Hello everybody! Here's a new chapter to the ever growing complexity that is turning out to become this intriguing story. Believe it or not, I actually came up with another idea after scanning through some peoples fan art and regular art of the characters. However, if that ever takes off from the drawing board, then it'll be a long time into the story, so long that it'll probably be forgotten by us all when it comes to introduce it.
And speaking of fan art, if there is anybody reading this who would like to draw fan art for some of my characters, I would be more than happy to let you do so. Of course, I would do it myself, but I'm a good writer with art skills befitting of a kindergartner. So if anybody wants to do fan art of my story and characters, feel free to do so after telling me that you're going to do it.
Anyway, that's enough about art and all that other stuff. I hope that you'll all enjoy this chapter. And to the reviewer who says Shadow has a hard time dealing with people, are you sure that's the case? It's a good foreshadow, but that's not what I was trying to set up. He's not really meant to be like how he is in the games, all antisocial and all that other wonderful crap. Hopefully, this chapter will be able to show you a bit better why he's acting like this to Rouge and his father, Dr. Robotnik.
Now with all that said, go ahead and enjoy this new chapter. Don't forget to leave a review after you're done reading.
Chapter 6: The Dwindling Remnants of Broken Freedom
"Shadow, it's time to wake up sleepyhead," Shadow heard his name being called in a sweet and feminine voice, the trigger that caused him to wake up ever so slightly from his nice slumber. He refused to open his eyes, however, and opted to just roll over onto his side and have his face looking at the wall and away from the now offending light shining down on him.
"Go away Rouge," the black hedgehog murmured in a barely audible voice at the woman with a yawn obscuring practically everything he said before falling silent once more.
"Don't give me that now," Rouge chastised lightly as she forcibly rolled the poor teen over towards her and forced him up by dumping something cold and wet all over his face. This caused him to become fully awake with at start. She then questioned in a frustrated tone, "Do you have any idea what time it is right now?"
"Might I say that it's right now time to kill you for doing that to me?" the poor teen responded grumpily as he sat up and wiped away whatever liquid that was stuck on his face with his hand. "You could've just kept poking at me instead of watering me down with only one warning, you know?"
"I've been calling out to you for the past five minutes already," the bat explained with a sigh escaping her lips along with an annoyed shake of her head. "I never thought that you would be that heavy of a sleeper to withstand all my calling out right into your ear and constant poking at your side. You almost ended up crushing my hand during that."
"Well, perhaps I should have warned you about my sleeping habit beforehand," he said with a strong sarcastic bite to his words. "Perhaps it would have spared you a possibly sore arm and me a wet face and quills."
"Oh, you're not a good person to talk with right when you wake up, you know? Anyway, I only came here to look for you because me and your father have been waiting to have dinner with you for almost half an hour now. I figured you might have been hiding in here doing something, so I asked your father for the keys to this room, and I soon figured out that my hunch was right."
"It's seven already?"
"Well, there's no other reason why I'd be in here without the accompaniment of your father looking for you if that weren't the case. Now hurry up and get yourself freshened up before we head off for dinner. You've been keeping all of us and our dinner guest waiting this whole time."
"Alright, I'll be ready in a couple of minutes," Shadow responded without much care as he dragged himself into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. Not one second after his whole self was inside the bathroom did his head poke out from the doorway with a questioning look on his face. "Wait a minute; did you just say that we have a guest for dinner today?"
"My, you really are a slow man when you just wake up," Rouge replied with a small chuckle coming out from behind her hand that was over her mouth concealing a teasing smile. "Then again, you're really still just a teenager who probably needs some time to get used to these wake-up calls. Remind me to never speak business with you right when you wake up.
"Anyway, this man came up to us just as we went into the dining hall asking to speak with your father," the bat continued on as the ebon and red colored hedgehog disappeared once again into the bathroom with the sound of water running from the faucet echoing out into the bedroom. "He seemed to have known the stranger and invited him to have dinner. In compensation for buying you some time to get there, he talked the poor gentleman to death. He's probably still going on about many things with him right now."
