Chapter Revised [x]
(Rachel's POV)
Wake up.
Please.
I need you to wake up...
Please...
Please.
Two cream colored robots hoisted the unconscious Shadow the Hedgehog onto a thin stretcher, moving their claws all over his still body in search of any other wounds or broken bones. Every time they did so much as paused and felt around a certain area more analytically, my heart would beat a little bit harder in uneasiness. But so far, nothing else fatal had been reported. It was just the wound where the hedgehog was bleeding profusely that deemed to need the most crucial care.
We were all standing outside Eggman's room now, gathered around the scene in a jumbled circle. Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun all dropped their eyes down on Shadow in uncertainty, awkwardly shifting from side to side in the tiny given space. Eggman stood to the right of me, with his hands jammed against the grooves of his bulging hips. He showed no emotion as he ordered his robots, who I assumed were some sort of doctor robots, to take Shadow to the medical ward before he lost too much blood. His thin, colorless lips were pursed in a sharp line while his mustache stiffly twitched. And me...I just stood there, silently, my eyes glazed over and staring into nothing. My vision became blurry as I lost focus and shut out the rest of the world, delving deep into thought.
I could practically feel my brain sparking from being overworked. It was hard to process what was happening, and still make room for assumptions as to how it all led to this.
What happened to Shadow?
Is he going to be okay?
Well...I mean of course he'll be okay! He's the Ultimate Life form for crying out loud!
But who would want to hurt the Ultimate Life form in this way?
And why do I care so much?
I then shook my head at my own stubbornness.
No more denial, Rachel. You have to admit it sooner or later. A small part of you is concerned about Shadow.
Whether it's just for this situation, or in general, it doesn't matter. You are, though. You just are.
And that was undesirably true. Seeing Shadow in this state made something inside me churn. There was this burst of energy that yearned for me to go to the hedgehog's side and help him in any way that I could. But I knew there was nothing I could do, and kept my feet nailed to the floor.
My clothes stuck to my damp body since I hadn't had much time to dry after the whole incident in the bathroom. The clothes themselves were now spotless and displayed no evidence that they had once been splattered with blood. You gotta love Eggman's cleaning technology. Whatever Decoe and Bocoe did to remove the stains, it was genius. Even my pants and cardigan, which had never gotten a single drop of blood on them, looked cleaner than before. And the best part was Eggman never suspected a thing.
The aged scientist curled his fingers around the sky blue Chaos Emerald in his hand, rubbing his thumb against the reflective surface. Shadow had appeared with that Chaos Emerald after materializing out of thin air, right before he fell on me. I assumed that it had toppled out of his grasp after he lost consciousness.
It took me a while to notice the Emerald, but its soft glow eventually drew my attention and led to me discovering it on the floor after I'd managed to get out from underneath Shadow. At that moment, my top priority was to find someone who could aid him since he was hurt badly. So the first thing I did was scramble to my feet and hurry to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open.
I expected to see Decoe, Bocoe, or even Bokkun in front of me.
But instead, I came face to face with an ugly snarling Eggman and nearly jumped out of my skin. In fact, the second I opened the door, he was already standing there like he'd been waiting for some generous amount of time.
"E-Eggman!" I stuttered in horror, taking a few small steps backwards.
The doctor's face was twisted with rage. His usual sickening, toothy grin was inverted; the corners of his mouth sank down until they nearly touched his double chin. He didn't even acknowledge me, and instead dashed past me and hurried over to the bloody bundle of black and red fur on the ground, wavering his hand through the humid air. He knelt down by Shadow's side and slipped his hands under him, flipping him over and roughly cradling him in his arms.
He paused and fell dead silent for a moment, making sure that Shadow was still breathing. Once he heard the almost inaudible puffs of air rising from his mouth, he sighed in relieved agitation.
"Oh, Shadow. When will you ever learn," he said grimly. "You're supposed to think before you act, foolish hedgehog!"
I gaped on in astonishment, instinctively gripping the edges of the towel around my body to keep it from sliding off. This was something I never thought I would see. Shadow the Hedgehog on the brink of death, with Dr. Eggman looming over him caring more than I ever thought he would.
"Rachel."
My head bounced back at the sound of my own name as it was hissed in a low whisper. I turned my head and saw Bokkun hovering behind me with a look of shock, as well as seriousness covering his face.
"Get out of there," he said coldly. "Help is coming for him. You don't want to be in the way when it arrives."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. They had already gotten help? They had actually heard me when I shouted a few minutes ago? Well, if that's the case, then I suppose there's nothing left for me to do.
I swallowed dryly before stepping out of the bathroom, entering the chilled, drafty air on the outside.
