Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone! Here is chapter four of this fanfic, bringing it out as the last update for the month of June of 2023! Hope you will like this chapter, as it's all about the further interactions between Shadow and Mary! You will be filled with warmth and fuzziness after you read the entire chapter, I'm sure.
Alright, let's get to reading!
Mary had never felt so disoriented in all her life. After her first ever friend performed a move that would get them both out of the Fabricated World, a flash of light enveloped her vision accompanied by a loud, booming sound. She was startled for a moment before feeling her body seemingly floating with a gust of wind swirling around her. After what seemed like eternity, the white light faded and she felt herself no longer floating.
As this is the first time she... What was the word again? Teleported? Well, what Mary wants to say about this experience is she's very startled for sure. So much so that it didn't occur to her that the location has changed from an enclosed, almost claustrophobic room of the fake gallery to an open streets of the city until she heard her companion let out a sigh before speaking.
"Good. We made out safely," Shadow confirmed, his face serious as ever but feeling a bit of pride in him.
Out? You mean… we are in…?
The real world? Yes," nodded Shadow. He looked behind his shoulder to see the Guertena Art Gallery looming over them, eerier than ever during this time. "That's the gallery's exterior. I believe you haven't seen it at all because you were stuck in the Fabricated World. There's your chance to look at it if you want."
Following his sight, Mary turned around to face the building housing the real gallery, one that the Fabricated World possibly copied when it formed from Guertena's attempt to impart his soul to his works. "So that's what the real gallery looks like here. It's impressive… and a little scary…" While she is glad to have seen the gallery's exterior, its appearance seems to bother her enough that she stepped back.
"If you're worried the gallery will come after you once you finally escape, then don't," Shadow guessed she didn't want to be near it, so he said this to ease her fears. "It won't reach us outside. And I am keeping my eye on you, remember?"
Mary looked at him and saw his resolute eyes directed at her. It appeared that Shadow was serious about staying true to his word; just by his look alone. Her fear slowly began to fade away as a smile appeared on her face. "You're right. I should stop being so silly in thinking that the gallery might suddenly come to life and pull me back inside once you get me out of there."
"You're not, I assure you," he told her with a headshake. "You're just nervous."
She averted her eyes from him as she brushed away one lock of her hair from her eyes. "Really? Do I look that obvious when I'm feeling nervous?"
"Yes. I could say the same about your cheerfulness."
Mary wondered if he was complimenting her or inserting his usual snark hidden behind a compliment. Whatever he felt when he said it, she was a little annoyed, so she replied back, "Well, I can't help it. Father must have painted me to look like a happy girl, so I behave like what he pictured me to be like. It's not my fault I am cheerful and... Aaaaaand..."
"And?" Shadow quirked an eyebrow over what word she's going to say.
"Aaaaand… Ah yes! Extroverted!" exclaimed Mary with a proud smile that she remembered the word meaning outgoing and likes the company of other people.
Shadow didn't need to hear it from her about her personality. He already guessed how she liked to behave from their first meeting and their conversation in the room where the large painting was stored. While it is true she is a cheerful girl, she can be impatient when things take too long for her to do them. This behavior has been seen in his friends or allies, so Shadow knew what to expect and react accordingly when talking with someone who exhibited these traits.
Not that it's a common occurrence for him, given his standoffish attitude.
He believes he can handle Mary just fine as her imminent caretaker. He hopes that she will behave properly, since she will likely strive to be a 'good girl,' as he was her first friend. It is possible she doesn't want to lose that friend if she ever tries behaving badly. Of course, that doesn't mean she has to act out of line; he will be supervising her as she gets used to living in the real world. He bets that life in the Fabricated World is different from here and she may apply what she learned there without considering the consequences, if only because she was sheltered.
Remembering that he was still speaking to her, Shadow gave her his reply, "Well, I'm sure you will enjoy living in the real world. Your attitude will certainly earn you a lot of friends if you behave properly."
"I hope you're right," said Mary. "While I enjoy meeting and making new friends, I don't think anyone will come close to my first ever friend I made who helped me get out of the gallery."
