront her about this; at least, not yet. Despite what he had told Sonic, home was the last place that Shadow wanted to go back to. The ebony hedgehog reached inside his head quills and took out the dark blue chaos emerald. The emerald softly glowed in his hand, as if giving him a greeting. However, all he saw in the emerald was the color of the soft pelt he had nuzzled into the night before. Shadow tightly gripped the gem in his hand. "Chaos Control." The ebony hedgehog whispered out and disappeared in a flash of white light.
Another flash of white light and Shadow reappeared in a darkened metal room. He put the blue emerald back into his head quills and walked to the window that dominated the room. The view was amazing; dark, black matter of space was to the right, while an amazing view of the big blue planet, Earth, was to the left. The moon glowed white, and hovered over the beautiful planet. Shadow placed a hand on the thick glass that was between him, and the vacuum of space, and sighed. He took his hand away, and scuffled over to the left wall of the room. The ebony hedgehog sat down, and leaned against the cool metal. He turned his head, and relaxed at the view. He let his mind go blank, and closed his eyes. Shadow's breathing slowed, and soon the ebony hedgehog drifted off to sleep.
*Ombra d'amore*
The cobalt hedgehog heard his front door slam shut as the other male hedgehog left. He finished up his omelet, and, although Sonic would never admit it, Shadow was a great cook. The cobalt hedgehog placed his used plate in his dishwasher, and went into his medicine cabinet. He grabbed out some Advil, and downed two tablets dry. His head was killing him, and he wondered just how much he had drank the night before with Shadow. Fear, and dread suddenly filled his chest. I hope I didn't say anything I would regret. Sonic placed the Advil back in the wooden cabinet. He was just about to head to his shower, when a beeping came from his laundry room.
Why is there a beeping sound coming from my laundry room? I don't remember putting any laundry in… Sonic sweat dropped. Well, that was a stupid thought considering I'm drawing a complete blank about last night. Again, dread filled his chest on whether he had said anything to the ebony hedgehog.
Sonic sighed, and headed for his laundry room down the hall. He opened the door, and pulled out his dark blue comforter. Why is this in here? The cobalt hedgehog shrugged, and dumped the bedding into his drier. He started the dry cycle, and exited the room. The cobalt hedgehog headed for his room, and walked inside. His bathroom that contained his shower was to the right. He entered his bathroom, and pulled off his few articles of clothing. Sonic carelessly left them on the ground, and climbed inside his shower. He turned the knob, and shivered as the cool water hit his pelt before it started to heat up.
The cobalt hedgehog sighed in content as the desired hot water finally hits his pelt. Sonic reached for his shampoo, and squirted out a good amount of the blue goop. He rubbed circles into his pelt, and rinsed off under the hot water when he was finished. Sonic watched the white suds swirl down the drain. His hangover still pounded in his head, and he desperately tried to remember anything as to what happened.
The cobalt hedgehog was really bothered with not being to remember anything. He never had more than two or three drinks, since by then he was tipsy. However, when he was with Shadow yesterday he felt like he could finally be himself. He didn't have to be the hero or always have a happy face on. He was himself with Shadow; that had always been the case. The ebony hedgehog couldn't care less whether he was liked by other people; he wouldn't try to be someone he wasn't to impress others, and, most of all, he didn't care who Sonic was. Shadow didn't care about labels; he only cared about the opinion that he himself had given someone.
This was what Sonic loved about the other male the most. Yes, love. The cobalt hedgehog was hopelessly in love with Shadow the Hedgehog. It wasn't love at first sight; actually he had almost hated the other to the core when they first met. It took weeks, maybe even months for Sonic to figure out that the hate he felt was really admiration. Then that admiration turned into something more the longer that Sonic knew the ebony hedgehog. The cobalt hedgehog didn't know when or how something like this had happened; it just… did.
Sonic sighed heavily, and turned the knob of his shower. The nozzle dripped its last few drops of water, and stopped. The cobalt hedgehog stepped out, and snatched the white towel hanging from a nearby hook. He quickly dried himself off, and wrapped it around his waist. Sonic didn't know why he did this since he never wore clothes, but he always suspected it was from his short time with a human named Chris.
The hung-over cobalt hedgehog exited his steam filled bathroom, and flopped down on his mattress. He looked at his clock located on his side table, and groaned when he saw that he had only an hour to get rid of his hangover before he was to meet with his mother. Water dripped from his quills, and Sonic reached over for a tissue to wipe it off. He was surprised to find that there was none inside its cardboard box. The blue hero grabbed the box, and looked around to where they could have gone. He could have sworn that it was still half way full. Sonic looked down to find that his trash bin was filled with the missing tissues. He set the box back in its place, and instead picked up his trash bin. He examined it with curiosity when he saw that they had all been used; all almost seemingly at once.