As if I care whether or not the guy's getting his ear chewed off by father, the hedgehog thought to himself as he splashed some cold water onto his face to help himself wake up. He even went so far as to put a few drops of it into his ear so that it would be partially clogged up and thus somewhat drown out the voice of his fiancée. What I care about right now is for her to leave me along and let me get ready in peace. I still can't believe she didn't get the hint that I didn't want to be disturbed when I purposefully tried to crush her hand under the guise of sleeping. If she really loved me, then she should know when it is that I'm faking sleep and want some space to myself. Hell, all of my male friends know when I just want some alone time, and they don't even have any plans in the near future to be marrying me. Something is definitely wrong with that picture.
After spending a couple of minutes washing up and taking care of his business, he made a half-hearted effort to straighten up his bowtie that had become slightly askew during his slumber before heading out to the still waiting Rouge. She was sitting on the bed still running her mouth off while his ears were still clogged with water. Unfortunately for him, the water started to go deeper into his canal and began irritating him more than providing some comfort from the droning voice.
"Rouge, do you think you can go on ahead and tell father and out unexpected guest that I'm on my way?" he asked her politely in an attempt to get her as far away from him as possible for at least a couple of minutes. "I need to take care of some personal things, if you know what I mean, and I'd rather that you not be here while I do that."
"Oh, I understand completely honey," she responded in an understanding tone and a smile as she got up from her perch on the bed. She then added with a secretive smile that seemed to indicate she knew some deeper meaning in his words, "Just make sure you don't take too long looking good and getting rid of your stress. Your father will be expecting you within a few minutes once I get there and tell him."
"Don't worry; I'll be there," he assured her as she left the bedroom. The sounds of her footsteps quickly faded away into nothingness until the sound of a door opening and closing allowed the entire first class cabin to become silent once more.
Oh, I never thought she'd leave without me there, he thought smugly as he picked away at his ear to get the excess moisture out of his ear. She's really starting to get on my nerves, and I can't just leave her on the curb lest I want my father to throw me overboard and leave my body for the fishes to eat. Oh well, at least I managed to get her away from me for a little while. I can't believe that she believed me when I said I wanted to relieve some stress. She'll definitely believe almost anything that comes out of my mouth. Besides, I already had my personal relief by sleeping it off before she barged in.
Chuckling a bit at his ability to trick the other into thinking he was doing something personal, he successfully drew out the water in his ear and began to move out of his bedroom. He knew in the back of his mind that he was not really the kind of hedgehog to fool around with himself once every day or something like that; rather, he was probably the only one in his group of trusted friends who only did it only every once in a while. Then again, she did not know about that, so why not just use it to his advantage on this ship whenever he wanted to have some alone time? It was probably the only way he would be rid of her for a little while, at least until they got married. That would be when the entire privacy business would most likely fly out the window along with his last source of solace from the outside world. Oh well, it would be good while it lasts, and he was definitely going to make sure to take advantage of it as much as he possibly could.
I wonder who this surprise guest is? he thought as he finally left the cabin and out into the hallway after he felt Rouge was a good distance ahead of him. I can take a guess as to who it is, but that sounds more of a long shot than anything. Then again, I learned during my time at boarding school was that anything was possible.
As he continued to mull over his thoughts, he made his way calmly through the hallway towards the dining hall. Despite the fact that he had no idea as to where the place was, he prided himself in his good sense of direction and his ability to find places he had previously not been to before. The only thing he knew about it was that it was somewhere around the ship's main foyer.
After spending a few minutes moving towards the main foyer, he found it more than easy to identify where the dining hall was at. It was well indicated by a set of double doors with see through glass that was tinted with the slightest hints of blue set inside white painted wood. It was just a simple design, but the small sign set above the doorway clearly indicated what the room beyond it was. That and there were also the sights of tables covered in white tablecloth with various silverware on top of them as a telltale sign.
