Sorry this took so long, I've been on the road alot these past few weeks. Anyways, you've all been waiting for the results of the war... here ya go!
Part Twenty-Two: Aftermath
The stinging sensation of the dying rainstorm dripping into his wounds finally stirred the victorious echidna back into reality from his comatose state. His head was pounding from whatever blow had overtaken him and his spent muscles made the promises of pain to come after a well deserved respite. All around his prone position, Knuckles could see the burning ruins of what had been the doctor's walking crustacean and the shining cleavers of the Raptors that had stood against both him and his cobalt compadre. Sonic himself was also close by, but his form did not stir. Judging from the tell-tale ruby streak on the speedster's midsection, the echidna guessed even the cobalt hedgehog takes his licks every now and again.
The wounded guardian slowly clambered into a kneel, trying to keep his senses in tune as best they could, lest one last surviving saurian surprise him. And indeed, a sound struck his attention, but not the artificially smooth grind of a mechanized joint or even the gentle splashes of the falling water. No, this was labored breathing, uneven steps, and an energy on its last leg. Quickly casting his violet eyes toward the hillsides and the source, Knuckles' jaw could not resist dropping a notch. Replacing the once vibrant greenery of the slope was a blackened crater, burning embers still visible even at a distance. And emerging from the hellish scene, one aloof step at a time, was a hedgehog sheathed in more crimson than the normal onyx hue. Shadow's torso was wide open now, along with one of his shoulders and part of his collar. Even his normally white airshoes were thickly coated in blood, yet the trickling flow of life did not faze his gaze a bit. As the ultimate life-form passed by, he dropped something from his grip before collapsing onto one knee.
Rushing to his comrade's side, the echidna tried to lift Shadow into a resting stance, but the ebony warrior pushed him back off and continued forward, only muttering "…no…Amy…". Only when he departed did the drained guardian note what it was the hedgehog had dropped; a thin metallic arm tipped in claws soaked in blood and a lifeless cerulean Emerald, drained of all powers. Knuckles gathered the stone and simply studied it in awe for a second before the stirring groans of the other speeding sentry snatched his attention. How the hell did he drain an entire Emerald?!
Each step in itself was perfection in pain. With every pace forward towards his goal, Shadow the Hedgehog could feel his core burn itself away, still that mattered not. His ruby orbs were locked onto the coast and his mind was alive and rampaging with the scenes of his own hand tearing through the contraption that held his flower so tightly. The way the fire had reflected off her eyes would have been dazzling if it had not come in such a bleak storm. Now, he had to know if it had been his hand all along that destroyed his newborn dream.
The speed his damaged core could carry was not great in any notion, but finally, Shadow reached the last known spot of the Crab, marked by the fires brooding from its carcass shining true. It did not take his search but a moment to spot a flash of cherry still clinched inside the mechanical pincer. Even from afar, he could see her eyes were shut and still, yet the fires around her dared not to damage her quills or fur. Sprinting to her side, Shadow reached out to take the hand that seemed to beckon him closer. Only when he encased her delicate palm in his did he notice how effortless and lifeless the motion was No…no, it can't be…can it?... What have I done? WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE?!
His fingers traced around her soft features in an attempt to stir her immobile form, yet she did not obey his wish. If she was breathing her chest did not rise or fall, and the heat of the nearby wreckage negated any subtle feeling. For the first time in half a century, the ultimate life-form began to feel actual panic creeping into his voice and vision "Rose… come on, Rose wake up! Amy, please…just wake up…"
Still, she did not acknowledge him. Using the last ounces of his strength, Shadow ripped the titanium claw from its hinges and discarded it, bringing Amy into his full cradling embrace. Even weakened as he was, her graceful frame was still a feather to his touch. Such would have been a romantic scene if the players were not so broken. Now, the rain drenched him in sheets of sorrow that he could not sense, and the waves crashed against the cliffs in a fury that seemed so muted compared to his own heartbeat pounding like a drum. Feeling his very center collapse at the realization, Shadow the Hedgehog reared back and screamed with a power no mortal force could match "AMY!! NOOO!!"
