-DISCLAIMER-

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

-THE GIFT (REDUX)-

Part I: Past

Existing in a place of eternal sterility was maddening. However, every so often it wasn't so bad. There was only so much one could do to celebrate the holidays within reason, once they did come around. Still, a splash of holly hung here, or a false pine tree propped there, did wonders to lift the spirits of the otherwise imprisoned inhabitants. With these subtle signs, everyone knew that Yule was upon them. As the year drew to a close the gift giving would begin. Too bad this fact caused one of said inhabitants anxiety.

It was traditional to give twelve gifts, one each day till the new year. The first eleven were usually mundane, like homemade food or necessities or clothing. The final gift, given on new year's eve, was the most important. It was meant to be the epitome, ending the year with a bang.

Shadow, sadly, did not have any ease to his life. He was an artificial construct made for an undefined purpose. Every day was spent either in training or undergoing testing. Even so, it was interesting to note just how much his life had changed since he took his first real breath. Over the years he had been given his own dorm and even allowed personal time to do whatever he wanted. Such mundane things had been common for everyone else, so otherwise overlooked. But, Shadow was a created being and technically owned by one of the greatest scientific minds of the age. As such, the question of 'rights' had been brought up from time to time and slowly won over.

Interestingly, Maria had been a major cause of these changes. Gerald, ever fond of his ailing granddaughter, would subconsciously take things she commented on to heart. Even if he logically knew such would be detrimental, he still gave in. What ill could be caused by letting his creation have a little freedom? Well…

Over the years, the the hedgehog and girl had began spending more and more time together, what little both of them had. Those moments, sometimes merely minutes at a time, were meaningful and clung on long after the two parted. Each interaction tied tighter and tighter bonds that could not so easily be unknotted. As such, once able, the experiment had begun figuring how he could express his appreciation for the one who so openly showed him unconditional friendship. This had come in the form of gift giving during the holidays and the day of her birth.

Granted, the cause of his anxiety came in the form of not easily being able to give her anything expressive. At first it had just been hand drawn pictures or constructed holograms from sculpting cubes, little things that could be easily come by. As time drew on and his mind began to mature, he sought more meaningful things. However, being restricted to the ARK with no ties to the planet the space station orbited limited his resources significantly. Somehow, he was still able to pull off the impossible. One year it had been a mechanical lily that bloomed in the morning and closed for the night. Another had been an animated astrolabe that projected the night sky viewed from any selected surface on Mobius. Yet another had been a hand mixed perfume made with the help of an uncomfortably friendly scientist, one of the few who showed him kindness and consideration.

The years drew ever onwards and things begun to change. He had not understood, at first, what these changes meant. Instead, he feared them. He should not be feeling this way towards her. This want was bad. Very, very bad. Why was he drawn to her this way? How? He would look at her and his chest would burn horribly. Her voice sung in his mind long after their conversations had ended. Then, when they touched, the heat of her body would ricochet through his like a bolt of lightning. As this mental state grew so did his need to construct for her objects to somehow express this turmoil without somehow eluding to his hodgepodge of emotions.

When the first signs of Yule began to show, fluffs of cotton placed on windows to mimic snow, he finally settled on something. It was small but it's worth in heart greatly outweighed its size. How the idea had come to him was a mystery. It may have been a hint from that female scientist. Was there something so tiny that could properly reflect his soul? Apparently. Too bad he wouldn't make it easy on himself.

The object was a ring. Simple seeming. However, Shadow wasn't going to construct one from any old metal found in abundance throughout the ARK. She was worth far more. What he wanted was Blue Metal. No other term had been coined for the substance, as yet. It was found semi-occasionally from chucks of debris in collectors strewn about the colony's outer hull. Said collectors were used to protect it from being cracked by meteors or other such objects pulled by the planet's gravity. One man had gotten the idea to check for the existence of extraterrestrial life from some of the stones and instead found Blue Metal. He was the problem.

After this discovery, he laid claim to all the collectors and any substances further found within. This issue wouldn't have been so bad if Shadow knew he could simply asked for a small chunk, or preform a favor with it being payment. He would hardly need more than a couple ounces. Still, the man was one of the many who showed outright fear or malice towards the anthrope, forcing him to keep his distance. The only other option would be to secretly enter the collectors himself. Which was exactly what he decided upon.

Neither was this task easy. Blue Metal, before being curred with flame, appeared as nothing more than a lump of coal. The collectors had no source of light whatsoever, leading every rock to look like every other rock. He did not let this deter him. He started his search that night the decision had been made, knowing that actually finding the precious metal, in his case, was slim-to-none. He needed as much time as he could possibly spare.

More than anything, it caused Maria a lot of unwarranted concern. He used any free time he had to search each massive bin for that one inconspicuous hunk. He never told her why he couldn't stay and chat, nor why he was no longer getting much sleep at night. This needed to be as much of a surprise as possible, even if the look she gave in parting pained him. So, after every scavenge he skated back to his dorm with a bundle of potentials, suscepting them each to a burner in the hopes that one would grace him with color.

