Serenity

A/N: More emotional baggage! Also this chapter may seem dark in the beginning, but it gets better.

Shadow's POV

Choking back sobs, I convulsed nearly throwing up at the amount of blood shed. "Aw, mommy's sorry she hurt you. Come here."

I stopped shaking, I just laid there. "Shadow, come to mommy." She commanded once more, sitting me upright. I flinched not wanting to be touched by her; I stayed there staring at the one I call mother. Then, everything faded, the pain and my mother.

"Shadow." This one is different, it's friendly and warm.

"Maria." Why am I in a pod? Where's Maria?! "Maria!"

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Taking in a sharp breath, I panted, gripping the sheet between my fingers. I shook, looking around the room, noticing the sun start to rise. Rolling over, I paused seeing Sandy completely still. Flicking my ear, I sighed in relief at hearing her heartbeat. Deciding to get up, I yawned, later frowning at my scars. Where they came from still sickens me to this day.

'Wait, are those two still here?' I thought, looking at the door. Entering the living room, I scowled at seeing pink and yellow masses on the couch.

"Hey, SpongeBob, you think Sandy has anything to eat?" He asked, belching loudly.

"Maybe, but you should've asked before you started going through their kitchen."

I already have to deal with Faker; I am not taking them in too. "The hell are two still doing here?" I asked, trying to keep calm.

He turned to meet my glare, answering, "Um, well, Patrick ate all your food, so I was going to buy them back. Except I don't know where the store is."

"I'll do it myself, no need to do that. I don't have work today, so I have time."

"Okay, what are those all over your body?" He inquired, blue eyes filled with endless curiosity.

I frowned, reluctantly replying, "Scars…why do you want to know?"

"Did they hurt? They're really big."

Damn his childlike innocence, I wouldn't mind being like him for a while. "Yeah, a lot, shouldn't you be leaving?" I asked, not wanting to have them ask about my afflictions.

He nodded, saying, "We just need Sandy up, so she can make sure everything's alright. Oh, and thanks for getting rid of the worm."

I nodded briefly, turning to at least put a pair of pants on, only to find Bryce practically asking for how I got them without saying anything. "When you're older."

"But…"

"When you're older, boy." I repeated, going past him to see if Female had woken up. Hearing shuffling instead, I opened the lab's door.

"What?" She asked, inspecting the mark on her arm.

"Those two are still here, and I think scanning it will help more than looking at old scrolls for a comparison." I said, gesturing towards the mark.

Racing past me, she set her arm under the scanner taking my advice for once. Leaving her to her work, I slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a FFDP shirt.

Faker stopped in the doorway, asking, "Do you still play guitar?"

Not bothering to ask where this came from, I answered, "Yeah, just not as much anymore."

He nodded, and walked over to my side of the closet, pushing clothes back. Digging around, he exclaimed, "Found it!"

Producing an acoustic guitar in the process, I frowned, saying, "No."

"Please? Do it for me."

"I would never, and you annoy the living hell out of me."

"That's what friends are for. Come on, I know you want to." He stated, lightly waving the guitar in front of me.

Snatching it from him, I grumbled, "Fine, but I won't do it again."

Strumming, I began, "Everybody hurts, everybody bleeds, everybody bends to fill a need, everybody's born with their own curse, and I'm not alone."

"I know I hurt you, deserted you, and now I see it clear. I pulled you closer, tighter, 'cause I knew you'd disappear."

Continuing, I flinched lightly at getting images of my mother, "I just can't compromise, apologize. There's nothing you can say. We both knew it would always end this way. We both know it'd end this way. We both knew it would always end this way."

"I knew you could sing!" The sudden outburst caused me to snap my eyes open, not knowing I had closed them.

Looking at Bryce, I said, "Yeah, you were just lucky you caught me doing it. I'm guessing you want to ask me about where my scars came from again."

He nodded, determination quickly setting in. I chuckled, saying, "You have your mother's persistence, I'll give you that. But I'm still not telling you until you're older, and neither will your mother."

"Neither will I what?" She asked, wrapping her arm in gauze.

"He won't tell me where his scars came from."

"I told you he got them from an accident."

"And I did; a very long accident." I added, pushing Faker away from since I didn't want him that close.

He frowned, retorting, "But you're…"

"You say it and you're training next week until dusk." I threatened, glaring at him. He stopped looking at me in disbelief. He huffed and left, grumbling something under his breath.

Kicking Faker out afterwards, I turned towards Sandy asking, "So what's with the bandage?"

"In case Ma comes unexpectedly and she'll freak out if she sees it." She answered, stepping into the bathroom.

I nodded and flopped back on the bed, rolling over to my stomach. "As long you keep it wrapped, I'm sure she won't find out."

"I hope so; we both know she'll kill me."

I shrugged, closing my eyes for a moment.

Getting up, I groaned and went towards the mirror, to see my leg healed. I wonder how that happened.

"Shadow, hey, Shadow!" Faker called, poking his head in through the window.

Going over to it, I pulled him in, asking, "What? Why'd you use the window? You know my parents won't mind if you walked in."

He chuckled and stood, replying, "It was quicker, besides its visitation day at the…"

He stopped at my intense glare, as I stated, "I'm not going to see her. I don't need a reminder of what she did to me."

He nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "Don't you have a concert or something today too?"

"No, but I might practice. I can't believe I'm asking you this, but why do you even come?"

"Friends look out for each other; I'm just making sure you don't get into trouble." He answered, winking at me.

I sighed, replying, "I can look after myself; I don't need a sitter, especially when it's you."

He shrugged and jumped out the window again, before Elaine could walk in. She smiled, asking, "Was that Sonic?"

I nodded, as she went to hug me. "Tell him to use the door next time."

I chuckled, replying, "Okay, mother."

A/N: I finally finished it! I'm so happy, yay! If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I do feel bad about Shadow, but I think it works. Also 'FFDP' stands for 'Five Finger Death Punch'. I do not own the lyrics to the song "End this way"; all rights go to Five Finger Death Punch. Review please.