"May I help you sir?" a man who was standing behind a wooden podium by the closed doors asked with a small polite nod of his head.
"I believe that my dinner party is inside the dinner hall right now," Shadow simply answered with an almost expressionless face as he looked down at a book on top of the podium. "Would you mind checking the book for a 'Robotnik'?"
"Please wait a moment while I search the registry," the man replied as he began skimming the books for the various signatures written against the white pages. After a few seconds of tracing the words with his fingers, he appeared to have found what he was looking for and looked up at the ebon hedgehog with a small smile. "Ah yes, a Dr. Ovi Robotnik and a party of two are currently inside. Might I suppose that you're third member that Ms. Rouge mentioned when she came by?"
"If she mentioned the name Shadow, then that's me," he teen responded in a bored tone while subconsciously wondering who the third person accompanying the dinner was inside with his father.
"Then go ahead and walk on in, Mr. Shadow," the man greeted him as he walked over to the door and opened it up for him to walk through. "Your party has been waiting for you for quite a while now."
Without so much as muttering a thank-you, Shadow walked into the dining hall and was suddenly assaulted with the smells of various foods that were wafting out from the kitchen. He could not help but to let a small smile appear on his face as the scent of braised meats and steamed fishes reached his nose. However, he did not have much chance to enjoy the various smells before he felt himself being grabbed by the hand and led towards a table within the other sea of tables.
"It's about time you decided to get here dear," Rouge replied without looking back at him as she led them through the tables and towards the one his father and the other guest was waiting. "I didn't think that it would take you this long to take care of your personal business when I left you. You keep your father waiting any longer and it'll be nothing but bad days for you on this ship, you know?"
"Just take me to our table Rouge," the black hedgehog replied plainly just as soon as his father came into his sights. It was then that he also saw the mysterious dinner guest the bat had told him about earlier and discovered that his hunch was correct.
Sitting on a chair just opposite of the doctor was blackish purple hedgehog that the teen had run into when he first went to his room. He was right now immersed in conversation with his father about something that seemed to be quite laid back and joking due to the fact that both men were right now laughing about something. At the same time, it also looked like they were enjoying themselves over a small plate of appetizers. It was almost as if they did not even notice the couple fast approaching them.
"Hello father," Shadow greeted his father in a neutral tone once he was close enough to hear him. "I'm sorry for being a bit late to dinner today."
"Ah, there you are Shadow," Dr. Robotnik responded jovially as he looked up from his conversation and saw his son about to take a seat right next to Rouge. "I was wondering where you were. I was beginning to worry for your safety there."
"Oh, the poor boy was probably just tired from all the excitement from today and accidentally overslept," Rouge explained to the best of her ability with what little information she had about the hedgehog's thought process. Amazingly enough, she was right on the nose with the explanation she most likely just pulled out from the top of her head. "I told you that I'll be able to find him sleeping in his room."
"So this is your son doctor?" the guest questioned with an unreadable expression on his face. "I believe you now when you said that he's most likely the most handsome man aboard the entire ship."
"Shadow, allow me to introduce to you to him," the portly man said as he motioned to the bat to start ordering the food. "His name is Mephiles."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mephiles," the teen greeted the man as he never once let his eyes leave the others. As much as he tried to do so, he could not seem to decode anything within them. It was almost as if he were trying to look a mile away through the densest of foggy days.
"The pleasure is all mines Shadow," Mephiles responded in a rather neutral tone that seemed to hide something else in his voice. This was all just speculation on the teen's part, but he could not help but let these suspicious feelings set off internal alarms within him.
Deciding to try out a little test of sorts, he asked, "Have we met somewhere before? I can't help but feel that I've seen you around here before."