One late night it finally happened. After almost a minute of suspending one out of the nine inky stone he had gathered that session above a white hot blaze, the heated side flushed in brilliant ultramarine. As the hedgehog witnessed the creeping color he couldn't help but grin madly, laughing in disbelief before his fatigued muscles gave out and his skull slammed down onto his work counter in blissful torpor.

He found one! Finally! Three weeks and he finally found one! Now he had only four days left before the final day of Yule. Even so, actually making the ring was the easier part. Professor Willoughby, the man who claimed the discovery of Blue Metal, had a miniature smelter installed in his lab. Again, it wasn't as if he could ask for use of it. He would have to hack inside and do what he had to do as quickly and stealthily as possible.

When all was said and done, the final piece he needed was a way to give it to her. Some of the more fragile or tiny items delivered to the ARK from Mobius came in small, cardboard boxes packed with cotton. One of these would be perfect and, thankfully, quite easy to come by. He had a small pile in his dorm that he used to keep his personal effects in order. Once they delivered their contents to their respective recipient, said individuals had no other use for them. So, Shadow would find them in compactors or was able to ask for them. Neaira, the scientist who gave him the idea for the ring, often had shipments of cryogenically preserved seeds that came in packages that would be the perfect size. To his luck, she willingly gave him one without question. With that last piece in paw he had everything. Now he needed only to wait.

The morning of, Shadow stood just outside the door to Maria's dorm, breathing deep to try and steady his nerves. If he wanted to do this he had to make sure he was the first to visit her. That's why it was almost seven in the morning. It would give him half -or maybe even a full- hour before someone showed up. Inside his ribcage his heart boomed like a bass drum, lungs constricting painfully. This was the very first time he had been this nervous over something as simple as giving someone a gift. Granted, this someone was the single most important someone in his life, and her gift represented the turmoil churning inside both mind and body.

One last breath and he steeled himself, pressing in her dorm code and stepping inside. The only light came from the distant outline of a window framed in neon blue. There was also a much smaller sphere of gold alighting in one corner of her living room once one got passed the entrance hallway. This came from an inconspicuous nightstand hosting a miniature fir dressed in ruby tassels and emerald and alabaster glass marbles. A few strings of flickering bulbs, the size of one's fingernail, constricted its girth in a rainbow of festive hues. At its pinnacle was a diminutive star, clear like a diamond. The plant rooted itself in a plastic pot that had been wrapped in red paper displaying splashes of stylized snowflakes. Beneath the stand itself was already a few packages, whether her own or from others remained to be seen. He placed his own on the table and then passed on by, into her room.

The closer he got the more his chest hurt. As he cautiously made his silent way through the door he attempted to force himself to relax with each steady step. The ventilation system kicked in, startling him, and the space become flooded with the musty smell of artificial heat. Because of her illness, Maria had a tendency to feel cold easier than most, so her dorm was often kept toasty. Shadow certainly didn't mind. Compared to his own lifeless space, hers was heavenly.

The teen lay beneath a fluffy bundle of blankets and amber quilt. Despite the downy mass, he could still make out the rhythmical rise and fall of her chest the closer he strayed. She was on her side, facing him, mane partially obscuring her porcelain face like a golden waterfall. He gingerly brought down one paw and brushed his thumb across her summery cheek, down her jawline. Hopefully the action would stir her, this was usually around the time her body naturally woke up. That's all he needed was the scare her, inducing an unwanted episode. The hedgehog trailed down to her neck and shoulder, creating a gentle pressure that eventually elicited a groan.

The girl nuzzled into her pillow a bit before eyes, a velvet navy in the darkness, opened a tad. When she noticed the outline of a figure and the hold it had on her, those eyes shot wide with a sharp intake of breath. However, once she realized who the individual haloed in artificial lights was, she immediately calmed.

"Shadow?" her loving voice was hushed with question and sleep.

"Morning, Maria." He apologetically grinned. "Happy Yule."

The teen lifted herself on one arm, forcing off the covers with the other. She mimicked his expression, more relieved than anything to see that whatever was going on with him lately had finally ended.

"A little early, don't you think?" her voice giggled softly.

He took both her petite hands into his and slowly lead her out of the bedroom and back where he had come. As he did so, the anthrope focused on her beaming facade, thrilled beyond compare that she wasn't bothered by this intrusion.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I wanted to give you my gift before anyone else."

"It better of been worth avoiding me for the past month."

Even though she made the comment in jest, it still stung. He honestly hoped so, himself. Shadow had her sit on her faux-leather sofa as he wondered back to the tiny tree and picked up the cardboard cube hosting his hard work. With said box in paw, he took a cushion beside her and presented it with a tentative smile.

Maria took it from him, undeterred by its size or covering, and lifted the lid. At first, all she saw in the dim was something fluffy. She picked out the fuzz and paused when an actual object shimmered like a stray night sky. She reached in and retrieved a small, perfectly smooth hoop, holding it up in amazement. It was a ring band meant for one's finger. By its size it looked like it might even fit her. That was silly. How would he know what size her fingers were?

