Chapter Eight: Never Turn Back
lll
The feeling of Maria's arms around him… it was a feeling that had broken through Shadow's stormy thoughts many times. He cherished every moment of his family around him again. After several moments of embracing, Shadow finally made himself pull away. He glanced back over at Rouge, then back at Maria and the Professor.
"Maria… Professor… I want to introduce you to someone I met on Earth…" Shadow said lowly, trying to conceal his tears even now. Managing a half-smile, he gestured to her. "This is Rouge the Bat. Rouge… this is my family, Maria and Gerald Robotnik."
Rouge had followed Shadow at a slower pace, not wanting to interrupt his and Maria's initial reunion. Judging by what she heard Maria say, it had only been a few moments since she and Gerald had seen Shadow last. Rouge glanced around as she stepped up beside them, hoping they weren't about to create a paradox by being here at the same time as their past selves from a few months prior. From the way everything looked though, it seemed like she and Shadow had arrived just before the Professor and Maria had been sent back to their own time.
As Shadow introduced her, Rouge gave the two of them a nod and a warm smile in turn, despite how awkward the recognition in their eyes made her feel.
"Oh! Rouge! It's nice to see you again!" Maria chirped with a beaming smile. "Grandfather and I met her earlier," she explained as she cheerfully glanced back at Shadow, "but it makes me so happy that you came to introduce your friend to us again yourself!"
"Oh, did you now?" Shadow asked, giving Rouge a mildly irritated look but deciding to let it slide given the circumstances.
Rouge gave Shadow a slightly nervous sidelong glance, wishing she had mentioned this to him before, although, in her defense, she had really only thought to bring it up just before entering White Space again.
A look of mild confusion crossed Maria's face as her gaze shifted back to the bat. "Weren't you dressed differently earlier though?" she asked, causing Rouge to squirm a little.
"Ah, yeah about that..." Rouge started, though she wasn't exactly sure how she should explain her change of wardrobe.
To Rouge's relief, Gerald put a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder.
"This is a Time Void, my child. It's best not to question trivial things such as that," he told her, casting a knowing smile towards the huntress.
"Maria, you said I'd find other people I can trust," Shadow cut in, trying to keep the conversation focused on what he wanted to talk about; everything he could tell Maria about what had happened, what would make her happy to hear. The Ultimate Life-Form smiled at Rouge, then up at Maria. "Rouge here… I trust her completely," he told her with utter sincerity. "She's helped me more times and in more ways than I can count. If not for her I wouldn't have gotten a chance to see you two again."
Maria's eyes shimmered and her bright smile returned. Almost giddily, she turned back to face Rouge and excitedly grabbed one of her hands with both of hers.
"Oh it makes me so happy that Shadow found someone else he can trust!" Maria told her with barely-restrained glee. "I knew he would make friends if he met the right people! That makes my heart feel so much better knowing that! Thank you, Rouge!"
"Maria…" Shadow started to say, and hesitated. The ebony hedgehog awkwardly brushed the back of his quills a little, blushing a light pink. "To tell you the truth, Rouge is… well, she's… m… m-more than a… friend…"
Maria's eyes grew even wider in joy, and she excitedly put one hand over her mouth. The young girl glanced back and forth at Shadow and Rouge, and then giggled loudly.
"Shadow! You found a… girlfriend on Earth?!" Maria practically squealed. Shadow could only nod, now blushing a darker red.
Rouge felt her cheeks warm up as well. She wasn't used to people being so... kind, at least not towards her, and hearing Shadow actually say that she was his girlfriend made her feel as though she was slightly intoxicated.
Up until now, the bat had found herself at a loss for words, especially when Maria had been thanking her, but she finally managed to muster up something to say.
"You two are the first to know about this." Rouge's gaze drifted to the hedgehog and her smile grew as she noticed how flushed he was. "I doubt he'll admit to anyone else that we're together, at least not yet."