"I don't believe so," the other answered coolly as a waiter came by and began taking food orders from Rouge and Dr. Robotnik. "I haven't had the grace to meet you before now, so I would guess you probably saw me wandering around this ship sometime before now. Maybe that's where your sense of familiarity stems from?"
"I suppose that might be the case here," Shadow simply agreed, knowing full well that that was not the real answer or the truth. They had already met in front of his cabin, albeit only briefly. Such a brief moment of contact should not constitute the right to lie about it. Just what was this man planning that he would want to lie about something so miniscule and practically unimportant?
Apparently, the man seemed to have caught on to what he was thinking because an almost unnoticeable change in his eyes took place. Because he had been looking at them the entire time, the teen easily caught this. However, it had quickly disappeared as fast as it had appeared, and he was back to his stoic unreadable self.
"Before I forget, I would like to thank you Mephiles for coming aboard this ship on such short notice," Dr. Robotnik spoke up and thanked the man, snapping Shadow out of his musings. "I'm truly sorry that I didn't give you much time to think about coming. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to make it when I asked for your presence on this ship last night."
"And why would you worry about me not being able to come to your aid?" Mephiles questioned as he abandoned his gaze on Shadow and placed it back on the doctor. "I am always happy to help you in any way that you would want me to. After all, I was both your secretary and personal bodyguard when you were still running your stock company."
"Yes, I suppose I shouldn't have had anything to worry about there. You always were the most diligent worker under my employment and always eager to help me out with any company problems that come my way. You also served as my personal bodyguard on times when I had to go out on business trips in unfamiliar territories."
"Well, it was but a small token of my gratitude to you allowing me the chance to work within your company about five years ago. You were the last chance I had in getting a job at the time, and I wouldn't let that chance go without a fight."
"Yes, I remember you telling me about your family having a hard time surviving off of your mother's paycheck. With a terminally ill father and a mentally ill brother, you really had to do whatever you could to help your family. That was quite admirable for you to do that. By the by, how is your family?"
"Father is still alive, although my younger brother seems to have taken a turn for the worse. My mother is still working as hard as she can to keep the family going, and I left all of my money that I earned under your employment with her so she can pay the caretaker I managed to hire."
This is starting to sound like something you'd find out of one of those cheesy soap operas, Shadow thought as he covered up a yawn with his hand and allowed himself to zone away from the conversation. Rouge had also started to pester him about something, but he pretended to be interested in the conversation unfolding in front of him so as to not listen to his fiancée's annoying voice. Thankfully, the waiter decided to come by with the food at that time, providing more of an excuse to ignore her and another way out of the boring conversation.
I really don't like the story this Mephiles is spilling out, he thought to himself as he began to cut up the steak that was on his plate along with some scalloped potatoes and baby carrots that served as the side. As he began to politely chew away at the piece of meat, he mused, For one thing, if he really did have a family that's sick with only the mother and himself able to work, then why would he even consider coming aboard this ship at the request of my father? Any normal person would most likely decline to do so and take care of their family, not accept and go off onto another country across the sea. That and the blank expression in his eyes as he says that really bothers me.
Secondly, why would he even bother to lie about meeting me for a few seconds in front of my room? he continued on with his thought process as Rouge gave up trying to strike up a conversation with him and opted to join in with the other two at the table. It's not like we did anything illegal during such a short span of time. It's almost as if he has something to hide from us, but what could be worth hiding from such a short meeting? Why lie about something so harmless as meeting me before now?
Lastly, I don't believe him when he said he couldn't get a job besides the one with father five years ago. Hell, that was the year when job applicants and hiring rates were at its highest in Robotropolis history. There should be no reason why he couldn't get a job unless he was some uneducated bum, which I know he's not because of the position he got at father's company. Everything about him just screams of suspiciousness, but I can't put my finger on him. Father may decide to trust him, but I sure as hell don't. He's too unreadable, too contradictory for my own tastes, and nobody at this table seems to notice this except for me.
