Sickness

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters.

Character(s): Shadow and Sonic

If this was any other day, Shadow wouldn't be here at half past noon. He'd be somewhere out in the world, either completing one of his missions from G.U.N., escaping to an area vacant of annoying people, or just simply running for the fun of it – he doesn't get as much pleasure from it as Sonic but it was enjoyable, at the very least. However, this wasn't just any other day.

"Rouge," the black hedgehog called hoarsely, his voice cracking as he willed it to be louder. After receiving no answer for a few seconds, Shadow assumed that his friend hadn't heard, whatnot with how much he was limited on the volume of his voice. For the past few days, he'd barely been able to rise it up to a level where those in another room can hear him; so there was no way Rouge would hear him from all the way downstairs. Still, the aching in his throat didn't quite match up to the pain that was everywhere else, so he tried to call to the bat again. "Rou – " Before he could finish, a series of explosive coughs interrupted him, racking his body as Shadow doubled over in his bed as he tried to dispel the coughing.

Where's Rouge when you need her? The black hedgehog couldn't help but think as the coughing finally subsided, turning into pained groans as he tried to pull his body out of the bed, his muscles screaming in protest. There's no way this is what being sick feels like; it's never this bad for anyone else. After Shadow planted his feet on the floor and found his balance, he made his way over to the bathroom; when he gets there, there'd better be some pills he could take or something. His hope dissipated as he opened the medicine cabinet to find his pill bottle gone.

Slamming the door shut, Shadow stormed out of the bathroom, absolutely furious with Rouge, if the scowl was anything to judge by. She was supposed to get more medicine this morning; where the hell was she?! He was definitely going to give her a piece of mind when she returned, even though Shadow knew a majority of his anger was directed at himself for this weakness.

He was the Ultimate Lifeform! Since when does he get sick?! He was meant to cure illnesses, not have them! And yet, here he was, with a scratchy and quiet – almost mute – voice, a body that he no longer had control over, and a headache that endlessly hammered against the insides of his skull, created a deafening pounding that made his head feel as if it was going to explode at any minute.

Sighing tiredly, the black hedgehog tried to find something to distract himself from his current condition, dragging himself over to the bat's living room. Maybe he could forget about his own misery by drowning in other people's pain. To be honest, it was a better distraction than any. However, he soon found himself nodding off, the struggle of keeping his eyes open proving more difficult as time wore on. Eventually, he let himself fall asleep, his brain immediately throwing him into a made-up dream world. For the first time since having this illness, his dreams were actually pleasant. Not only did he see –

He was ripped out of the blissful trance by the sharp click of a door opening: Rouge was finally back, it seems. "Shadow?" Said hedgehog groaned irritably as he recognized the voice, after realizing it was someone much, much worse than Rouge. "Shads? You awake?" the voice whispered, after contemplating that Shadow may have been asleep. Well, too late, he was already awake.

"Faker, what are you doing here?" Shadow hissed, hoping he could get the other to leave. Like right now. His headache was already big enough; he didn't need Sonic to aggravate him further. Though, from years of experience of dealing with the other, he knew that it'd be harder to get rid of him. Opening ruby eyes, which had remained closed as Sonic called to him, Shadow peered as the other placed a bag onto Rouge's living room table.

As he took out all the contents, one-by-one, Sonic explained, "Rouge asked me to bring you these supplies; she was going to bring them herself, but apparently the G.U.N. commander called her up for a mission or something like that."

Rolling his eyes, Shadow silently cursed, wishing that that stupid commander was here so he could actually yell at him. Why did Rouge have to take on a mission now? And, more importantly, why'd he now have to deal with Faker? "Why did Rouge go to you exactly?" the black hedgehog asked coldly, casting a brief, one-second reproachful glance at Sonic.

Although he noticed the glare and the disdainful tone in Shadow's voice, Sonic was not the least bit affected, having grown used to Shadow's outward attitude towards him. "Well, she tried getting a hold of Amy, but she was busy. So she then asked me, and I was completely fine with it, although I almost didn't believe her when she first told me that you were sick. Since when could that happen?" Narrowing his eyes at the other's slightly-amused tone – or what he perceived as such – Shadow now desired his departure even more.

Turning his back on him, Shadow abruptly answered, "I don't want to talk about it. Now, you did what you were supposed to do, so leave." Stubbornly refraining himself from turning around till he heard the other leave, Shadow remained in his position, his ears picking up shuffling from behind him, the noise becoming more distant. Believing the other to have left, Shadow relaxed, about to turn around to pick up the bottle Sonic took out. Before he could, he sensed more footsteps approaching him. He couldn't help but snap. "I said to leave, Faker! Or are you that hard of hearing that you didn't hear me?"

Sonic sighed defeatedly, rolling his eyes; he would normally partake in this currently one-sided banter, but he figured it'd be best if he didn't rile Shadow up more than need be. Before giving in to Shadow's wishes and making his way over to the door, he set something down onto the table. Before he could reach for the doorknob, Shadow's voice stopped him. "What is this?" the black hedgehog questioned him, referring to the small scrap of paper Sonic left next to the house phone on the table besides him.

"Tails' number," Sonic answered promptly. "Call it whenever you need anything; I'm happy to help you out, Shads." For a few moments, the two hedgehogs were caught in a stare-down, red eyes scoffing while green ones wore an unreadable expression. During which, Shadow couldn't help but wonder whether he should yell at the other for calling him "Shads." Before he had a chance, Sonic quickly added, "Also, just so you know, Rouge wasn't sure how long the mission would last. Anywhere from a day to a week, she told me."

Still, the black hedgehog didn't speak. Sonic's face slightly fell at the nonresponse, his eyes looking away from Shadow as he sighed again. "I meant what I said, Shadow; I'll be happy to help you in any way I can. Anyways, I hope you get better soon." With that, he opened the door and stepped out.

"Remember to put the key behind the plant!" Shadow yelled, his voice regaining some of its strength, as it actually didn't crack this time. He wasn't sure if Sonic had heard him, but Shadow had a feeling that he did. Either way, it might be better if he just held onto the key, if Rouge doesn't finish her mission soon. And if that's the case, Shadow supposed, than Sonic is certainly better than no one, I guess.

Smokestep: I have nothing to say, but if you do, you know where to click. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will join me later today for the next one!

Response To Responses:

Ethempat: Well, at least you're here now. Later is always better than never, after all. As for the shorter chapters, tis what happens when one is on a time limit. In regards to the characters, I usually think through a chapter before publishing it to make sure that they are in-character. Anyhow, thank you! I hope to hear your opinion on this chapter as well.

ShinyShiny9: Snowball Fight – That's just how the story came out; I didn't exactly plan for it or any of these chapters to end up the way they did. They just do. List – Well, my thought process when creating this chapter was that she would think Rouge was a kid due to the massive difference in their heights. When someone is shorter, especially by that much, people normally think that person's younger. Besides, she's crazy and wasn't really paying attention to the rest of Rouge's features. That's about all the explanation I got for you.

Twin-books: I will give you the first one, but the second with ellipses is merely a stylish choice. While some prefer this (…), I prefer this (. . .). However, both are acceptable; what you see in literary works depends on the author's personal preference. There is no set rule for it. So I believe it is now 3 to 3, but I digress. Thank you; it's good to know I've passed your expectations. Hopefully, this chapter does as well.

ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: It's the first time for this story, at least, but thank you, regardless. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter as well.