Eggman had not said a word to me about how I'd been in his bathroom, or even about me using his shower. I knew that wasn't the main issue right now, but I couldn't help but notice how concerned he was about Shadow's well-being. While it should've been somewhat understandable since Shadow was his grandfather's creation, I never thought Eggman actually possessed caring feelings towards his partner. I thought it was more of a business-only relationship. Plus he never seemed like the remorseful type.
The robots that were tending to Shadow maneuvered their way around us, breaking through the unorganized clutter and started dragging the wheeled stretcher down the long hallway. Shadow lay on top of it limply, face hanging to the side, and appearing almost dead. It was eerie how still he was. Even his breathing was short, and his chest hardly rose a few millimeters away from its initial position. The thought of Shadow dying strangely made the back of my neck prickle. There was so much that I still had to say to him, and it wasn't insults, mind you.
After realizing how serious the situation had become, I silently vowed that before either he or I had the opportunity to die on this expedition, I would try-...no...I would succeed in resolving the conflict between us. No matter what it took and the amount of dignity I had to give up for it, it would be done. Shadow deserved that much after putting up with me for so long.
All I wanted was for him to at least open his eyes. Something that small would reassure me that the best still had a chance to happen. After a few solid seconds, a sudden gust of air forced its way up my nose and slipped out between my lips. I bit the inside of my cheek and decided to break the silence.
"So where are they taking him..." I wondered out loud when the robots had only gotten a few steps away, turning my head slightly in Eggman's direction but never meeting his eyes. I wasn't really directing the question at anyone in particular, but was hoping that the scientist himself would be the one to answer.
Almost as soon as I asked, I mentally smacked myself, realizing that of all the questions I had to ask, I chose the obvious one. One I already knew.
He didn't move from his spot, even though he clearly heard me and responded. "To the medical ward, of course. Shadow may be the Ultimate Life form, and is programmed to heal quickly. But this wound requires extra care. It's too large to clot by itself in time. The robots need to stitch it up and make sure that none of his vital organs were damaged. But rest assured, everything will be okay. He doesn't need any pain inhibitors or excessive time to patch himself up like humans do. His genetic make-up doesn't require any of that. He'll be just fine."
I inhaled deeply while frowning. "What do you think happened to him?" I asked.
Eggman raised his drooping eyes and glared at me with sudden interest from behind his tinted spectacles. Judging by his expression, it appeared that my words might have reminded him of something important; something that escaped his mind after he got all involved in this escapade. He held up one hand and snapped his fingers.
The robots who had been hauling Shadow away paused after hearing the sound and reverted their attention to their creator, who in turn faced them with undying authority.
"Robots," he instructed, "Before I forget and you get too far away, please remove the device from Shadow's ankle and bring it to me."
The robots exchanged confused glances before one of them removed his claw from the railing of the stretcher and lowered it onto the hedgehog's ankle. Sure enough, there was a metallic gadget strapped securely around the limb. It somewhat resembled a watch, but looked like it did much more than tell time, judging by all the buttons and screens. I had never noticed it before. He must've only worn it for this mission.
In one swift movement, the robot swiped the gadget off Shadow's leg and used his wheeled feet to roll over to Eggman, plopping it in his outstretched hand. "There you go, Master Robotnik," he said in a hollow, robotic voice.
Eggman simply nodded, prying his hand away and closing it around the device. "Thank you, that's all I need. Now get Shadow to the ICU and do whatever it takes to stop his bleeding, and revive him if possible. We have far too much work to do and can't let an obstacle like this slow us down. Also, when he awakens, tell him to report to the control room immediately."
The robot nodded and bowed in respect before joining his counterpart and steering the stretcher away until it was completely out of sight. I watched them leave, then shot daggers at Eggman.
I took back what I said about him being caring. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this guy was totally rushing the whole healing process. I knew time was of the essence, but he needed to cut Shadow a break. And that was coming from me.
"Here," Eggman said, nudging me his knuckle before gesturing for me to take the device from him. I looked at him in confusion, eyeing it carefully before wrapping my hand around it and slowly taking it from him. I held it loosely in my grip while turning it over and over, treating it like it had the fragility of wet paper.
The inside of the band was still warm from Shadow's body heat, and I could even detect the electric twinge that I felt between our touch.
Decoe and Bocoe leaned forward a little to take a closer look. "Why did you take the communicator off of Shadow, Doctor?" Decoe asked.
Bocoe hesitated but drew even closer, tilting his head a little in wonder. "Yeah, don't you use those like walkie talkies? Why would it be on his leg then?"