She shot him a quick wink, then looked back up at the girl in front of her. "In all honesty, I should be thanking you, Maria," Rouge told her with the utmost sincerity. "You know how stubborn he can be," she smirked a little, then added, "but your words are what finally got through to him. So, thank you..." The huntress left it at that, worried she might slip and say something she shouldn't.
Shadow glanced over at Rouge and managed a small smirk at her, despite the fact he was still very flushed. When Maria noticed the two Mobians sharing a quick look, she giggled again, and then pulled them both into another hug.
"Shadow might have listened to my words," Maria said as she held them both close. "But he was the one that acted on them. And Rouge, you must have really supported Shadow for him to trust you like this! We know he doesn't trust easily, does he Grandfather?" She added the last part with a slight chuckle.
"That's certainly true. For Shadow to have grown so close with a trusted ally, it truly is remarkable," Gerald agreed with a chuckle.
"Alright, alright," Shadow muttered into Maria's arms as they both laughed, trying to hide an embarrassed smile behind his hand.
"But thank you Rouge, seriously," Maria told the bat, releasing her hug and kneeling to be eye-level with the Mobians. She gave the ivory huntress a smile of pure, shining happiness, warmed by heart-felt gratitude. "If Shadow and you are a couple, and he trusts you, then as far as we're concerned, you're family too!" Maria declared firmly, her smile changing to a more determined demeanor.
Rouge's eyes widened a little, and before she could catch herself, she softly repeated what Maria had said; "Family..."
Hearing the young girl so sincerely welcome her into their family was touching. The bat barely remembered anything about her own family, aside from her sister, whom she hadn't seen since she had left Mobius years ago. Much of her childhood she had barred from her memories altogether. Rouge had never really known what it felt like to be a part of a family, and to be honest, she had never really expected to find out either.
In this moment, Rouge fully understood why Shadow, as well as many others, loved Maria so dearly. She'd never met someone so pure of heart before. She had a feeling that, even if she were to divulge all of the unsavory acts she'd committed throughout her life, the girl would still accept her with open arms.
Before she had time to talk herself out of it, Rouge pulled Maria into a quick hug. Words didn't seem like enough to show how much she appreciated the sentiment. She thought it would feel embarrassing or awkward, as she wasn't exactly the hugging type, but it actually felt natural, like she'd known Maria for years. In a way, she guessed she had, considering how much she'd heard and read about her.
After a few seconds, she pulled away and cleared her throat. Maria only giggled again, her smile even more radiant than before. Rouge felt her face heat up a little from how impulsive and out of character that had been for her, but she managed to return the girl's bright smile with a beaming smile of her own.
"So, Shadow and Rouge," Professor Gerald spoke up. "I know that you are from a time in the future, and as such you cannot reveal anything that may disrupt the timeline. Still, I have to ask; is there any danger present due to the method you're both using to speak with us?"
"No Professor. The… means that we used to return to White Space won't hold up for long, however," Shadow replied evenly after a moment to consider his choice of words. As much as Shadow abhorred doing it, he looked at the timer, and frowned. "We only have forty-six minutes before we need to leave. I…" It took every ounce of willpower for Shadow to continue speaking, every fiber of his being tensed. He wanted to warn them, save them somehow, more than anything. But he knew that, while they may maintain their memories after leaving White Space, their presence here was only temporary, and only possible due to the Time Eater's power. Once Shadow had defeated Black Doom and the ties from Shadow's memories to the Time Void had been severed, they had quickly faded away. It was only because they chose a time before Maria and Gerald had disappeared that they could even be here now.
Even if Shadow carried them out of the portal, they would only disappear as soon as they crossed over. Or maybe even something worse.
"I… just needed to speak with you both again… it's going to be a long while from my time before…" he struggled to fight back the lump in his throat. "Before I can see you both again. So… I wanted you two to meet Rouge while I was at it." Thinking quickly on how to avoid the subject of their future, he added; "We have another friend. A robot, actually. Initially he was built only for combat and destruction… but I daresay he's gone soft."