"You don't have to say who it is, right?"
"Yup! You already know that Shadow!"
Before the girl could say more, she felt something land on her head. Something… wet. "Huh? What... What was that?" She whipped her head around just as two drops fell on her hand and face.
Feeling something wet drop on him as well, Shadow didn't need to look up to see what it was. He remembered that the sky was cloudy, so he didn't need to guess about the weather.
"It's going to rain," said Shadow. As the raindrops slowly increased in number and volume, he warned her, "We must not stay here or else we will get soaked."
"Rain? You mean the one where water falls down from the clouds?" inquired Mary, only understanding that this was the first time she had felt rain fall down on her and seen it with her own eyes, something that wasn't from a book.
Yes. Come on, let's not linger here any longer," he said in one swift motion as he carried her in his arms like a bride-to-be.
"Huh? Shadow?" Confused by how she was being carried, Mary turned to him and tried asking him what kind of position this was, only to be rebuked as he told her, "Hold on tight. This will only take a few seconds."
"What? Why do you say it like thaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Never in her entire life had Mary been prepared for what Shadow did next to help them escape the heavy rain: he moved at high speed.
Instinctively clutching onto Shadow like he had instructed her before, Mary could only scream in fright as Shadow skated through the rain, sweeping past them at their incredible speed. Everything around them became a blur, making it difficult to determine where they were headed. Thankfully, the entire event lasted for just a few seconds, and her world returned to normal. Her hair, which had been swaying erratically behind her, settled back down.
"We're here."
"H-H-Huh…? H-Here? W-Where's…here?" stammered Mary as Shadow put her down. Her body rattled from the whole experience, if only because it was the first time she had ever felt herself move so quickly.
"My home."
Like Shadow said, they made it to his house, many miles away from any city. His house, which has white walls and a gray roof, is erected beside a clear pond bereft of any impurities, in a clearing where trees surround them and the path leading out of it and through the forest. Shadow's house isn't anything to write home about; it's just a two-story building containing a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and a balcony. It also has a chimney built on the roof, indicating that there is a fireplace inside.
While it looks basic, it appears to provide enough comfort for Shadow to be fine living in it. Sure, it was built far away from any cities, but the fact that there is nature surrounding it adds to the feeling of home that some people might choose to live near nature if they can't handle too many people or don't like the hustle and bustle of a city.
If Mary is still dizzy from the trip, then hearing Shadow mention his home snaps her out of her state. Immediately, her eyes look toward Shadow's house, which will soon be her own home too. Though she is now soaked from head to toe, she doesn't mind it because she is busy staring at the house.
"So… I'm going to live there Shadow?" she turned to him and asked hopefully.
"If you don't want to get wet from the rain right now, then yes," Shadow didn't skip a beat before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the door. Thankfully, it had a small roof built over the door, so the two did not get battered by the rain when they went under it.
Shadow gets a key from beneath the rug, inserts it into the door knob's slot, and turns it. A clicking sound is heard, indicating the door is now unlocked.
Holding the key in his hands, Shadow opens the door. They didn't wait as they enter the house. While the hedgehog remains calm as ever, Mary is beyond excited to be let in the house of a friend, one that will be her home in the real world soon.
She was about to walk farther into the house when she heard Shadow keeping his hold on her wrist to prevent her from moving any further. "Mary, stop."
"Huh?"
Closing the door and locking it, Shadow pointed to her shoes. "Remove your shoes and leave it near the door. I don't want you dirtying the floors with those on."
Mary understands what he's telling her. She can relate to him too. She doesn't want her soon-to-be home dirty as well.
"Okay," she said, doing as he told her and putting her shoes near the door. On her side, Shadow did the same with his Air Shoes. With their shoes off, they were left wearing wet socks to walk on the floor. It would surely coat the floor in residual rainwater, but it was better than having dirt stains on the clean floor.
Speaking of which, Mary wonders what she should do about her wet dress. She has never felt this wet before, and she worries that she may move around with her body drenched. Obviously, she needs help.
"Shadow?"