Eggman nodded gingerly, not drawing his attention away from me. He eventually realized that I had no idea what I was supposed to do with the device other than stare at it. He delicately took hold of my wrist and lifted it up higher to his face, releasing me and pointing to a small red button on the side of the main screen.
"You see that there?" he asked. "That's the playback button. I preset this to record up to an hour of audio since I had a feeling Shadow would abandon me like he always does. I know that he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, and I figured he would resort to extreme measures to retrieve the Chaos Emerald and leave me in the dust. Not that I mind. I'm an old man and even the action we've already had is a bit too much for me," he added.
He then continued. "Anyways, I still wanted to know what he was going to do, and don't favor being unaware. So I thought that this would be a way to see...er...hear his methods played out. Shadow has no knowledge of this, because I didn't tell him when I gave it to him before we left the Egg Carrier. I only said it would keep track of the atmosphere's potency, just in case the air became unsuitable for breathing.
Anyways I installed the recording program and set it on a timer, assuming he would have the job done within an hour. Everything he said and heard is saved on this here little gadget."
He then drew his hand back and left me staring at the communicator in wonder. I just gave him a completely bewildered look.
Is he implying that he wants me to play back the recording and listen to everything that happened? Is that really okay? It feels like I would be invading Shadow's privacy by doing so.
Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun all widened their eyes, getting closer and tightening the circle. It was almost like a group of listeners all lending their intent ears while I was about to tell some interesting story. I fumbled with the communicator again and lifted my eyes back to Eggman, who towered over me with a somewhat serious smile. He gave one nod.
"Go ahead," he urged me.
"Press the button, and let's hear it all for ourselves."
I chewed on my lip, pondering for a moment. And with one last hesitant sigh, I pressed my fore-finger down and clicked the little red button.
(Sonic's POV)
"Well, all I can say is it's about freaking time!" Knuckles exclaimed loudly, releasing all the impatience he'd built up over the past month and a half in a matter of seconds. He, as well as me, Amy, and Tails all had our necks craned upwards as we gaped at the new and improved X-Tornado with fallen jaws. The simple plane had completely transformed into a large, detailed, and fairly impressive spaceship.
The original navy-blue plane parts were still present and sat boldly in the middle of the organized mess of machines. But now there were new, silver sections installed all around it, nearly swallowing the plane like an intertwining virus. The cargo area was extended with new seats so more people could fit inside, and surrounding the cockpit were engines and boosters that would help steer the airship through the sky. It looked like the X-Tornado had gone through upgrade heaven and back. I whistled in approval while Amy squealed next to me.
"Nice, pal, real nice," I said, throwing Tails a thumbs-up sign. "You've outdone yourself again."
Amy nodded quickly, her pink quills bouncing swiftly in the process. "Agreed! This has to be the most legitimate form of amazingness I've seen in my entire life! You turned the X-Tornado into a bad-A mother-ship that even G.U.N. would feel threatened by! Oh, Tails, what would we do without you?" she said with a childish giggle. She then ran over to the twin-tailed fox and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him in a tight hug.
Tails grinned modestly and hugged his friend back with a soft laugh. "Ah, thanks Amy. But it was nothing really," he admitted shyly.
Amy drew away from him, still wearing her bright, open-mouthed smile. "You're so wrong. It's...it's everything! You got it all just perfect, you little genius you!" she squealed, pinching his cheek lightly in a tease. The fox chuckled again.
Knuckles walked closer and cut between the two, separating them with his body mass. "Alright, that's enough, you guys. We can celebrate later."
He then turned and glared at Tails. "Listen Tails, you need to get this thing fired up as soon as possible so we can get into space. There's no time to lose. Rachel's depending on us to bring her back and I'm not going to let her and her family down again," he said, tightening one of his fists and resting it against the center of his chest, like he was making a pledge. "I'm willing to stop at nothing until we bring her home to her mother and father. Every second we waste, she's just getting farther away."
Amy's once ecstatic smile had instantly dropped into a scowl, right as one of her eyes twitched distastefully. But then she sighed, twirling a finger around one of her quills and avoided Tails' gaze.
"I hate to admit it, but he does have a point. We're really sorry for rushing you so much, Tails. Honest. But we do need to hurry along and get the X-Tornado started."
Whatever emotion that Tails was feeling at the moment, he simply masked it with a smile. "It's okay. I completely understand. And yes, we'll be leaving in no time. But first, I need to update the software on the monitors so I can-"
"TAILS!" Knuckles bellowed, causing the fox to stop in mid-sentence and stare at him with wide, questioning eyes.
"We've already wasted enough time as it is! You can worry about all the dinky updates later. If it doesn't have to be done, then don't do it! As long as this thing can fly through space and back, we don't need anything else."