"Heh, just don't let him hear you say that," Rouge laughed, with a glance in the direction she remembered Omega had been while they had been in the Void. He no longer seemed to be there however, so it seemed he had already gotten out by this point. "I don't think he'd take that too well."
"Ah, that large robot that we saw earlier, I presume?" Gerald asked as he followed Rouge's gaze.
Rouge nodded with a smirk. "So you met Omega as well?"
"Yes, he was... an interesting character," Gerald mused. "He made a few comments about my appearance, though it seemed he knew it was best not to say anything that could alter the timeline. I have my theories, but I have been trying not to think too hard on it..."
Shadow and Rouge shared a quick glance at one another, but luckily Maria piped up, changing the subject.
"What about that 'Sonic' guy? The one you were going to go and help? Is he your friend too, Shadow?" she asked innocently, and Rouge had to cover her mouth to hide a silent giggle.
"Sonic?" Shadow couldn't disguise the disdain in his voice. "Hmph! Hardly. But…" the angsty hedgehog groaned as he continued. "He… has saved the Earth. Many times. We've… allied together a few times. But I can't stand being around him. He speaks way too much! And he always acts like he's better than anyone else!" Maria tried to hide a small laugh behind her hand. She'd seen Shadow get irritated like this before, like when things went bad when playing a game, or if anyone was rude to either of them. Maria knew it was a way of Shadow showing he cared, about both his pride and others.
The four of them continued talking for as long as they could. Shadow and Rouge told them about some of the places they'd been, mentioning the time Shadow had been injured in a fight and Rouge had brought him back to Club Rouge to recover. Without going into too much detail or mentioning Gerald's grandson, they talked about the journey they took over Seaside Hill, Rail Canyon and everywhere else they went with Omega. They were mindful of what to reveal, and Gerald and Maria knew better than to pry, lest they upset the timeline.
In turn, Maria and Gerald reminisced over memory after memory of their time with Shadow. They spoke of Maria and Shadow's time together in school, when the hedgehog would assist with Gerald's research, and one time Shadow had gotten carried away making breakfast when Maria had shown him how to make eggs and pancakes. To Shadow's chagrin, many were things he would never have willingly told anyone, maybe not even Rouge. But the Ultimate Life-Form bore it all with an irritated glare at his feet or even a hidden, albeit flushed smile. Even his most embarrassing memories with Maria were a blessing, especially to be able to reminisce with her and Gerald over them.
After what felt like a lifetime of memories crammed into a few minutes, Shadow again begrudgingly looked at the time remaining. He grimaced and gritted his teeth; just under eleven minutes now. With a pained look he couldn't hide, he looked up at them, then at Rouge. Their smiles wavered when they read his expression.
"Maria, while we still have time, I need to know…" Shadow said softly. He gave Rouge an uneasy look before continuing. "I know that because of your research, Professor, I don't age. Essentially, it makes me immortal." Shadow crossed his arms and shifted uneasily. "It's been… weighing on my mind a lot lately. It didn't before, but now…" His ruby-red eyes darted over to Rouge for a second, then back to Maria. "What do I do… when everything and everyone is gone, and I'm still here?"
Maria's eyes wavered with sudden tears, and squeezed Shadow's right hand with both of her own. She gave the dark hedgehog a small tug to get his red eyes to focus on her blue ones.
"Grandfather and I actually talked about this, Shadow," she said softly but firmly. "We both want you to be happy, more than anything, don't we grandfather?"
"Yes Shadow… it didn't escape me that, with your genetics that are immune to the wear of time, companionship could be more of a… burden than a solace," Gerald said with a sad nod. "While I was hoping you'd be able to save the world from the Black Arms, I never intended to burden you, my son. I'm sorry. But, as Maria said, we have spoken about this before. As unpleasant of a topic as mortality can be, I hope you'll be pleased with this."
Professor Gerald approached Shadow and gestured to the inhibitor rings on his wrists.
