Hey there sexy, come here often?
Seeing on how many visitors read the first chapter to this then yes you guys and girls come here often haha! Same way with my other works and I'm glad that you are enjoying them! If anything I'm still improving and hopefully that improvement is showing. :D
So anyway another workweek has passed but this weekend will be awesome in the sense that this Sunday I'll be going once again to Sonic Revolution! Can't wait to see how it'll be like this year and with payday having arrived I'll be seeking any good merch to add to the collection of things that will be in storage eventually lawl! Regardless I actually can't wait to see what good things the many vendors will have and any surprises that may be there!
Other than that here's the second chapter to Worth! Hope you enjoy! ^u^
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations. They belong to Sega.
Worth?
Shadow was not much of a people person.
With having a dark and cold looking exterior he tends to scare many away even though he means them no harm, especially since he's been trying to open up more.
Having been reawakened 50 years later, Shadow the Hedgehog had a past that many would cry upon. Losing his one and only friend to humans while they tried to escape the Space Colony ARK, having to find his purpose in life while facing off against a familiar blue hedgehog, going up against an alien race called the Black Arms and defeat their leader who was also his biological father, and for some reason having strange memories of beating a godly deity, the black hedgehog had one heck of a past. Blessed with immortality with grave injuries being the only thing to kill him, the self-proclaimed Ultimate Lifeform was going by everyday the way his friend from half a century ago wanted him to live before her death to G.U.N.
Though his people skills were still something that needs work.
A certain batgirl, partner, and lover basically helped him out in that department hehe.
Luckily he didn't have to deal with any of that since he was currently laying on the couch inside Rouge's apartment above her Club Rouge complex. Since he didn't have anywhere to go after the Black Arms invasion and fully realizing his past the ivory treasure hunter happily took him in. Being that Rouge was the only one he mainly trusted aside from Omega, their robotic comrade, Shadow agreed and was now fully living with her. Apparently they got along well and helped each other with many things, having been teammates for a while that they basically know each other in and out. For Shadow he realized that Rouge was very compassionate and tends to bring important people before herself, being surprised given that jewels were usually her primary interest.
And the black hedgehog also assumed a certain echidna guardian was also on the top of her list, but Rouge clarified that she just likes to mess with him… though she stopped ever since he became stronger and smarter with Chaos powers… and because of another reason. From 3,000 years ago.
Shadow observed how the two interacted and if anything it was straight out bickering to him. Rouge admitted that she did have a crush on the guardian and that was her only way to get close to him aside from stealing the Master Emerald behind his back, but ever since that reason came… she stopped. Rouge wasn't too disappointed however as her feelings for the echidna went away and she now sees him as a sibling.
For some reason to Shadow, just hearing that… made him happy.
And he became even happier, even though he doesn't express positive emotion much hehe, when the ivory batgirl confessed to him after they finished a dangerous mission together. They went out to scout on one of Eggman's bases and ran into a little trouble with one of his creations. It was a powerful adversary with one of its attacks fired directly at Rouge and seeing that she had no time to dodge it Shadow went in and took the hit. He got heavily injured afterwards but luckily Omega fired off a rocket barrage at the weakened enemy to finish it off. As Shadow laid there bloodied on the floor with Rouge holding him tightly with tears running down her cheeks, she said the three magical words.
'I LOVE YOU!'
His heart burst with warmth from that, the only thing he could remember before becoming unconscious was an incredibly soft sensation on his lips.
Upon awakening and recovering inside the medical ward he was in, his crimson eyes fell upon the first thing next to him: Rouge sleeping peacefully near his bed with her hand intertwined with one of his own. Waking up on her part she burst into more tears and smothered him with smooches, scolding him at the same time to never ever do something stupid like that again.
And after all that with Shadow hesitantly asking if what she said was true and the ivory batgirl not holding back on her feelings, they became an item.
They hit it off well and if anything the black hedgehog now can actually smile. He only does it when she is there and if anyone else saw him with a frown upside down, they would be shot on sight.
Regardless the Ultimate Lifeform is content with now having the beautiful angel with dark wings in his life and he couldn't ask for more. Whenever he sees her, he sees a version of Maria's personality in a sense and wondered if this is one of the life goals she wanted him to achieve. Whatever the case is though he felt complete with Rouge and would do anything to ensure she is safe and give off that warm smile, just like Maria.