"What?"
She said in a meek tone, "Um, my clothes are wet. What should I do with them?"
Realizing she wants to dry off and doesn't seem to want to part with her belongings until they are dry, Shadow quickly proposes a solution that doesn't require her to remove her clothes. "Come with me. I'll dry your clothes using my chaos energy."
"Dry? What do you mean 'dry my clothes'?" she repeated.
"Heating your clothes until they are free from moisture. I'll fetch you a towel to dry yourself and your hair," Shadow move forward down the hall where two doors are seen at the end of it. One door leads to the kitchen and the other leads to the living room. He expects Mary to follow him as he opens the door to the living room, so when he didn't hear her footsteps, Shadow turned back to her only to see her face is blank as she stared at him, almost like glaring.
Noticing the change of expression on Mary, Shadow asks, "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Mary didn't answer. She continued staring at him as if he's someone she shouldn't trust.
"Mary?"
She answered this time, though what she said to him is concerning. "Heat my clothes…? As in… burning them?"
"Huh?" Shadow is perplexed by her statement, but he believes she must be wondering what he meant when he said he's drying her clothes. She had lived a sheltered life in the Fabricated World so while she may have read every topics related to the real world in the books she read back in that world, she doesn't know much about at least most of them.
Prompted by this thought, Shadow decides to explain it more clearly to her, unaware of her internal turmoil. "You mean drying your clothes? Then yes."
He hopes she understands him, so to his surprise, Mary quietly repeated like a hiss. "You're… You're going to BURN ME!?"
"What?"
"No… No, no, NO! Don't… DON'T BURN ME! P-Please don't!"
Her curiosity vanished, and instantly, she exploded in anger. Almost like a raving lunatic, Mary huddled up against the door with panicked eyes and a seething scowl, glaring at Shadow as if she was gauging what he would do next. Dropping her doll, she pulled out a palette knife (Shadow wondered why she kept that) and pointed it threateningly at him, shouting, "D-Don't you dare! I...I don't want to die... I don't want to get turned into ashes by you!"
"Mary? What are you talking about?" he asked her, moving towards her in confusion. This only cause the girl to get more angry because she believes he's going to dry her up.
"STOP! DON'T TAKE ONE MORE STEP! I-I'M WARNING YOU!"
"Would you please calm down Mary? Why are you panicking and become scared to me?"
"BECAUSE…! BECAUSE…!"
"Because what?"
"Y-YOU...! YOU ARE! GOING TO! B-B-Burn me... to ashes!" she exclaimed in a trembling voice. Her anger slowly subsided to give way to fear and panic as tears flowed from her eyes. Her arms shook at the thought of her life being at Shadow's mercy, who she believes he had used her desperation to make a friend as a ploy to let her guard down so he could easily kill her by burning her. Feeling betrayed and heartbroken, Mary choked, "I-I thought... You're... my friend... So why... Why are you going to... k-kill me...?"
If her panicked words didn't make him realize he had said something insensitive that she interpreted wrongly, then he should have been after seeing her crying in fear. He stopped moving to try talking to her in order to put some sense into her. "Wait. Are you scared because I said I will dry your clothes and you have to dry yourself?"
Mary flinched to his words, but she nodded anyway.
"And you thought it means I will burn you using my chaos energy, right?"
Again, Mary nodded.
"…Mary, are you afraid of fire?"
Mary didn't nod this time. She answers meekly, "Yes."
"…Oh. I see. I...should have worded it more carefully. Can't believe you misunderstand my suggestion to dry your clothes and yourself," Shadow puts his hand over his face with a sigh. Of all the things he doesn't want to see from Mary is that she has a panic attack and is willing to lash out violently for the sake of protecting herself from anything that might harm her. He is aware of her instability ever since he talked with her back in the Fabricated World, so he must be careful not to provoke her. She did cause a crack to form beneath her when she ranted about how unfair her life has been in the tail end of their long conversation, indicating she has some kind of ability. It must be because she was created as a painting and from the brief glance he did to the Fabricated World shows that it's not off the table for her to develop her own power.