"You know that these bracelets put a restriction on your power to conserve your strength unless you are in a desperate struggle. However, in the original inhibitors I designed for you, I also added a secondary function. There is a voice-command feature, that you and one other person of your choosing can activate. First, there's an indentation coded to your exact fingerprint, Shadow. Press that for the ring to register your voice and the voice of the person you've chosen. Secondly, you speak a password of your choosing, then both you and the person you have in mind record your voices so the device within the rings can identify you. Then, whenever you wish to, you and the other both speak the password, authenticate it, and then you can actually disable the gene that prevents you from aging. The voice commands will only work while Shadow's print is being scanned however, so you shouldn't have to worry about triggering it before you're ready."
Shadow's eyes widened, and he stared at the inhibitor bracelet on his right wrist. Gerald and Maria had a… solution to his immortality? One that could only work if… Shadow found someone he could trust?
"We knew you wouldn't want to be alone forever, especially if you made friends on Earth," Maria added. Her smile held, but was now sad, lacking its usual warmth. "So, as… awful as the idea is, we wanted you to… be able to be with them, and with us, someday. But of course, only if… you wanted to, if you felt you were truly ready with no regrets."
With wide eyes, Rouge's stare flitted from Maria to Gerald, having a hard time believing this revelation. She felt torn; relieved that there was a solution to one of the biggest issues Shadow had with becoming attached to anyone, yet pained at the thought of losing him, despite it being more likely that she'd be the one to go first.
In a sort of daze, her gaze shifted to Shadow. For a moment, she could see a shimmer of hope in his eyes as he looked upon his bracelets, but that shimmer quickly faded. That's when it hit her.
Original... The original inhibitor rings... The ones he currently wore had been remade by Eggman when Shadow had fallen to Earth after the fight with the Biolizard. There was no doubt that Shadow was currently thinking the exact same thing. However...
"Will this work with just one of the original bracelets?!" Rouge blurted, her eyes darting back towards the Professor with a look of desperate hope.
Gerald and Maria regarded Rouge with a startled expression, then at each other, then back at Shadow. Confusion and bewilderment were scribbled on their faces.
"Just… one of the originals? Why?" Maria asked softly.
"I had to remove them in a battle to save the Earth," Shadow replied grimly. The day he had nearly died and fallen to the Earth wasn't exactly a pleasant memory. "I lost them…"
"But… you have one?" Gerald inquired further to Rouge. "If you do, yes. One is all you would need."
"I..." Rouge started as she looked back at Shadow. 'I should have told him this a long time ago...' she thought with a sigh. Remembering to remain mindful of her words, Rouge continued.
"Yes, I do have one, thanks to Sonic, actually... It's... a lot to explain, but I promise I will as soon as we're out of White Space. We don't have a lot of time left here, and there's not much I can say without potentially altering the timeline," the ivory bat told Shadow as calmly as she could.
To be honest, she was more than a little embarrassed to admit that she had held onto his bracelet all of this time, not to mention anxious of how he might react, especially now that they knew what kind of power his original inhibitor rings held.
"You… Sonic?" Shadow murmured at Rouge's words. He let all of this sink in for a few moments; a solution to his immortality? He and one other person he trusted could cancel it out, and the Ultimate Life-Form would begin to age like normal? It was thanks to Rouge and… Sonic that it was still possible?
Maria put a hand over her heart, sighing with relief. She beamed over at Shadow, her smile growing warm again.
"See Shadow?" Maria told her old stalwart companion. "I always told you having more friends was a good thing, and Rouge just proved to all of us that she can be trusted."
Shadow looked back over at Rouge, and a smile warmer than any the huntress had seen on his face crept across his lips.
"Yes… she has. Many times, actually," he said with a solemn nod, a little pride accompanying his tone.
An intense heat spread throughout Rouge, and she felt her cheeks start to burn. Their words were enough to fluster her, but Shadow's smile was what really took her off guard. No gemstone could ever compare to the radiance and beauty of the smile he wore for her in that moment. Speechless and unable to pull her doting gaze away from him, all she could do was beam back with a bright smile of her own.