'Wonder how long she's going to take? Rouge said that she's visiting Amy for something but didn't specify a reason… meh probably girl talk that I could care less about.' Shadow thought lazily upon the couch. Looking up at the white ceiling with blood-red eyes and a bored expression, Shadow passed the time lounging inside his and Rouge's shared home while he waits. 'Good thing pinky hooked up with faker so that he doesn't bother me anymore. Heh.'
Shadow slowly began closing his eyes, slumber about to take him.
Knock knock.
Only to reopen them.
Angry as hell.
A quick Chaos Control and Shadow pulled the door almost ripping it off its hinges with a Chaos Spear ready to fire in his other hand.
"YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR DISTURBING ME OR-!"
Shadow's expression became dumbfounded, the energy attack fading away from his palm.
…
"Sonic?"
The Ultimate Lifeform almost never called the Blue Blur by his name, normally either 'hedgehog' or 'faker' would do.
However Shadow was surprised with what he saw.
Emerald eyes that displayed heroism… were bathed in the shadows of depression, a few purple bags underneath them. Vibrant blue fur that shined in the sun… now a darker shade that looked almost black as if a menacing aura was about to come out. The expression was what took the cake if anything, the greatest speedster in the world bearing not a warm smile… but a frown that can almost put Shadow's to shame.
The black hedgehog with red stripes almost assumed he looked at himself in the mirror. But no, he was staring directly into Sonic's disturbing eyes that radiated a mix of negative emotions. Shadow could sense the air become tense and a bit of dark energy coming off the blue hedgehog, having seen this before in one of their fights when Sonic got truly angry.
And Shadow felt every ounce of emotion pour out from him as they watched each other for a few seconds, not saying anything.
…
"Sup."
Sonic muttered, tone as dead as a grave.
Shadow continued to stare at him with slight astonishment. Normally the cobalt hero would come by and bug him with his presence or try to get him to be in more touch with his 'friends' as Shadow is still iffy with some of them, but to see Sonic in such a state was something he'd never expect. Sure Sonic would be serious when it comes to difficult situations involving their friends' lives at stake, but right now they're doing just fine.
'What is going on with faker?' Shadow thought. Sonic slightly opened his mouth again.
"Mind if I come in?" There it was again. Dead with no cheerfulness in it.
Not responding to it Shadow simply stepped aside and allowed entry, the blue hedgehog nodding once and walking in. The Ultimate Lifeform took note of his hunched posture, drooped quills and feet slightly dragging on the floor.
'Looks like he dealt with something that must've hit him emotionally.' Shadow mentally asked himself as the two hedgehog headed towards the living room. Rouge's apartment would be assumed to have tons of jewels or stolen treasures that filled every square inch of the batgirl's dwelling to many, but to those that have been in there didn't see it that way. If anything it looks pretty normally with minimalist furniture and solid colored walls with carpeted flooring. Nothing special.
For Shadow however he knew where Rouge kept her stash and it was only kept secret between him and Rouge, the latter trusting him just as much as he trusts her. Heck they're together so why wouldn't they.
The rivals sat on the L-shaped couch that was in the living room with Sonic sitting in one arm of the couch with Shadow sitting in the opposite, facing each other at a ninety-degree angle. The black hedgehog's crimson eyes watched the Blue Blur as the latter hid his face under a shadow which made the former not know what was actually going on. They stayed silent for several seconds, the only noise coming from the busy streets several floor below the complex.
…
"So…" Shadow began. "What the hell happened hedgehog?"
Sonic's ear twitched at the question yet he kept his head down, not responding for a few more seconds. Shadow was patient however, if anything this was a good opportunity to improve his people skills even if it was towards his rival. However the Ultimate Lifeform had to be cautious since he picked up an ominous aura coming off Sonic and if he doesn't play the right cards, it won't end well.
Shadow would have to-.
"You'd be the very last person I'd come to for this..." Sonic spoke after some silence. "But I know you don't trust me much yet and don't care for whatever I say, which makes you the best person I can speak to right now."
Raising his head Sonic looked at Shadow in the eye, green hues showing depression mixed with a hint of anger. "I'll be blunt so that I don't bother you much, but… we broke up."
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You done with pinky?"
"Don't call her pinky." Sonic growled before looking down again. "Yeah, we're done."