Related to this, if it came to that, Shadow hoped that they didn't form opinions of her based on her unstable mind that made her prone to mood swings.
Taking a deep breath, Shadow sees that he must calm Mary down. He is sure approaching her while she is in this state will only prolong the misunderstanding. Employing a softer voice, Shadow speaks up to her. "Mary, listen. When I said I would use my chaos energy to dry your clothes and that you should dry yourself using a towel, I did not mean I wanted to burn you."
She listened while still pointing the palette knife shakily.
"Drying and burning are two different words. Sure, they are related to heat, but speaking of their meanings, they are different," lectured Shadow. "You didn't hear me mention anything about burning your clothes or yourself earlier, right? I never had the intention of taking your life after you fulfill your dream of getting out."
Gradually and attentively, Mary lowered her arms as she continued listening.
"If I wanted to kill you, why would I go through all the trouble of bringing you to my home? I would have chosen a different location where I could burn you without any witnesses around. Having you here just to kill you by burning you alive is a waste of my time and energy."
"...So then, you're not...going to kill me?" asked Mary, sounding like a plea to Shadow.
"No. Not in the slightest," he shook his head immediately. Seeing that she was calming down as she lowered her hands and let them hang at her sides, he approached her. He wiped off her tears, pulled the palette knife out of her hands and then picking up her doll off the floor and handing it back to her. "I'm sorry for... not making myself clear and causing you to jump to a wrong conclusion. I never thought that you're so sensitive to anything that could be related to fire. If I had known painting could be quickly destroyed by lighting them on fire, I would have said it a little more carefully so that you wouldn't get the wrong idea about my intentions for you."
Mary hung her head low in shame after hearing him. She should have told him sooner than later. "No, don't apologize, Shadow. I overreacted and assumed the worst outcome from what you wanted to do to me. If only I realized that your words about drying my clothes and myself didn't have any deeper intentions, I wouldn't have panicked."
"Well, even still, I did cause you to lose it," he said with a sigh. "I was being careful not to infuriate you, but not even minutes after I got you out of your prison and I had done it. As I said earlier, I should have been more clear about my intentions before you panicked."
Seeing the hedgehog look so guilty over their near-altercation made her feel guilty too. She wanted to tell him that the fault was hers and hers alone because she hadn't been in the real world for too long. With only surface knowledge about how this world works and what it looks like, she assumed things that others might perceive as wrong, and potentially cause them to be wary of her. She didn't want that to happen because she wanted to enjoy living in the real world and make as many friends as possible.
But if she continues telling him that she's at fault, it will only make him deny it. She thought a compromise would suffice - that they are both at fault.
Shifting out from her unstable state, Mary took a deep breath before facing Shadow with a small smile. "If that's what you want to believe, then I won't argue any further against you. But that doesn't mean I feel guilty about coming to a wrong conclusion from your inconspicuous suggestion. Because of that, I want to apologize to you too, Shadow. I'm sorry that you had to spell it out clearly to me in order to calm me down and make you feel guilty."
Shadow looks at her eyes, his calm expression cracking slightly for causing her to react badly to his words. After hearing her out, he concedes that she is right. She's mostly at fault here, not him. Regardless of how he felt about it, he does not want her to be so guilty anymore. She apologized, so she's waiting for him to accept.
"...Alright. Apology accepted," he said at last. "I assume you accepted mine?"
"Yes! I already did!" she nodded brightly. "So please don't worry anymore, Shadow! The last thing I want to see is my friend being so sad because of something he's partially responsible for."
"Hmph. I'm not sad. Just guilty," he harrumphed.
"Well don't be guilty anymore," she balled her hands and put them on her waists as he told her with a pout. "If I see you acting guilty, I would pester you until you comply."
"Hope you will not."
As the two patched up after a misunderstanding, Shadow reminds Mary that her and her clothes are still drenched. "In any case, I should dry your clothes Mary. It should have been done some minutes ago…" Shadow grumbled at the last part, clearly displeased of how long their conversation went that should have spent drying themselves.