With just a little over six minutes now, the group tried to quickly steer the conversation to something more pleasant. After Maria and Gerald told Shadow and Rouge one more story about a school project Shadow and Maria had worked on, and in turn they told the Professor and Maria more about their other friends, barely more than a minute remained.
"Damn it…" Shadow cursed under his breath as he looked at the remaining time. He looked up at Maria and Gerald, the former of which read Shadow's expression and knew their time was up.
"It's almost time for you two to leave, isn't it?" Maria asked gently. Shadow could only nod grimly.
"I… still have so much I want to tell you…" the ebony hedgehog said hoarsely. Maria pulled Shadow into another hug, more firmly than before.
"It'll be okay Shadow," Maria assured him. "No matter what happens now, I know we'll all see each other again. But please, don't live in fear of the future. I want you to see and experience everything the world has to offer. Please be happy Shadow, and not just for me." She squeezed Shadow's hands and looked at him in the eyes, smiling tenderly. "Live for yourself. Live for Rouge and your friends. Seize the present, don't waste it, and the future won't be so frightening."
"Maria..." Shadow replied in a choked breath, one tear silently running down from each eye. He quickly gave Maria, the girl who had been like a sister to him, the girl who had been Shadow's, Gerald's and so many other people's whole world, a final, firm embrace. Maria hugged him back, and then Gerald kneeled down and hugged them both as well. Maria looked up over at Rouge and gave her a smile.
"You too Rouge," Maria teased gently. "Family group hug!"
Without hesitation, Rouge joined the embrace, wrapping her wings around them too. She felt a lump forming in her throat as she tightly squeezed them. She wasn't ready for this to be over either. If she was feeling this emotional, she couldn't imagine how Shadow must be feeling... again.
'This is his third time having to say goodbye...' she thought as she stole a quick glance his way. 'I hate that I couldn't do more to make this last longer.'
After a moment of trying to simply focus on enjoying the hug, her blurring vision wandered to Shadow's wrist communicator. Less than a minute now…
"Shadow, we've gotta go..." she hated saying it, but if they were to clear the base before it imploded, they needed to leave, and fast.
Shadow could barely bring himself to nod in reply. They all reluctantly broke off from each other, and Maria and Gerald stepped back, smiling sadly at them.
"We love you, Shadow," Maria said softly. "Please remember what we said."
"I will, Maria, I promise," Shadow said, holding a fist before him in affirmation. "I… I love you two as well… I wish we'd had more time…"
"Every moment is a blessing, my son," Gerald replied softly. "Go on, don't dally now."
Finally turning towards the portal back to Eggman's base, Shadow gave Rouge a nod to say he was ready. Despite himself, he looked back over his shoulder to look at his family, one last time. He managed a small, sad smile, and then suddenly picked Rouge up in his arms, and was off like a crimson shot through the portal.
As they watched the two Mobians depart, Maria and Gerald shared a sad glance. Despite not knowing what the future held, it was easy enough to discern that Shadow had been through something daunting. Still, at least with what they knew now, they didn't have to worry about Shadow's future, or the future of the Earth.
"Sayonara… Shadow," Maria spoke softly into the White Space.
ll—-ll
Outside White Space:
Rouge held on tightly and buried her face into Shadow's shoulder as he ran with her in his arms. She didn't want him to see that she'd been brought to tears, at least not until they safely made it out of the base. They were cutting it so close already, and the last thing she wanted was to cause Shadow any distractions.
As soon as they crossed the threshold of the portal, the eerie silence of the Time Void shifted to the violent blaring of an alarm. A bit startled, Rouge peeked over Shadow's shoulder to see the countdown flashing across every screen within the base. Despite Shadow setting his timer for two minutes before detonation, they had stayed slightly longer than intended. The countdown was currently at one minute and thirty-seven seconds, though that still gave them enough time to evacuate... or so she thought.
