Please be sure to read the notes at the end of this chapter so you can know how to navigate the next few chapters!

Chapter 11: Farewell

Rotor brought Shadow back to his bed so he could rest somewhere more comfortable.

"Thank you for trying to help. You and Sonic," Shadow said faintly.

Rotor nodded. "Sure. I'm sorry we couldn't do more." In spite of his opinion of Shadow, Rotor still found it hard to see Shadow in such a way.

Those closest to Shadow visit him individually, starting with Bunnie and Tails. Before going in, Bunnie whispered to Tails, "Listen close now, sugah. Please don't say nothin' about any of this to Shadow, okay? I don't know if he knows how bad things are and we don't wanna scare him, okay, darlin'?"

Bunnie took a seat in the chair by his bedside and Tails chose to stand. Shadow looked terrible and his breathing was slow.

"Hey there, sugah-hog," Bunnie said, and held Shadow's hand.

"Thank you for saving Aunt Sally. That was really brave!"

"Ah'm happy to call ya mah fellow Freedom Fighter and mah friend. I wish Sonic didn't go and get himself whooped by Robotnik, but had that not happened, y'all wouldn't have come here. Ah'm glad that beatin' he took had a silver linin' because it brought ya here."

"You really kicked those Swatbots' butts too! That was so cool! It was like somethin' out of a movie!"

"Sally girl is gonna come and see you too, sugah. Y'all take it easy now, okay?" Bunnie's voice cracked a little, as much as she tried to hide it. She adjusted Shadow's pillow and blankets to make sure he was comfortable before leaving.

Sally visited with him next. She went in to have what she also feared might be her last conversation with him. She sat on the edge of his bed and held his hand.

"Your arm. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch, really."

"I'm sorry I shoved you. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine. But why did you do that? Why would you jump in front of something that would hurt you?"

"I saw you were about to get hurt. I couldn't let that happen."

"Shadow, I could never fully express how much I appreciate what you did, but you didn't have to put yourself in harm's way for me."

"I have people in my life now who are worth risking my life for."

Shadow clutched his chest and groaned, feeling the effects of his wounds once more. "What happened after Sonic left? Did anyone else get hurt?"

Sally shook her head. "No, everyone is okay. We had to withdraw because we were too outnumbered, but the rest of us got out without an issue. I'm so sorry things turned out this way. Still, thank you. Thank you for what you did. You saved my life."

She shed a few tears and Shadow squeezed her hand. "Please don't be sad. I'm glad I could finally be of use to someone for a good reason. I think Professor Gerald would have been happy to know his creation finally saved someone."

"Is Sonic out there? Could I see him?"

"He is. I'll send him in."

Sally stroked Shadow's face before leaving the room. She found Sonic in a chair with his elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hand. She spoke to him quietly.

"Sonic? Shadow wants to see you."

"I can't go in there, Sal. I can't handle seeing him knowin' I'll never see him again."

"But he's asking for you."

"I don't know if I can do it."

She sat down in the seat beside him. "You have to. You'll regret not saying goodbye to him for the rest of your life if you don't go see him. And imagine how crushed he'll feel knowing someone who claims to be his friend couldn't even take a moment to see him when he's dying. I know it's going to be hard, but please, you have to do it. This isn't about you, it's about him. He needs you right now."

Sonic sighed. "You're right, Sal. I just hope I can be strong enough to face him."

"You don't have to be strong all the time, you know. This is difficult for all of us, and I know it's particularly hard for you since you know him better than the rest of us. But what's important now is to see him. Go and make one more memory with him."

Sonic got up and entered Shadow's room; he walked over to Shadow's bedside, trying hard to hold back tears. But even in his impaired state, Shadow could tell Sonic wasn't okay, as well as Sonic thought he was concealing his emotions. Sonic sat down on the edge Shadow's bed, facing him.

"Hey man, how are ya holding up?"

"I suppose I could be better."

"Yeah, that's a little bit of an understatement."

There was a pause where Sonic just didn't know what to say. He just couldn't find it in himself to try to be funny to lighten the mood like usual. And he wasn't used to dealing with loss staring him right in the face. Try as he might, he just couldn't find the right words knowing Shadow would die in that bed. But Shadow wasn't dumb – he could sense the grief his fellow Freedom Fighters were feeling.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you here sooner. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't be like this."