Tails lifted an eyebrow. "Um, if you let me finish, I was saying that I need to update the software on the monitors so I can locate Rachel with less difficulty. It's not like she'll just miraculously show up on radar. I wish it were that easy. But once I update the software on the Chaos Energy detectors, I can make the locators more sensitive to the energy so they'll track down the Chaos Emeralds in Shadow's possession and the coordinates will pinpoint his exact location and lead me to whatever galaxy he's in. And assuming that they're together, wherever Shadow is, Rachel will be too."
Knuckles just gawked back at him, obviously embarrassed by how the fox had outsmarted him and made him appear idiotic for throwing an unnecessary tantrum. He let his arms fall to his sides and looked away quietly.
"Oh. Alright then. So how long will it take for you to update this stuff?" he asked in a monotone voice.
Tails smiled slyly with victory, knowing that he'd won the battle of the smarts again. Amy and I snickered in the background. Good ol' Knuckles, still the same impatient character he'd always been.
Tails tried not to be cocky about his intellectual power over the elder echidna and merely continued on with his explanation like any professional would.
"It won't take too long. In fact, all I need is a couple of hours and we'll be all set. You can use that time to your advantage to...I don't know, bring supplies, pack some food, clothes, etcetera."
The three of us exchanged glances and nodded, then turned to leave him to his mechanical duties. Amy headed off to pack make-up, hairbrushes, extra dresses, you know...girl stuff. Knuckles stomped off to the kitchen to pack away all our edibles so we wouldn't starve. As for me, I had nothing to bring or prepare for, so I simply ran up the stairs of the basement that Tails was working in, dashed up another flight of stairs to the second floor, and skidded to a stop in my temporary bedroom. I threw myself on the bed and prepared for a quick power-nap.
While my consciousness might have been lacking at the moment, I was still undeniably stoked that me and the gang would be venturing into outer space soon. I was ready to find Rachel, and find Shadow too. Him and I were in for one heck of a reunion.
A smirk slipped across my features as I let my blue lids drop down over my eyes.
(Shadow's POV)
My whole body was suspended in mid-air with my limbs sprawled out to the sides. Every ounce of me throbbed with sickening numbness, and the inside of my throat was so dry, I found it nearly impossible to breathe. It felt like there was a heavy, nonexistent form of pressure weighing down on my head, only a few grams off from completely crushing my skull. I sucked in one raspy gasp of air, cracking my weighted eyelids open and silently willed the unknown pressure to go away, fearing that something was really there and it wasn't just my inner nausea controlling my senses.
After the moist air molecules washed around my lungs, it felt like my entire backside had suddenly made contact with a liquid. I concentrated harder, and figured that the strange substance was simply water. Thin, cold water.
But...how…
The moment the icy sensation bit against my back, I arched up in an attempt to avoid it. But it simply rose higher so that I couldn't escape its touch, enveloping the jutted spines on my vertebrae.
Where is this all coming from? And where am I, exactly?
The dark water continued rising until it had consumed everything but my head, the tips of my fingers, and shoes. My whole form was encased in the still matter, with pain radiating off my aching muscles, and a light stinging that hammered against my lower chest. I stared up wearily, gritting my teeth in frustration.
Was this supposed to be a dream? Yes, this had to be a dream. This black abyss of nothing was only a figment of my imagination. It had to go away. I could make it go away on my own.
Wake up, Shadow...I thought sharply, feeling my body flood with tension as the water rose once more. It made its way around my muzzle and crept up to the edges of my mouth. I took one last breath before pursing my mouth closed as my whole head was swallowed and cut away from the air. Now, I was completely submerged, hearing nothing but a low, distant humming in my eardrums.
Wake up now!
But it was no use. I sank deeper and deeper, still unable to move. The weight of the water started to press down on me. My being paralyzed kept me from moving against the freezing temperatures. My heartbeat sped up as I mentally struggled to awaken myself and get out of this strange place. Even with my eyes closed, they burned severely. I was cautious to open them again.
What if...this isn't a dream? Then why is this happening? Am I dead? No, I can't be dead. I know I can't be. I remember getting out. I didn't die. Rorschach...he died. I killed him. He might have stabbed me, but I made it out alive. This is a mistake. Something must be wrong.
I couldn't remember past what had happened after I used Chaos Control to warp out of the club. I couldn't recall where I had re-appeared, or even if I made it back to Dr. Eggman's ship at all.
Maybe I really was dead. Maybe the energy in me gave out between transporting. Maybe Rorschach had dipped that dagger in a deadly poison before launching it into my upper abdomen, and the poison had destroyed me from the inside out. So this could mean that I, Shadow the Hedgehog, was really dead.