Mary flinched because she almost forgotten about it. "Ah, right! My clothes! I'm still soaking wet. Guess I won't be using my clothes for a while until they… Wait."
A thought came to her. If she removed all her clothes to Shadow and let him dry them, she would be naked. Her face heats up as she blushed at the realization, something that isn't unnoticed by Shadow. "Mary? Why are you blushing?"
She felt uncomfortable having to relay her thought to him. However, she wanted to get this over with, so with a deep breath, she asks, "Shadow? Do you have…spare clothes I can wear for a while?"
Blinking twice, Shadow resisted the urge to facepalm again. How come he didn't think of that?
Fortunately for her, he had clothes she could use. He rarely ever wore them because they were for special occasions.
"Well," he began. "I do have clothes, like a cloak. I think it should cover your body in the meantime."
"A cloak?" After thinking about it, Mary decides to give it a try, saying, "Okay! Please give it to me! Where do I put it on Shadow?"
In the bathroom, which you will need to enter through the living room and locate the door leading to it, he instructed her as he opened the door and entered it. Oh, and do it after you dry your body with a spare towel. I don't want my cloak getting soaked, Mary.
"Okay! I'll go to your bathroom then, Shadow!" What she said before stepping inside, her fit of terror had entirely faded as she was ecstatic at the prospect of living with Shadow. She was so happy at the thought that she didn't notice that she herself hadn't undergone any changes due to the outside-the-box method of leaving the Fabricated World.
At this point though, Mary doesn't care. As long as she's living with her first ever friend, nothing seem to matter to her.
"Wow. Your bed is so soft Shadow. And so...firm."
After lying down on her back, Mary told Shadow. Currently, they are in the bedroom after Shadow handed her dry clothes back while she returned the cloak him. As it was well past midnight, it wasn't surprising that they turned in for the night or else they would be extremely tired by morning.
Also, Shadow has put the palette knife, a yellow paper rose Mary picked up in the fake gallery, and the Chaos Emerald in a small drawer placed beside the bed for safekeeping. While the girl is sad to see her belongings out of her hands, at least she has her doll that she can sleep with.
This is the first time she is lying and soon to be sleeping on a real bed. While there is a bed in the Fabricated World, her big sis told her to avoid sleeping on it, or else she would 'never wake up'. She wondered what she meant by that, and it isn't until much later that she understood that she would die in her sleep.
Any thoughts that she might get to sleep on an actual bed, rather than a crayon drawing of one she had made for herself to have somewhere to sleep, were put to halt after she found herself burrowing her face into the pillow and rubbing herself against them.
As Shadow walked to his bed, he didn't mind how euphoric Mary seemed after feeling the soft mattress and pillow on her body and head, respectively. She must have not experienced sleeping in an actual bed in her world, so she took all the time she needed to properly feel the materials touching her body. In fact, hearing her remark about his bed brought a sense of pride on his work in ironing the bed sheet every nightso it wouldn't get wrinkled, which might cause him discomfort during his sleep. Additionally, he washed the sheets every week so they became softer and stayed good as time went on.
He watched her continue rubbing her face against the pillow before he spoke up. "You like it, then? The bed sheets, pillow covers, and blankets are all made of linen. They're my favorites after I bought them and tested them out. Other materials like cotton or silk don't even come close to how my body feels on linen."
"Linens, huh?" She stopped burying her face to look at Shadow with a smile. "I think... I found my favorite material to use for a bed."
"Really?" he replied. "Did you decide that because I talked about it?"
She averted her eyes from him with a sheepish look, essentially confirming his suspicion. "Don't take it too hard. I'm just stating a fact."
Well, even if you hadn't said that, linen sheets became my favorite after I first lay down on your bed," she admitted. "This doesn't compare to the bed I had in my former home. Maybe with this bed, I can finally sleep without turning against a rough surface."
"Do I have to guess what your bed made out of, Mary?"
"Nah, don't bother."
After stretching his arms with a yawn, Shadow lied down on his bed and put his head on his own pillow. Since the bed is large enough to accommodate two people as well as two pillows, they don't have problems settling themselves on it.