"Don't blame yourself. I know you did your best."

"I just don't understand how this hurt you so much. Like I remember seeing you free-fall from ARK, and you managed to survive that. How did getting shot with a laser do this to you?"

"I was in super form then. Almost nothing could hurt me. But when Robotnik captured me, he used some kind of machine to drain the Chaos energy out of me, and then said he put something in me to prevent me from regaining my energy. He said it would incapacitate me so I couldn't fight him off. My injuries might have been less severe if I hadn't lost the energy that gave me my strength."

Sonic stayed silent, out of fear that if he opened his mouth, he'd start crying. Shadow could tell he was struggling to keep things together.

"I need to thank you for something."

"For what?"

Another bolt of pain shot through Shadow's chest, this time making him cry out. Sonic jumped up. "Shadow! What should I-"

"It's... it's fine. But, with the exception of Maria and the professor, you and your friends have been the only ones to treat me with anything resembling decency. Everyone else has treated me like a threat or an object. You all made me feel like I had a purpose."

"You don't gotta thank us for being nice."

"That's easy for you to say when you have people who treat you right on a regular basis. I haven't been treated like that for decades. It means more to me than you might think. I'm grateful for the way you've all accepted me as one of your own. Thank you for that, and thank you for being my friend."

Sonic stared at Shadow. "What did you say?"

"Thank you for being my friend."

"I'm... your friend?"

That was what broke Sonic – that was what he couldn't handle. After trying so long to win Shadow's friendship, it finally happened – Shadow called him his friend. He didn't say anything at first because he was so astonished, but his shock promptly turned to a tearful mix of joy and despair. Sonic threw his arms around Shadow, collapsing against him and holding him close. Shadow was caught off guard by the abrupt display of affection, but he soon felt Sonic's shoulders quivering as the sobs he had been trying to suppress could not be held back any longer. He realized Sonic was crying and held him close. Shadow said nothing, but allowed Sonic to cry for a little while in his arms.

"You know, I feel really lucky."

"You do? Why?" Sonic let go of Shadow and dried his eyes on his glove.

"I have people in my life now who care enough about me to cry over me. I never thought I'd have that," he said, then winced as another bolt of pain shot through his chest. "Don't think I don't know what's happening to me. People don't fight the urge to cry when someone is going to live."

"I'm so sorry we couldn't do more to help you."

Shadow continued. "It's not your fault. Look, I couldn't protect someone I cared about fifty years ago and I was never able to forgive myself. If I have to die, then I'm glad it's because I was able to successfully protect someone else I care about. No matter what happens to me, I want you to know that I have done more living since I came to your village than I have the entire time I've been alive. I felt happy for the first time in a long time because you and your friends allowed me to be a part of your lives."

Shadow pulled his gloves off and handed them to Sonic.

"I want you to have these. I don't think I'll be needing them anymore."

"Come on. Don't... don't talk like that."

"Then how about you just keep them safe for me for now."

Sonic accepted the gloves. He stayed with Shadow well into the night, talking about everything and even finding a couple things to smile about. He also had to watch Shadow suffer from more frequent bouts of chest pain. Sonic could see Shadow was fading as he lost the light in his eyes, and Shadow could feel it happening too. A ring was still hours away from surfacing and Sonic knew it would be too late, given the rate at which Shadow was declining.

Shadow said, "It's late. You should probably get some sleep."

"I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight. I don't think anyone is."

"Is it okay if I'm alone for the night? It's just... I have a lot of thinking to do tonight. I should do it while I still can."

"Are you sure? I can stay with you."

"I'm sure. Thank you for coming to see me. It means a lot to me."

Shadow bid Sonic goodnight. Sonic gave Shadow one more hug before hesitantly leaving. As he walked out of the room, he took one more look back at his friend, his heart aching knowing it would be the last time he'd see Shadow alive.

In truth, Shadow's motive for asking Sonic to leave was not entirely honest. While he had some peace to make, he also wanted to spare Sonic the sight of him dying, which he felt approaching.

Author's Notes: Okay, these notes are actually important, folks! This is where you get to choose your own ending! I had both endings fleshed out completely and couldn't decide which one to go with, so I figured I would share both and let you decide how you want Shadow's journey to end.

For the SAD ENDING, please read CHAPTERS 12 and 13.

For the HAPPY ENDING, please skip to CHAPTERS 14 and 15.