But somehow, I pictured dying to be a little bit different than this. Because this...I didn't even know what this whole water business was supposed to be.
But wait...I can't go like this! What about...
what about...
"...Shadow?"
I instantly gasped out a large bubble. My chest burned with relief at the sound of the clear, gentle voice that echoed through my head. For some reason, the voice brought back a sense of nostalgia as I forced my tired, aching eyes open and peered directly ahead.
Is that...? No, it can't be.
The voice answered to my thoughts.
"Shadow?" the voice repeated, this time with a small twinge of worry.
My lips quickly mouthed the name of the person I believed was speaking to me. Yes, now I knew I had to be dead. That would be the only explanation as to why I was hearing this person's voice.
It was Maria.
"Shadow," the voice whispered more diligently.
I mouthed her name once more, unable to speak underneath the water. Ma-ri-a. Mari-a. Maria.
Where are you, Maria. I can't see you. I want to see you, though. Show yourself, please.
"Shadow!"
My heart suddenly dropped. The voice had completely changed octaves, and no longer sounded like the beloved friend that I lost so many years ago. Every last bit of easiness left in me instantly ebbed away.
This is how you should go.
The silent voice tripped through my mind and ate away at my spiking emotions.
You deserve to die alone. Unwanted. In a world as black as your heart.
I felt my body starting to flood its capacity with warmth. The hue of the black surroundings suddenly faded into a dark gray, but then continued growing lighter and lighter until it was piercing white and my body was lifted by invisible forces from the water. As soon as I broke the surface, wavelengths of static crackled through my ears before reversing and stopping abruptly. The strange atmosphere disintegrated.
I was waking up...I was leaving this dark place behind for good. I wouldn't be able to see Maria after all...but at least I was alive.
I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or relieved.
My eyelids shot open the moment I gained control of my reflexes. The result was a blurred, hazy white array of light that settled itself around me. The brightness was so intense that I felt the urge to shut my eyes again. However, the fear of falling back into that black water kept me from even doing so much as blinking. Instead, I darted my stinging irises in every direction, looking for any clue as to where I was.
I then noticed a dark, melted stain of a figure sitting next to me. It resembled a person, and I immediately locked my eyes on it, squinting so that my focus would clear faster. The figure still only appeared as a messy swirl of black, white, and brown colors. But as my vision enhanced, I detected two circles of green in the middle of the white tints.
The figure continued to morph itself together like a liquid splatter slowly freezing back into solid form. Before I knew it, my vision had normalized and I found myself looking up at a human girl. My memories returned back to me in clots, and I realized who the person I was looking at was.
Rachel's eyes were wide with shock. Her mouth had fallen slightly open and she had frozen her arm in mid-air. I gaped back at her as the air grew tighter around us from the physical tension.
It was a bit strange, seeing her face again. It felt abnormal to see her calm and still, and not screaming or crying or shouting at me. But just as her eyes started burning acid holes through my own, I instantly remembered the last time I saw those eyes. When I watched them fall shut as her whole body toppled out underneath her, after I had hit her with a Chaos Spear and knocked her out cold. The guilt began pulsating again.
My eyes slowly traveled from her face, down her neck and scanned across her forearm. In her hand, she was holding onto a white cloth that was soaked in some sort of astringent. The strong-smelling chemical hung a cloud around my nose. Judging by its scent, I knew it had to be some sort of disinfectant. I then noted that from the angle from which I was looking at her, it meant I was laying down while she sat beside me. My mind pieced the information together like a puzzle. The white walls indicated that I was in the hospital room, and I was lying in what felt like a lumpy bed.
I then noticed that the posture of her arm indicated she was just about to lay the disinfectant cloth onto my abdomen, right where I had been stabbed. My eyes widened.
Wait a second. Rachel...is she...trying to help me? Rachel Tower, aiding Shadow the Hedgehog?
Even though I now fully understood the extent of the situation, my confusion still hung present. Why was Rachel here trying to lay a disinfectant wipe on my wound? Was this on her own free will? It might not have been much, but the small gesture still threw me off. I figured after what happened between us before I left for Rozorus, this girl wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. And could I blame her? I used Chaos Spear on her and knocked her unconscious. So how come she's suddenly taking care of me in a hospital room? Has she lost her mind? Things weren't adding up.
So many inquiries were racing through my head. Rachel still remained completely still, her face expressing how unsure she was on how to explain her actions. I found myself unintentionally glaring at her, and attempted to soften my gaze.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice starting out hoarse but ending with a bit more energy. I hadn't been this genuinely curious in a long time.