Imitating him, Mary lets out a satisfied sigh. Her panic attack earlier aside, her first night in the real world is quite good. Tomorrow, or perhaps accurately many hours from now on, it will be morning, meaning the painting's first day living in this world will really start. She couldn't believe that after finally escaping from her world, everything would be on a good start. She thinks thanking Shadow for allowing her to escape and live with him is not enough, as her gratitude for him runs do deep within her. Compelled by this, she's willing to be a good girl, hoping that she doesn't have an episode like what became of her many minutes ago.
"…Um, Shadow?"
He turned his eyes to her. "Yes?"
Taking a deep breath as she considered what she would say to him, Mary rose up and looked at him with eyes full of gratitude that she couldn't put into so many words. "I know I may have said this many times before but… thank you. For saving me… For freeing me out of the gallery… And most of all, for choosing to be my friend and caretaker. If you haven't showed up, then I'm sure I would have died."
After thinking on how he should respond to her, Shadow has this to say to her. "As I said before, think nothing of it. I'm just saving someone who are in danger. My decision to take you under my watch is not what I planned for you until you told me how much you're so lonely and wanted to get out. Even at this time, I still wondering if I did the right thing getting you out of here."
"Um, why do you say that?" she asked next.
"Well for starters, you have an unstable mind," he reminded. "Many years living in the Fabricated World in solitude can definitely change one's psyche in a bad way. You proved it to me earlier when you freaked out after you assumed I am going to kill you using fire."
The girl has the in it in her to look ashamed.
"Since you are mentally unstable, someone who can handle you must look after you and calm you down when you inevitably lose yourself. Any ordinary people is unfit to be your caretaker, so I have to step in and monitor you. And second, for a long time, I have lived all by myself. Having to live with someone else naturally changes how I conduct my everyday tasks here and in my work."
"Are you saying that you… do not want me to live with you?"
"No! Don't assume that," he quickly responded, not looking forward to her second episode of the night. "What I want to tell you is that I'm not an extroverted person like you. I do not mind being around people, especially my friends, but most of the time, I prefer to stay away from other people and do things by myself, regardless of what anyone may think."
"So… What does this all mean, Shadow?" asked Mary. "Do you not want a companion that can brighten your day or… do you like to be alone or far away from your friends who may care about you?"
Tapping his finger on his arm, Shadow lets out a sigh over what he will say to her in response to her question. Any topic related to friends is difficult for him to talk about because of his antisocial nature. It is true he wants to keep to himself, choosing to live far from the city so he is away from anyone - be it strangers, acquaintances, or even someone he knew, mostly from work. He's not like his friends. While they have impressive talents that had carried them through their adventures, they are mostly normal people who enjoy each other's company and get together frequently. As for him, he sees himself as the odd one among his companions due to his unusual birth and tragic past that had shaped him even to this day. He will only interact with them when it's related to protecting Earth and nothing more, viewing it strictly professionally. Once the crisis is over, he takes his leave without notifying anyone.
However, despite his reserved nature and tendency to act cold and haughty towards almost everyone he meets, he does care for his friends. It is thanks to them that Shadow is able to reconcile his past and choose to move on, enabling him to continue protecting the world while being willing to assist his allies without hesitation. On rare occasions, he has been known to attend events such as parties or someone's birthdays, even going so far as to wear an appropriate outfit if required. That said, he only decides to partake in an event because Rouge or someone he knows urges him; otherwise, he prefers to stand around and keep to himself, occasionally chatting with someone who wishes to start a conversation with him.
Bottom line, Shadow has a heart that does not mind someone's company, despite his aloof and rough attitude. He may prefer being alone, but having regular contact with people is necessary for maintaining a healthy psyche and relationships with others. For those few actual friends he has, he is able to manage conversations with them well and endure their quirks, no matter how annoying they might be.