Why had all of these been used? A moment of silence before Sonic shrugged, and placed the trash bin back on the ground next to his bed. He, instead, unwounded his towel, and whipped away the still dripping water. Sonic left the damp towel on his bed, and got up. He goes back into his bathroom, and snatched his few clothing. He carelessly threw his dirtied gloves, and socks into his laundry hamper, and then went over to his drawers located across from his bed. He grabbed out a cleaned pair of desired gloves, and socks, and slipped them on. The cobalt hedgehog then put his shoes on, and was finally ready to head out to face his mother.
Slight fear entered his chest, It's really sad when you're afraid of your own mother. Sonic thought to himself as he walked down his staircase, and out his front door. He heard the door slam behind him before he took off in a bright blue blur.
*Ombra d'amore*
Shadow's left ear twitched, and twitched again before tired ruby eyes open. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and yawned. Sharp, white fangs gleam from the slight light coming from the moon, and planet. The ebony hedgehog got up, and stretched out his cramped muscles. Shadow stopped his stretching session when a weird sensation came from his stomach. He looked down, and rubbed his black pelt to calm it down. It didn't help as his stomach churned, and his tan muzzle turned slightly green.
The ebony hedgehog raced out of the room, and to the closest bathroom located on the A.R.C. He made it inside, and to the toilet just in time. He lifted the seat, and retched into the white porcelain. Unfortunately, nothing came out as the ebony hedgehog hadn't eaten properly in days. He continued to dry heave into the toilet, and stopped minutes later. Shadow takes in much needed air, and unsteadily stood back up. The churning feeling in his stomach returned, and he dropped back down. He repeated his earlier dry heaving session, and, once he was done, stayed sitting on the floor.
Shadow took in large gulps of air, and tried to settle his uneasy stomach. When it finally settled, the ebony hedgehog reached up, and closed the toilet seat. He scooted over to the wall beside the toilet, and leaned against it. What's wrong with me? It was that moment when his stomach rumbled in hunger. The rumbling continued, and the ebony hedgehog decided to chance getting back up.
He slowly stood back up, and used the wall as support. His stomach rumbled again, and Shadow sighed in relief when the uneasy feeling didn't return. Now, where am I going to get some food? He sighed again, but this time it was in defeat. He would have to return to the planet if he was going to get anything to eat.
Shadow reached inside his head quills, and took out his dark blue chaos emerald. It glowed softly before Shadow said his famous two words. "Chaos Control." He then disappeared in a flash of light.
The ebony hedgehog reappeared in front of his favorite café. He entered the small restaurant, and sat down at his favorite booth in the corner of the establishment. He sighed, and waited for his waiter or waitress to take his order. He didn't even look at the menu since he came here so much, and had already had it memorized.
"Oh! Shadow! How nice it is to see you." The ebony hedgehog turned, and saw that his waitress was none other than Sonic's younger sister, Sonia.
He sighed, "Hello, Sonia. When did you start working here?"
The female hedgehog blushed, and gripped her waitressing note book. "Well, I just started today actually."
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your mother the queen? Why are you working here if you already have more than enough money to live off of?"
"Mom wanted me to have some experience with a job." She turned, and pointed towards the kitchen entrance. "Manic is working as a cook here as well."
His ruby eyes travel back to his table. "I see…"
Sonia perked up, but her blush still remained on her muzzle. "What can I get you, Shadow?"
"I'll take a chicken Caesar salad."
She quickly wrote it down in her note book, and looked back at the ebony hedgehog. "What would you like to drink?"
"Just water would be fine." Sonia nodded, wrote it down, and practically skipped away to the kitchen. Shadow sighed, and rolled his eyes at the girl's behavior. Sonic sure has a weird family. His heart clenched, and tears sprang back to his eyes at the mere thought of the other hedgehog. Shadow put his head in his hand, and turned to look out the window to his right. I should just give up. I'm just something that was created to kill; I can't love, I'm not meant to be loved. I am forever cursed to be alone; Maria being killed, and Sonic not remembering, it was all meant to be. Both of those incidents happened for a reason; that I would be alone for my entire life… The ebony hedgehog continued to daze out the window, and let a lone tear slide down his face.
*Ombra d'amore*
Sonic skid to a stop in front of the gates leading into Queen Aleena's castle. He waved to the four guards stationed at the entrance, and they nod to him before opening the gates. He walked through the opening in the entrance, and the dread returned when he heard them clang behind him.
Might as well get this over with, Sonic thought. He walked up to the grand doors of the castle, and placed his hands on the handle. The cobalt hedgehog took in a deep breath, before slowly letting it out. He put on a confident face, and pushed open the doors.
"Sonic! You're five minutes late!"