Rachel, after hearing my voice, raised her eyebrows and recoiled her arm back to her side, fruitlessly attempting to hide the cloth in her enclosed fist as if covering it now would mean I never saw it in the first place. She broke her gaze away from mine, the muscles in her neck tightening as she swallowed. She looked uncomfortable, and suddenly out-of-place. And it looked like she had chosen not to speak to me; she refused to answer my question. I huffed and sat up straighter in the bed, not in the mood for any stubbornness.
"Hey, why don't you look at me, Rachel," I ordered. But she didn't budge, causing my frustration to grow.
"I said, what are you doing here," I repeated. "Why are you-Agh!" I gasped, cutting off in mid-sentence. A sharp pain suddenly scattered from my wound. I dropped my head down to inspect it, hissing back air through clenched teeth. From my chest down to my stomach, I was covered in thick bandages. Part of the strips were wrapped around me tightly and securely, while other segments looked loosened, and almost exposed the sewing underneath. Maybe that was Rachel's doing. She must have peeled it back some so my wound and the disinfectant could make contact. But what good would that have done? I mean, I was hurting a little...but I could deal with pain. I didn't need her help.
After hearing my short cry, Rachel whipped her head back around and gasped quietly, dropping her eyes down to the same area. "Are you alright?" she asked timidly, looking like she was fighting her instincts to lean forward and get a better look herself. I blinked a few times, holding my breath in my chest and waited for the pain to die down. But hearing the sound of her voice caused me to lock eyes with her once again.
I then paused and took in her appearance. Something about her was very, very different, and it was hard to depict why. I then realized that she didn't look as tired, or beaten, or dirty as she had the last time I saw her. Her hair looked cleaner and less frazzled, her skin was more evenly toned, and even her eyes had lost the tangled branches of blood vessels and were bright and shining. She didn't even look like the same girl I had taken hostage.
Instead of answering her question, I asked her one of my own.
"Why do you look like that?" I asked, resting my weight on my bent elbows against the mattress underneath me.
Rachel frowned at my strange question. "Come again?"
Surely she wasn't unaware of her own new physical changes.
"You know what I mean," I said in agitation, suddenly wishing I hadn't brought up the topic at all. But I couldn't avoid it now. "You look...newer...I guess."
She blinked, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. She suppressed a chuckle in her throat. "Newer, as in cleaner? Well, I did shower in Dr. Eggman's bathroom. Maybe that has something to do with it?" she said sarcastically.
I lifted one eyebrow at her. Was that supposed to be a joke? However, it made sense. It looked like all the grime she'd been covered with had washed away completely. So, the girl couldn't have been lying.
"And who told you it was okay for you to take a shower in his bathroom?" I asked, almost lacing my tone with a threatening entice.
No matter how much pity I remember taking on this girl, rules were rules. And one rule was that she was not supposed to go anywhere near Eggman's room. Not even I was allowed to go in there without consent.
But she didn't seem fazed. She reached over and dropped the cloth from earlier on the bedside table, and brought her arms back, crossing them over one another. "If you must know, Decoe and Bocoe let me. It wasn't my idea, and it wasn't just to do it for your information. I needed to wash the blood off of my stomach. That's all."
Suddenly, my ears perked up and I turned my head slightly in her direction, hardening my eyes.
"You want to run that by me again?"
Rachel looked down, shadowing her face with the downcast of her eyelashes. "What, did your ears get damaged too? I said I only did it to wash the blo-"
Then she paused, her face freezing in terror and regret. Her eyes widened, and her arms seemed to grow more tensely wound together. I didn't move and silently waited for an explanation, inwardly knowing that I would have to force the answers out of her eventually.
She lifted her head upwards to look at me, a glassy, unreadable expression dripped over her features. It was almost like she had just unintentionally revealed a secret.
"Uhh...Never mind that, so how are you feeling?" she said quickly and nervously, straightening her elbows so she could intertwine her fingers.
I growled. I should've seen that coming.
"Don't go changing the subject. I asked a question, so answer me. Now. Why did you have blood on you."
I couldn't help but note the boiling anger that was rising inside of me again. It was that same protective instinct I had felt earlier when Rorschach tried to bargain with me. Something told me this instinct had been triggered the first time I rescued her in Westopolis, and it had gone unrested ever since. If someone hurt her, I would rip their eyes out of their sockets.
Rachel tightened her hands until her knuckles turned white, chewing on the edge of her lip. "No. I don't want to talk about it. Please, Shadow, I asked how you were feeling. You should be glad that I care," she said stiffly, suddenly dropping one arm and tugging downward at her white shirt, around her stomach area.