The black hedgehog stared at him silently with an expressionless look. Back to the classic Shadow.
"I don't care."
Sonic's ear twitched again at that, yet the Blue Blur nodded. "Figured."
"But…" Shadow leaned in a bit crossing his arms. "I made a promise to Maria after the Black Arms ordeal to be better with everyone. If that means helping out people that annoy me like you then I'll do it. Anything so that I can fulfil that promise."
Sonic was surprised by that: Shadow wasn't one to be friendly with anyone minus Rouge and Omega. Regardless his frown slowly morphed into a slight smirk. "Looks like you're doing well in that, while I can't even hold a simple promise to Amy."
Shadow nodded once. "Not surprising since you tend to avoid her back then like a plague."
Sonic winced. "Yeah…"
"But like I said, I made a promise to her. So what made you and Amy break up?" the black hedgehog asked saying her actual name.
The talk lasted for an hour with Shadow listening to every detail. In the end his expression wasn't much different, but for Sonic he saw it as moderate irritation.
"Okay hedgehog listen closely: One, you are incredibly stupid. Two, it's both your fault. And three, I still don't care."
Sonic chuckled lightly scratching his cheek. "That's why you're the best person to talk to right now on this."
"Why didn't you go to the echidna? I'm sure he'd care since you two are friends." Shadow suggested. His response was a shake of the head from the Blue Blur. "I don't want to drag him into it and I'm pretty sure he'd tell Amy. I also don't want Tikal to know about it."
Crimson eyes rolled in annoyance. "Figures. What about the fox?"
"He's still young to know of this." Sonic answered. Shadow gave a sigh and rubbed his temples with eyes closed. "And yet you still thought I was a good idea."
"Yup." Sonic grinned sheepishly.
Opening his eyes Shadow looked at him. "Alright so I guess I can give some advice but don't think I'll know much since Rouge is my first and I haven't dated anyone prior."
"I don't expect much from the Ultimate Lifeform so don't worry." the blue hedgehog snickered. Shadow narrowed his eyes. "You'll regret that in time, but anyway I'll just give you my perspective of pink-."
"Amy."
"…alright, Amy, from how much I know her. Ever since we had that discussion aboard the ARK for me to help you-."
"Wait you two talked on the ARK? She didn't tell me-"
"Shut it or I'll Chaos Spear you to oblivion. She told me to help you fight against Dr. Gerald's creation and I refused at first, but her pleading words gave me… visions of Maria. The exact same words played not only in my mind, but from her as well. They were alike in a way in which both are compassionate and kind to others, not giving up on anyone. Even though I despised humanity for what they've done to Maria fifty year ago… I still promised her to protect them, and with Amy she reminded me of that promise, which I took upon myself to complete." Shadow uncrossed his arms and pointed a finger at himself. "And here's the thing: she barely even knew me back then and I was able to fulfil her wishes, while she's known you for who knows how long and yet you treated her like she doesn't exist." Shadow explained in detail.
Sonic's expression became more depressed with his ears lowering and couldn't look Shadow in the eye. Regardless the Ultimate Lifeform wasn't done. "What you told me was basically her getting back to you for all you did to her, but if anything I can see that she still cared for you. The insults she threw at you wasn't only because of the stupidness you do, but because that's her way of being worried about you."
The cobalt speedster was surprised at his words. Maybe he underestimated what Shadow can do in types of situations like this where the black hedgehog didn't know much about. If anything the latter was created in a lab.
"Our meeting on the ARK was brief, but it was meaningful enough to see how Amy's like and from what I can tell she's a sweet girl. Anyone who has close bonds with her are pretty lucky and those bonds would be very special to her. With you it's a unique type of special that she's been seeking for a while and with how much you avoided her, it'd make sense that she releases that pent up frustration on you." Shadow continued.
Sonic looked down at his hands knowing that what Shadow said was true. Each word piercing through his heart.
Seeing that this was having an effect on the Blue Blur, Shadow crossed his arms again. "So tell me Sonic." This time using his actual name, tone still serious. "Do you still love Amy?"
…
"Yes." Sonic quietly mumbled.
The black hedgehog exhaled deeply. "I figured. Now, what do you see in her that, in the humans' words, 'takes your breath away'?"