"Nice to see you too, mom." His mother, Queen Aleena, stood in the middle of the entrance. She wore a grand white, and purple dress that reached all the way down to the floor. The older female hedgehog uncrossed her arms, and motioned for her son to follow her. They quietly walked down a long hallway; the only sounds coming from Queen Aleena's high heels, and the soft, muffled taps of Sonic's red, and white sneakers. "It's not polite to keep waiting your future fiancée."
"Fiancée?! Since when has Sally been my fiancée?!" Sonic stopped walking, and Queen Aleena turned around to glare at her eldest son.
"You are the future king, Sonic! Not to mention that Princess Sally, and you have been together for months! How long are you going to make her wait before you finally manage to pop the question?!"
Sonic locked eyes with his mother, and glared right back. "That's never going to happen, mom!"
"And why is that?!"
"I'm in love with someone else!"
"Then take her as your wife instead of Princess Sally!"
"I can't!"
"Why not, Sonic?! Why are you being so difficult?!"
"Because I'm gay!" Silence filled the corridor, and Queen Aleena looked stunned at her son's confession. Sonic looked down, and his reflection reflected off of the polished marble. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, mom. I don't want the throne, because I'm in love with a man, and I just want to live a peaceful life with them." The cobalt hedgehog's voice, for once, was a whisper.
"Sonic… I-" Queen Aleena started before a door slammed open, and she was interrupted.
"I knew it! I knew you were gay, Sonic!"
Both hedgehogs turned towards the shouting voice. "Sally?!" Sonic yelled in fright as he saw his pissed off girlfriend.
*Ombra d'amore*
Shadow sat back in his seat, and sighed in content as his empty stomach was finally filled. He grabbed his glass of water, and chugged down the whole glass at once. Sonia came over, and took his empty plate, and glass. "Is there anything else you would like?"
"Can I have a slice of apple pie?" The ebony hedgehog didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but for whatever reason he was craving something sweet. Sonia nodded, and left his booth. The magenta hedgehog came back a minute later, and placed a nice sized piece of apple pie in front of him. "Thank you." He grabbed his fork, and lifted up a nice amount of the dessert into his mouth.
Sonia fidgeted for a second, and spoke up. "I'm on my lunch break right now; would you mind if I sat with you?" Shadow gestured to the seat across from him, and the female hedgehog sat down. Sonia tapped the wooden table before working up the courage to speak to the ebony hedgehog. "So, Shadow-"
"Hey, guys! What's up?" Manic interrupted his sister, and slid into the booth next to her. "Hey, Stripes, how's it hanging?" Shadow completely ignored the green hedgehog, and continued eating his piece of pie. "Uh huh, how interesting." Manic said sarcastically when the ebony hedgehog didn't answer him. The green hedgehog then turned towards his sister instead. "Why are you hanging out with Mr. Sunshine here, sis? It can't be because of his oh so charming personality." His sister glared at him, and Manic cocked his head to the side. "What did I say?"
Sonia shook her head, and turned her attention back to Shadow. "As I was saying, Shadow I-" She was interrupted yet again, not by someone, but by a ringing coming from her pocket. The song, I'm Sexy and I Know It, was coming from her cell phone, and Sonia picked it up. "Manic, if you ever touch my phone again, I'm going to kill you." She then pressed the talk button, and spoke into the receiver.
Manic held up his hands in defeat. "Hey, guilty as charged."
Shadow, meanwhile, was studying the two hedgehogs across from him. They are definitely Sonic's siblings. He put his fork back down, and kept his stare on the now empty plate. He heard Sonia gasp, and looked back up to find a shocked female hedgehog. Manic just looked confused, and both male hedgehogs watched the female until she put away her phone. "Manic, mom wants us back home."
"Alright, but what does she want?"
"I'll tell you when we get there." They get out of the booth, and Sonia took Shadow's plate. "Do you want to come with us, Shadow?"
He shrugged, and gave Sonia the money for his food. "I have nothing else to do."
Sonia nodded, "I'll be right back. Manic, can you tell our boss we're leaving, and I'll take the dish in back, and put the money in the cash register?" Manic nodded, and took off to do his task. The female hedgehog left, and quickly came back moments later. The green hedgehog returned minutes after his sister, and they all leave for Queen Aleena's castle.
I'm sorry for the long wait guys. I'm not used to writing these fluffy types of stories, and sometimes I have to completely rewrite the entire chapter until I'm happy with it.
Sonic: When are Shadow and I finally going to be together, Silver?
Whenever I feel like it.
Sonic: I hate you.
You and Shadow always say that and yet you always come back to do these chapters for me.
Sonic: … I still hate you…
Whatever, Read and Review everyone!
P.S. Feel free to PM me or send a random review and yell at me to get my last ass to write these chapters. Because, I'm really lazy with this story compared to all my other ones. :)