Once his throat had been exhausted, moments became an eternity before the approaching splashes of cautious footsteps alerted his ears to someone's approach. Yet suddenly, their identity was irrelevant, for as soon as his crimson gaze shot back up to brush off the contact, there it was.
That same shining orange battery that had enabled this mockery of a triumph.
Now the gemstone was staring back at him, just the tool he required. One last blast of Chaos Control to transport the wounded couple to safety and care was the only task that mattered now. If there was but one spark of life left in her soul, Shadow would save it.
And if the Emerald were not sitting in a burning pond of hydraulic fluid, the quest would be simple. But that point was moot compared to the mission he had now been charged with. Just as he had done only a few days before, the ultimate life-form needed to move, and move with all his entrusted haste. The weight on his shoulder from a stabilizing palm and a reassuring voice from the warrior next to him meant nothing as Shadow gently laid his delicate flower back onto the ground and leapt into the blaze as only one thought crossed his mind I promised to keep her safe, and to make her happy. If this is the cost I must pay, so be it…
I only hope she can forgive me…
"Shadow, NO!" someone behind him yelled only a split second too late, words which never registered in his mind.
The flames eagerly lanced upward to meet his landing, licking his bloodied form with searing pain. It only took one swift swipe to snatch the gemstone from its fluid captor, but the scorching fluid still radiated through his gloved palm and into his body. Try as he might, the ultimate life-form's body could not suppress the pained howl that escaped from his throat as he retreated from the hellish scene to land in his former position. His ears could register the shocked replies from his associates nearby as the smoldering charcoal hedgehog placed the Emerald in Amy's hands and wrapped them tightly within his own, collapsing to his knees in the process. And before the final effects of the battle's adrenaline rush and fear's motivation were overridden by a depleted heart, the two lovers disappeared into the flash of Chaos Control.
"Shadow, NO!" he had yelled as soon as the midnight hedgehog had taken flight. Now there were no words to describe the scene that had unfolded before his jaden eyes. What he just witnessed defied every conclusion and judgment that had smeared the midnight warrior's reputation as melancholy and cold. The fires Shadow so carelessly dove into were paled in comparison to the novas in his crimson gaze and the cries of pain and anguish reverberated throughout his ribcage. Had Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing alive and hero of worlds, actually been wrong?
He didn't even show this much emotion when we saved the planet from the ARK! the blue blur reflected. It was like Shadow had completely reversed his own frozen soul, and how that was possible, Sonic only had one guess. "I guess you really do love her, don't you? Well then, Shadow, you best take care of her…"
"Did he… just do… what I think he just did?" Knuckles asked as he approached the nightmarish sight, voice somewhere between shock and amazement.
"I guess he did. He risked it all to protect her. Never was one for subtlety, that hedgehog. Kinda like you back in the old days spikey."
"Humph. Guess we misjudged him after all" the guardian shrugged.
"Yea, so we did. How's batgirl doin?"
The echidna gestured back towards civilization "She and Tails are waiting for us over the ridge. Rouge wanted me to come back to see if Amy and Shads were okay. We should probably get going though, the fox is pretty banged up from the crash."