I growled again. "I don't think you realize how serious I am right now. I might be injured, but that doesn't mean I'll let you get away with hiding stuff from me. I can still get you to talk when you refuse to, even if it means taking drastic measures."
My words came out in a jumble before I could stop them, so I didn't really notice my word choice until it was too late.
This time, something inside Rachel had evidently changed. The moment I finished saying these words, her plain face twisted into a scowl of rage. But there was also a sense of hurt behind it.
"Again...?" she said barely above a whisper.
Her whole body gently jolted now and then, like she was fighting back shivers. Her eyes closed slightly as she scanned the floor. For a moment, I thought I could see them watering. But whatever tears she was about to shed quickly evaporated.
"You would hurt me again?" she asked flatly.
After all the building suspense, I finally sighed out the tension. I should've seen THAT coming too.
"...That's not what I meant. What I'm trying to say is-"
"You would hurt me again," she repeated, cutting me off, and this time it wasn't a question.
"It was your fault..." she took a shaky breath. "You were the reason I ended up covered in my own blood, Shadow. Okay? The reason I have this big scar on my stomach as a result of your Chaos Spear; the reason I had to sneak a shower in Eggman's bathroom so he wouldn't come back and see me with blood-stains all over me and...get mad at you.
And you would do it all again. Just to teach me a lesson? Just to get me to talk when I refuse to? What am I to think of that?
I swear, Shadow the Hedgehog, my opinion of you is always being redefined."
(Rachel's POV)
I blew it. I blew the whole 'keep my injury a secret' thing in a matter of minutes. Unintentionally.
Shadow had barely woken up, which was mostly my doing because I started shouting at him upon noticing him thrashing in his sleep, and already I had sold myself out. Well...technically I sold him out. When would I learn to keep my big mouth shut?
Of course, I had originally planned from the beginning to never reveal to Shadow what he had done to me. I listened to the recording on his communicator. I listened to it alone with Eggman, who had eventually shooed the rest of the gang away after he realized where the conversation was leading. The conversation Shadow was having with one of the planet's alien inhabitants had somehow slowly become about me.
Eggman and I stood together, looming over the communicator and listened to their intense exchange of words, the sound of bones being broken, people screaming, and all the way up to Shadow crying out in pain from being stabbed. It was hard to listen to without cringing at how gruesome every small noise was.
As the recording played, my eyes were wide with shock while Eggman's were hard and stern. He was just as surprised as I was. His vision of Shadow getting the Chaos Emerald had been altered beyond recognition. He never expected him to end up in a verbal and physical battle with an alien...over me.
Yes, I heard everything that happened. Even thinking about it gave me shivers that I quickly tried to hide so Shadow wouldn't question it. It was incredibly hard though, knowing that I had nearly become the property of some demented alien mind-reader. And I wasn't sure what I was more perplexed about...the fact that I was almost sold like a slave to said alien, or that when this Rorschach guy took a peek into Shadow's mind, my name instantly came up.
That was another thing that blew my mind. Shadow had actually fought for me. He didn't brush off Rorschach's offer like it was another mere annoyance or minor setback. In fact, it obviously did more than just bother him. Their conversation echoed throughout my head.
"What do you want with her..."
"Well, judging by how much you think about this girl, and the thoughts you have concerning her, I can only imagine how special she is to you."
The playback ended with Shadow yelling "Chaos Blast!" because then the tape had been cut short after the energy surged through it. The recording somehow remained intact.
I pursed my lips. I had come here, to Shadow's hospital room, to take take care of him the best I could. Even if all I could do was drench a cloth in this pain-relieving solution to reduce the sting on his stitches, at least it would have been something that I'd done for him, since he'd already done a lot for me.
I couldn't stand feeling unhelpful before I found out what went down on Rozorus. Now that I knew how it ended, and how I was probably the main reason Shadow was here in this room, the guilt only intensified. Despite everything we put each other through, in the end Shadow would clearly stop at nothing to make sure I was out of harm's way. And all these theories about his feelings toward me started to crumble when I heard him say he wouldn't let me get away with hiding things. To me, that translated to "If you don't talk, I will hurt you. Again. And maybe deliver it ten times worse this time."
But maybe, that was my paranoia kicking in again. I lightened up.
My mind bubble suddenly burst, and I brought myself back to the real world. Shadow was staring at me intensely. He clearly had no idea what to say. I didn't expect him to apologize or anything.
His eyes were wide with astonishment. I could almost see flames igniting and dancing through the red orbs. And then, almost as quickly as the silence had begun, he was the one to end it.