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "You made this? How?"

"I, kinda, might of did something bad." He shrugged. What was done, was done, and he had no shame in it. "It's made from Blue Metal. That's why I couldn't spend a lot of time with you. I used it to search the collectors to find some and then used Professor Willoughby's lab to melt and shape it."

Maria frowned. "You could of at least said something. I was worried. I thought something bad happened and you couldn't tell me." She would never say that, in the back of her mind, she was afraid a day would come when she would never see him again.

The hedgehog's ears dropped a little, sympathizing her pain. "I'm so sorry," his voice hushed. "I wanted it to be as much of a surprise as possible." A pause before adding, "I even engraved something inside it."

Her crystalline irises widened a bit before bringing it closer to examine in the minimal lighting given off by the decorations a short distance to the side. There was a word written inside, simple but elegantly cut. She gently rocked the sky-blue ring to read it fully.

"Forever?" Her chest suddenly burned. "Forever… what…"

Shadow didn't know what exactly possessed him at that moment. But, as her sight lifted to catch his, he stood and gingerly reached for the band, able to lift it from her with minimal effort. He then softly grasped her left hand in his and smoothly slipped the cooling loop onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

At this point her heart fluttered like a cage of butterflies, pale cheeks suddenly flushed with color. Why did he do that? Why did she feel like crying? Say something!

"I…" he swallowed dryly. "I'm glad it fits." He ended with a shy grin, hoping the heat he felt wasn't showing.

That wasn't what he was supposed to say! The colony suddenly felt completely devoid of oxygen as her heart continued to thud even harder. This time she stood, reaching for his paw before it pulled away. Instead, something happened.

She saw him tense up, eyes shot wide and tuned to something unseen. He shuffled back from her as if induced into a panic, quills ramming hard against the far wall of her dorm before straightening like a disciplined soldier. The teen eyed him, confused. He only ever did that when…

As if to reaffirm that thought, a pair of bony arms snuck around her waist and lifted her into a tight hug. Thankfully, the surprise didn't send her into a seizure because the individual's presence had already been given away.

"Happy Yule, Maria! Look whose up early, as usual!"

Her grandfather's stiff whiskers brushed her bare neck, causing her to giggle as she tried to playfully removed herself from his hold. The bio-android saw his chance and took it, snaking along the wall farthest from the festive lights to make a silent escape within his namesake.

"Grandpa, stop! You're tickling me!"

"Ah, that's good! Means your body's better today," Professor Gerald commented. Interesting how some days were so different than others. Maybe, in some way, being here really did inhibit her condition.

When he finally released her, Maria immediately turned to the spot where she had last saw Shadow. Instead, nothing was there. Not even the slightest hint remained of his presence. She swallowed and somehow her chest hurt even worse than before. Why didn't he say it?

"What's wrong, dear?" Her grandfather's gruff voice brought her back.

"Oh, nothing." That's why Shadow woke her up so early. No one could know he was here and what he had given her. It was their secret. "I was just thinking. I didn't really sleep good so I've been up."

Gerald hummed in thought. "Well now, maybe we should run some blood tests later today, see if something new is developing."

"No," Maria smiled sweetly. "I don't think so. I know what it is."

The professor hummed again, curious more than anything. "No, just in case. Even if it's the holiday, ill waits for no man. For now, come, let's open your presents."

Shadow apparently escaped undetected. He breathed a sigh of relief, turning towards her dorm as the entrance silently sealed itself. From this distance, he only caught a glimpse of darkness and the burly outline of his creator. His scarlet striped quills drooped and he shoved his paws into his pant pockets before walking off. He had done what he planned and nothing slipped. She loved it, he could tell just in the way her eyes lit and the lull in her voice when she said 'forever'.

He honestly didn't know why he wrote that inside. Shadow knew he wanted to put a saying of some kind but what, exactly, he couldn't ultimately decide. He didn't want something as straightforwards as 'friends forever' or to outrightly admit his feelings. With that ring and single word she could work out her own meaning. Regardless, she loved it and, to him, that was really all that mattered.

Now, he could continue work on his other, much more important, project. She may not have realized it but he did take note of every subtle thing she did. Not in a creepy or perverted way. Rather, in a medical sense to better understand her ailment. She didn't immediately faint when he woke her up unexpectedly in her room, nor did she go into a seizure when the Professor snuck up behind her. She even laughed when he unintentionally tickled her. Curious how sometimes her body acted normally and at other times just a needle prick would cause her to stiffen as if in rigor mortis. If his theories were correct, than he may have a key to unlocking a door or two. So, he set himself a goal as he walked. By her birthday he would finish it.

Shadow allowed the thought to illicit a near indecipherable grin.

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

This is a rewrite of an incredibly old fix titled 'the Gift.' Essentially, this is an updated version that officially fits in snuggly with the time line of NAA.