Sonic nodded and the two remaining fighters departed back to tend to the less fortunate, casting one last look at his shoulder at the carnage caused by the collision of his mortal foe and his midnight rival. It was then when something shiny half buried in a muddy puddle caught his attention. Not the cold lifeless shine of the steel fangs of those dinobots, this was the soothing gleam of gold. It wasn't until Sonic picked it up and brushed the dirt away did two and two click in his brain Hmmm… a golden bracelet…Wait a minute, I've seen this before! This is…
For the second time in just as many months, Amy's thoughts found themselves floating without form or reason. The lasting images that still stuck out were the looks of horror on her onyx savior's face as Eggman tried to squeeze the life right out of her and the sudden flash of ruby lightning and enraged fire that had marked the massive human's demise. And then it had appeared once more, this creation called Epsilon. It bore just enough of a striking resemblance to her beloved Shadow that she thought her eyes had cheated her when the two collided. After that, only the echoes and remnants of reality could be sensed. Yet, even her hands still felt the warmth of his touch when his own grasp had intertwined with them and his agonized howl echoed within her bones and deeper still. Then the spark of an energy almost completely foreign to her had enveloped them both. No, wait, I have felt that before…the night…that first night we…
Now there was an odd sense of numbness, different than whatever the Doctor had laced her with. No, this was much more like the cold touch of winter. Something else wasn't right, and it was darting back and forth in her subconscious. It took all of her concentration to open her emerald eyes once more; her quiet moan gave truth to that. Then the environment flooded into her world, the muted chirps and beeps of various instruments around her, the not-so-soft wool of the blanket confining her to a hardened bed, and the darkened sky of the midnight sky beyond her window. Somewhere close by, a bassful, scruffy voice was grumbling indiscriminately, which quickly raised in pitch once it discovered the other occupant was no longer still.
"You know, you two definitely have a flair for dramatic entrances" the familiar voice answered her.
Wait… am I… "D…Dr. Caimen?"
"The one and only. And you, Miss Rose, are lucky to be here right now."
"How long was I out?" she asked, still unbalanced as she tried to steady herself inside and out.
"Only about a week. It was more quality than quantity of damage. You've suffered a heavy concussion and some internal damage to your chest and abdomen."
My what?! Oh, God, no… her heart quickened at his diagnosis "Are they okay?! Are my babies okay?!"
The wolfen physician nodded with a reassuring grin "Yes, there was no damage to your uterus or the life contained inside it. There's no need to worry."
The relief suddenly flushed through her system, soothing her cherry fur to its normal state. Her jade eyes traced the room once again, looking for those vibrant ruby stars watching over her. "Where's Shadow? Is he outside?"
Dr. Caimen's light grin suddenly faltered into a more solemn expression "He's suffered massive damage to his torso, shoulders and collar from some kind of slashing weapon, and third degree burns to around fifty percent of his body. Coupled with the ambient radiation his body is now creating thanks to his unrestrained and injured state, we've had to isolate him in an intensive care cell a few floors down. We're doing everything we can for him, but…we will see."
The healing flower shot straight up in her bed with panic, her eyes now wide and watering. Every instinct and urge coursing through her now was searching for her onyx love; taking her body along for the journey No Shadow…please no…I need you!
Yet before her feet could touch the icy floor, Caimen's stronger hands pressed gently against her shoulders and lowered her back down "Please Miss Rose, don't overexert yourself. Right now you need to rest. I promise we will do everything we can to save him."
Amy wasn't sure if she acknowledged him or not, the sobs beginning to rack her body. The doctor tucked her back into her bed and returned to his charts, wary to ask the next question his examination demanded of him "He's the father, isn't he?"
Somewhere through her frightened heart, the young flower managed a quiet "Yes"
"Does he know?"
She shook her head, bangs catching in her tears.
"Would you like me to…" Caimen offered, before Amy cut him off "No, I need to. He needs to know… what he saved…"
"Of course. I'll see what I can do to arrange a visit as soon as possible. For now, please try and focus on getting stronger yourself. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you." With that note, he left Amy's room to let her have peace.
Rose achieved a weak nod before she settled back into her sheets, one hand idly shielding her tummy. Though her physical state was locked into a single room, her thoughts had defected and dashed from floor to floor until her emerald eyes could almost see him, standing as strong and solitary as he always did, yet ruby eyes and private smile were warm and inviting her and only her. Finally, the first waves of drowsiness began to take effect.
Shadow… please be okay…I still have so much to tell you, so much to share with you…
As I promised, no cliffhanger. I actually had to write this part about four times, one for each possibility. Maybe I'll post em one day, who knows...
Reviews always welcome!