"Lift up your shirt so I can see it," he said, his voice as strikingly cold and hard as a sharpened icicle.
I blinked a few times. W-What? It really has to come down to that? No!
My eyes had begun to water with tears earlier, but my sensitive barriers were growing more and more immune to this new harsh reality, and I had managed to stop them before they spilled over and became visible. However, after realizing I had no choice but to show him the damage, I felt the familiar sting tugging at the rims of my eyelids. I sighed angrily.
I didn't want him to see. I didn't want him to say anything else about it. Couldn't this just blow over?
But I knew I wouldn't get anywhere by resisting, and carefully brought my hands down to the hem of my shirt, hesitantly tugging it halfway up so that my torso was visible. My eyes suddenly pulled away from Shadow's after he had dropped his own to inspect the scar. I averted my gaze down towards it. It didn't look so bad when it wasn't covered in blood, but the skin was still split open and contained a shallow gap. The surrounding flesh was a dark pink. Seeing it almost nauseated me and caused me to quickly yank my shirt back down.
After the material had blocked it off again, Shadow's eyes instantly snapped back up to mine. He looked disturbed, not by the gore but by the mere fact that he was the one who caused the gash. He took a deep breath.
"Rachel..." he said warily, clenching his fists together. Even though I knew he would never admit it, I could see that he felt guilty. It was written all over his face.
Seeing him look and feel so sorry made me feel guilty again. I tried to flash him a reassuring smile. " Shadow, I'm going to be fine," I assured him. "Besides it doesn't even hurt so there's nothing to worry abo-"
"Rachel," he said again, this time with more diligence. "I...I didn't mean for that to happen. It was a mistake on my part. I should've remembered that you're human and you can't withstand too much power. I'm sor..."
His voice suddenly trailed off in mid-sentence, and his face contorted with a slightly pained look.
This time, I couldn't help but genuinely smile. Shadow was trying to apologize. He was clearly bad at it, but I could only imagine how long it had been since the last time he actually apologized for his actions. It was bittersweet.
He took a deep breath and tried again. "I'm sorr..."
Once again, he struggled. He growled and pulled his eyes away from mine, silently cursing himself. But his expression held all kinds of determination.
Something about this sight, about this situation, just seemed too good to be true. About a day ago, Shadow and I hated each other. And now here I was trying to help take care of him while he was still in ICU after being stabbed by an alien at a club, and he was struggling to apologize for using his Chaos Energy on me, knocking me unconscious and gashing me. In fact, our wounds were almost in the exact same spot, and had similar lengths.
I'm not sure what was going on inside of me, but I suddenly burst into a fit of wild laughter, just like I had earlier.
Shadow suddenly transferred his eyes back to me and lifted an eyebrow. His questioning face only made me giggle harder. The scar on my stomach pulsated with a sharp sting from my contracting abdomen, and I quickly clutched it inward with both arms and willed my laughter to go away before I popped a vessel. Shadow still held that cold, yet curious glare on his face. He had never heard me laugh before. Heck, I don't think he had ever seen me smile.
I let out one more chuckle before turning to leave the room.
"Consider your apology accepted," I said with my back to him, resisting the urge to turn back around. "I forgive you."
I thought with a smile...Let's forget about this. Let's start over. For real this time. I would absolutely love that.
I then began to walk out and stopped at the door frame, resting one hand on it and looking over my shoulder, not meeting Shadow's eyes.
"Oh and by the way, if I were you, I would stay away from clubs for a while. You don't want to go and get yourself hurt again," I said almost jokingly, but also with a hint of truth.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Shadow's mouth had fallen completely open, and laughed softly as I exited the medical unit, letting the door slide shut behind me.
Yeah, let him figure that one out.
I wrapped one hand around the blue heart on my necklace as I treaded down the hall in the direction of my room. After months have passed, after traveling the galaxy for God knows how long, after significant amounts of blood loss, yelling, screaming, arguing, crying, and all sorts of traumatic experiences, me and Shadow the Hedgehog were on good terms. Hopefully, it was worth it, and hopefully it would last.
I sighed heavily, encasing the little cerulean trinket in the heat of my hand.
Finally, things were starting to look up.
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(A/N) I don't have a lot of time to discuss this chapter. So I'm gonna leave it at REVIEW please! And hopefully you will :)
If you have stuck with this story since Chapter 1, I would like to thank you for that. I'm sorry for being a snail when it comes to updating. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was kind of hard to write but I think I pulled through.
And quick side note, next chapter we're going to get a new character in the story. Not an OC, mind you. A character from the Sonic franchise. Can you guess who it is?
Stick around for the next chapter. Thank you, byee!