As Shadow continued to be in his own little world, the others were busy talking about things that he knew nothing about. After all, they were all adults while he was the only teenager amongst them, so he should not really have much of an idea as to what they were talking about to begin with. He just continued eating his steak without saying anything while having plenty to think about to keep him preoccupied. He was torn away from his thoughts, however, once he heard his name being called a few minutes later.
"Now I don't have to keep worrying about you being alone on this ship Shadow," he heard Rouge say happily, causing him to look up from the scalloped potato on his fork and at the woman. "It sure does take a load off of my mind."
"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you talking about here?" the ebon hedgehog questioned, his eyebrow raised as if to emphasize his inquiry. He then added before putting the potato into his mouth, "I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation because I felt that it was private in nature."
"My, you have raised a polite child, Dr. Robotnik," Mephiles responded, his eyes momentarily gaining a sense of emotion and reflecting the opposite of what he was saying. The teen clearly saw this and easily decoded it as saying, "Is he really that ignorant to the things around him?" He simply scowled at the comment while taking another potato into his mouth as a source of distraction from the suspicious man.
"That's what I like to think every day myself," the doctor said in a sort of undertone. He then continued in a slightly louder tone, "We were talking about how the plan to have Mephiles as Rouge's personal valet and as your personal bodyguard."
Upon hearing this, Shadow prematurely swallowed a big chunk of potato and felt it lodge inside his throat. With both a look of shock and surprise, he began to choke and cough violently, unintentionally causing a scene in the process as others around them looked over with many different expressions including concern, disgust, and annoyance. Thankfully, the episode was short-lived as the potato finally dislodged itself and flew into the open hand that was covering his mouth during the entire ordeal.
"Are you alright son?" Dr. Robotnik asked with concern in his words as he watched his son place the food onto the plate and downed a glass of water next to him. For some strange reason, however, his facial expression remained unchanged and stoic, almost as if the way he phrased his earlier words were nothing but a lie.
"I-I'm fine," the teen simply responded as he took a deep breath and felt Rouge's hand comforting rubbing away at his back. Being that he was recovering from momentary suffering, he did not complain at the loving gesture this time around. "I'm just...surprised about this. You're going to hire Mephiles to be my personal bodyguard?"
"That is what I said, and I now feel that it's necessary since you can manage to choke on your food by discovering something very surprising. Just imagine how much worse it would be if you're surprised with a threat to your life while you're eating."
"I am most happy to be at your service, Master Shadow," the blackish purple hedgehog responded with a small tilt of his head at the ebon hedgehog that was meant to serve as the seated version of a bow.
Shadow felt beyond shocked and disgusted at the thought of having this man, a person who he had no trust in whatsoever since they first started the dinner, as his personal bodyguard. That meant that he would most likely be hanging around him at all hours of the day, thus effectively wiping away any hopes of personal time he had wished to achieve while trapped on the ship for the next month or so.
"...This man is going to be my bodyguard during this ship cruise?" the ebon hedgehog questioned after his moment of shock passed by and was quickly replaced with rage. "What in hell's name would I even need a bodyguard on such an enclosed space for? It's only going to be for a month. I'm going to need my privacy at some point outside of my room, you know? Have you ever thought of that?"
"Shadow, I will not talk to you about this if you're going to act this disagreeable," Dr. Robotnik simply said as he took a sip out of his glass of water while ignoring the stares that were still present on them since the potato fiasco. "I would like to have a civil conversation about whatever it is that you feel objectionable rather than a heated argument. It's only a waste of time if we continue like this."
"What you're planning is a waste of time!" the teen countered as he abruptly stood up from his seat, startling both his father and fiancée yet while the other man seemingly anticipated the move from the very beginning. "I don't want a bodyguard father. I don't need a bodyguard! You know very well that I can take care of myself; you just don't want to accept the fact that I'm growing up into someone who's capable of protecting himself from certain kinds of danger like those who want to pick a fight with me. And before you even try to make another attempt at a seemingly good suggestion, I also don't want a personal valet, especially if it's going to be this man playing the role."