…
"She's beautiful, kind, amazing, strong, and helpful to others. She wouldn't give up on anyone and would put others before her. Amy is the sun that warms everyone up and ensures that they each have a smile on their face and are out of trouble. When it comes to me, she would always have a brighter smile on that gorgeous face that's only for me, and her equally gorgeous green eyes would brighten up whenever I walk into the room. If anything… I hate the fact that I avoided her for most of my life and I would do anything to change the past so that I can make her truly happy. I'm her everything and to me… she's my everything and…" Sonic began to tear up. "…f-fuck…"
Shadow watched him tremble in sadness not doing anything. Inside on his part however, the black hedgehog felt bad for his rival, but with having a large masculine ego the Ultimate Lifeform didn't show it. Instead he simply gave a nod.
"As I said, Amy's someone that would be there for you and she was there for me when I refused to help you. She barely knew me much but she was able to see the good that was in my heart, and for that I am truly grateful." Shadow then did something that would shock many.
He placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder in sympathy… yet he still kept the serious look on his face.
This caused Sonic to look up at his crimson eyes in surprise.
"Amy would be feeling the same way you are right now hedgehog. With how lovey dovey she is to you I'm pretty sure you still have another chance. This time however, don't run away… be there for her, and ACTUALLY be there for her." Shadow's thin line of a mouth turned into a frown afterward. "You told me that she barely knew the real you, but I see that as absolute bullshit. She knows you well enough and the only reason she lashes out at you was because of what you did to her in the past. So to ensure that doesn't happen anymore, be there for her."
…
Sonic subconsciously nodded. "Y-Yeah… I h-have to."
"No, you don't have to." Shadow narrowed his blood-colored hues. "You NEED to. If both of you want to stay together, you have to make each other truly happy."
The Blue Blur wiped his eyes and for the first time in a while, displayed a genuine grin aimed at his dark counterpart.
"Thanks Shadow. That's why I came to you."
Shadow rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Sonic snickered. "I didn't even know you had that much heart and passion with the words and such. Heck you could be a great therapist for people going through heartbreak and-."
"Zip it hedgehog." Shadow then stood up and gestured Sonic to stand up as well. "We're heading out for some fresh air. You definitely need it."
"Sure thing!" Sonic yipped. The two hedgehogs walked towards the opposite side of the living room as Shadow opened a door which led to a large outdoor balcony. Sonic grinned wider and whistled at the view of the city from the height they were at, clear dusk skies overhead giving off a warm orange hue with the sun setting in the distance.
"Man Rouge got it hooked with this view! You're lucky to be with her man and I respect that. Beats having Knuckles complain every time she bugs him hehe." Sonic turned towards Shadow. "So how are you and Rouge doi-?!"
POW!
"AUGH!" Sonic cried in pain from the blow dealt to his face.
POW!
"GAUGH!" and fell to his knees receiving a similar blow towards his stomach. His blurry vision caught sight of two familiar Air Shoes in front of him.
"We're doing well, but now's not the time for that. You're stressed with your breakup and not only that, you still interrupted my incoming slumber." Shadow walked backwards a few feet away and assumed a battle stance. "And don't think I forgot about those words faker. I did say I'll make you regret it, so stand up."
With some struggle and groaning Sonic stood up and breathed heavily raising a gloved hand to wipe off the blood from the corner of his mouth, but instead of looking pissed or angry.
Sonic had a confident smirk, readying a battle stance of his own.
"You sure know how to make someone's day better huh faker?" the Blue Blur asked. "And sure, this is a good way to unwind by beating you up. Once I win I'll go back and make up with her and this time, I'll make her truly happy."
Shadow did another unexpected thing: a tiny microscopic smile appeared on his face. Only Rouge would notice it.
"We'll see about that when I win hedgehog. And good, better to see you with her than have you be near me."
"Hehe."
And with that the two rivals sonic boomed towards each other with a fist raised.
The sounds of punches and kicks radiating throughout the evening.
End of Chapter 2
And that's a wrap to this chapter!
Ah man who knew Shadow has a way with words to mending the heart from a terrible breakup, and dat ending to this chapter lol. Very unexpected but very Shadow-like; a friendly spar is a good way to destress and distract by beating the crap out of each other. (I condemn violence in real life however)
Alright so that's Sonic's part of lifting his spirits, how will Amy's spirits be lifted? Find out in the next chapter coming soon!
Also check out my other works and look out for any updates! Til next time! ouo/