With an assured expression, he answered Mary's question to the best of his ability. "I prefer to live alone, away from towns or cities, but I would be lying to myself if I said I don't enjoy being with my companions. Throughout my many adventures, I learned that there are some problems that you cannot hope to solve on your own. It may irritate me that I have to work together, damaging my pride as the Ultimate Lifeform, but it is a necessity to help me tackle any obstacle that comes my way. My approach to a crisis may invite disagreements from my companions because I employ violent tactics and pursue enemies without regard to who gets in my way, but in the end, I have helped clear the path for them to go through, allowing them to save the day."
Mary was nearly confused by his eloquent answer and complicated words that flew over her head, but she believed she understood his answer: Shadow's a loner at heart, but he doesn't dislike being with his friends.
After hearing his answer, mostly in the first part, Mary sighed in relief that Shadow did not view her as a burden who had infiltrated his life and made his home her own without his consent. If she was still concerned about his intentions of allowing her to live with him, those concerns should no longer exist; Shadow is willing to be her friend and guardian.
Mary wanted to hug him, but remembered that he doesn't like hugs; so she refrained, recalling his reaction to her hugging him unexpectedly earlier. Instead, she smiled at him, conveying her emotions through her facial expression as she said, "That's what I wanted to hear. I'm glad you do care about your friends, even me. I guess I will be fine living with you, Shadow."
"Hmph. Don't make this any more sappy," He told her, turning his head with a harrumph and his eyes closed. "I only said what I thought. You shouldn't try reading too much from my answer."
His sniding words and tone did not turn Mary's smile upside-down. She giggled instead, finding it funny how hard he choose to deny the thought that he has a heart who care for his loved ones.
"Suuuuure. Whatever you say, Shadow," she replied in a sly tone, even her eyes narrowed conspicuously.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he remarked.
"Oh you know Shadow. You know what I mean~," she innocently said back.
"…I don't like your tone."
"Heeheehee, sorry! I can't resist it."
"Tch. Are we done with our talk? We need to sleep."
A yawn escaped her mouth after he reminded her. A wave of drowsiness enveloped her body, causing her eyes to struggle closing and opening them. "You're right… I didn't know our conversation would end up this long."
Well, let's not waste any more time," said Shadow as he stood up and walked over to the light switch to turn it off. "We have many tasks to accomplish tomorrow so you can be accommodated here."
"Does… Does that mean…?"
"Yes Mary. We will go out into the city," he confirmed, much to her delight. "Take it as an opportunity to have the first experience of what the real world can show to you."
Going out with Shadow tomorrow sounds like heaven to her. This makes her even more determined to be a good girl and a good friend to him, so she tells him, "Then let's get some rest! I want to wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world!"
Though unseen because his back is facing her, Shadow has a small smile after hearing her joy to turning in for the night. It's not only just her. He has to be refreshed and ready for the next day, and the day after tomorrow.
"Alright. I'm turning off the lights."
After the bedroom grew dark, Shadow and Mary proceeded to sleep peacefully.
Finished!
While there is not much happening in this chapter, we are treated to the sight of the beginning of their friendship, which will really start in the next chapter. However, the beginning isn't without issues. Mary has an unstable mind, making her prone to assumptions that cause her to snap in anger without warning and highlighting her inhuman nature. Also, it's hinted that she may have a power that is shown when she made cracks on the ground when she slowly got angry during her rant. It doesn't necessarily mean she can't trigger her powers on her own, but her current emotions will affect how she controls them.
Shadow may not be the nicest person in the world and prefers to be alone all the time, which makes it surprising and endearing that he do value his friends and strives to protect the world from anything that will harm it, even if he will do anything to achieve it. Having overcame his past and acts normally (in his own terms), expect him to be Mary's sole appeaser who calms her when she goes into a frenzy, like what happened above when she mistook Shadow's innocent suggestion to be a threat of burning her alive.
As happy Mary is now that she's (going to be) living in the real world, she still has issues and flaws she needs to overcome. She won't be alone in having to deal with them however, as Shadow will be by her side as they live together. But will these two will be enough when a threat shows itself, I wonder...? *chuckles*
Thank you all for reading! Leave a review if you like, and please stay safe and healthy out there everyone! I bid you all adieu~