"Shadow, please try and relax a bit," Rouge pleaded with her fiancé by tugging at his arm while trying to avoid making eye contact with those sitting on other tables and watching them with unwavering eyes. "You're causing a scene here."
"I don't care, Rouge. I'm not going to sit around while my father continues to try and control every single move I make during every waking moment of my life! I'm the one living my own life; I'm not living life so as to appease his personal woes and problems." He then shifted his attention back towards his father while purposefully ignoring Mephiles entirely. "I refuse to have a bodyguard, especially if it's going to be him, following me around this blasted ship twenty-four-seven! If I see or sense him even trying to remotely follow me around, I'll jump off this ship and drown myself faster than you or any of the crew members on board can throw a lifesaver at me!"
And before anybody else could have a chance to say something, the enraged hedgehog stormed out of the dining hall to who knew where. He left behind a very shocked Rouge, an equally shocked Dr. Robotnik, a seemingly indifferent Mephiles who seemed to be cleverly hiding a smirk that shined only through his eyes, and a bunch of shocked diners who have laid witness to the entire scene.
The doctor was the first one to recover from the shock. "I apologize to everyone for this inconvenience," he announced to the entire room. "He's simply stressed about the entire moving period we're going through and hasn't had much time to let it out."
This was when the people started murmuring to themselves. Some seemed to believe his explanation and shook their heads in a sympathetic fashion to the man. Others had raised their eyebrows while also shaking their heads more in disagreement, seemingly taking Shadow's side of the previous argument made public. Some just stayed indifferent and began gossiping about what had just taken place as if it were nothing but a simple piece of juicy news.
"And I must apologize to you for my son's behavior Mephiles," the man apologized to the blackish-purple hedgehog with a small nod of his head and a weak attempt at a smile that seemed quite feeble. "I've never seen him go off like that in my entire life. I imagine the stress must be really getting to him these days."
"It's quite alright, Dr. Robotnik," the hedgehog simply said as he waved it off while offering the still stunned Rouge a reassuring pat on her hand. "I'm sure we all had our episodes at one point during our teenage years. All of us here have been adults for so long; we've forgotten some of the things we as teenagers used to go through. And don't you worry about a thing, my beautiful lady," he added as he directed his words to the bat. "Given due time, everything will be just fine."
"Oh, I do hope you're right on that," the woman responded with a small sigh escaping her lips as she seemed genuinely worried about her fiancé after this scene had unfolded. "I've been engaged to him for a couple of months now, and I have yet to see him act this way until today. Are you sure that is something that will come to pass? He has been acting rather testy for quite a while now."
"I'm quite sure that it's simply just a faze that will quickly come to pass. The only way to help him get over it is to give him the space that he so needs. Once I've given him a few days of space, I'll begin my duties of keeping close watch of your son doctor. Until then, I believe that I should keep my distance."
"I suppose that it's for the best," the portly man agreed rather reluctantly as he let out a hefty sigh. "If I want him to stay safe right now, then the best I can do now is to respect his wishes and provide him with the personal space he needs. I really thank you for your advice and undying patience."
"It's my pleasure sir," Mephiles responded with a small smile of reassurance gracing his lips and directed at the man. He also gave Rouge's hand a comforting peck before letting go of it and taking a sip of water.
During the entire time he was offering reassuring words to his dinner hosts, his facial expression reflected the feeling he was portraying with his words. For the two of them, this was enough to convince them that what he was saying was both right and comforting. However, his eyes, the only part of the body that Shadow had concentrated on the entirety of the dinner service, showed a story different from the tone in his words and his facial expressions. His eyes reflected the same indifferent behavior that he held onto for the entirety of the meal. It was expressionless and made everything he said and did seem like nothing but a complete fake. Truly, Mephiles was a mysterious man who hid behind comforting words that have no comforting meaning to him whatsoever.