Just as they exited the main control room, the door slammed shut behind them, followed shortly by a chorus of identical *thunks!* echoing down the corridor.
"Shit! Shadow! The whole place is locking down!" Rouge yelled in a panic as she watched another door close just as they passed by it. Judging by the countdown, within another thirty-two seconds, the exit would lock too, likely a precaution set to minimize damage to the surrounding area of the facility upon implosion.
Shadow only held Rouge closer to him in response. The blaring of the alarms and the flashing lights barely registered in his mind. He could already see the exit before him. Was it already there in front of them, or had Shadow's determination painted it so clear in his head? He didn't know. Other than Rouge in his arms and the notion of escaping the base as quickly as possible, the hedgehog's mind was numb. All he could do was concentrate on escaping, to keep moving, focus, speed.
Never turn back…
Without even noticing he had, Shadow ran even faster, pushing his legs to move as rapidly as possible. He ran up the sides of walls when he had too much momentum to stay on the floor, never loosening his grip on his ally. Once they reached the hallway to the exit, doors began slamming shut behind them almost as soon as they passed them.
Never turn back…
Gritting his teeth, ignoring the subconscious tears burning his eyes, Shadow used a small boost of Chaos energy to accelerate them even faster, and they practically flew out of the base. Quickly observing the ground beneath them, Shadow managed to use his fire-skates to decelerate, and land on a thick branch on top of a tree, still holding Rouge. Almost immediately the branch began to crack and give way, but Shadow quickly descended branch by branch to the ground, and finally set Rouge back on her feet.
A few seconds after they landed, Shadow looked up in the direction of the base they had just left. While it was much quieter than a straight-up explosion, the base's implosion still caused a smoky, rocky commotion as the cliff that the base had been in collapsed inwards, burying any remains of the base.
As it stood now, Shadow had no way of seeing Maria or Gerald again. Still… It wasn't just sadness that filled his heart now. To have seen her again, spoken to them both and see their eyes light up when he introduced them to Rouge… This was a textbook bittersweet moment.
The Ultimate Life-Form just stood there, staring at where the base had been just a minute ago. It was like his emotions were locked, stuck. He had accomplished what he had wanted, but…
Shadow's fists tightened, his teeth gritted together and he closed his eyes, battling for composure. The ebony hedgehog recalled Maria's final words to him today; to live in the present…
Never turn back…
Watching the rubble fall from the cliffs, Rouge deeply exhaled, not realizing she'd been holding her breath the entire way out. After hastily wiping a few tears from her cheeks, she turned to check on Shadow. The bat's ears drooped lower as she saw the pain written across his features. She had expected as much, but it still saddened her more to see him like this.
On slightly shaky legs, she took a step closer to him with an outstretched arm. She paused, trying to decide if she should do or say anything just yet, but she steeled her resolve and closed the distance between them.
Cautiously, she reached over to take one of his clenched fists in her hand and wrapped one of her wings around him to pull him a bit closer. There was nothing much she could think to say in the moment, but she wanted him to know she was there for him, nonetheless.
Silently accepting Rouge's embrace, Shadow felt the soothing grasp of her wing, and it broke through to him. All the emotions he had blocked out in their escape came crashing down. His eyes widened, he made a sound between choking and gasping, and he staggered down to one knee.
"M-Maria…" he choked out, and his tears began flowing freely again. Shadow's mind finally started allowing him to process the reality of what had just happened. It was likely now he truly never would see Maria again. Then again, if not for Rouge, he wouldn't have gotten this extra time with them… the joy on Maria's face while they had reminisced together, the feeling of their embrace… Gerald had been right; this extra time had been a blessing.
The bittersweet, overwhelming tide of emotions weighed Shadow down. All he could do was grip the same hand Rouge had had on his fist, slam his other fist into the earth, and let a wave of silent sobs wrack his body.
Rouge knelt down beside Shadow and gently tugged him closer with her wing, soothingly rubbing his back with her free hand.
"I've got you, Shadow..." she assured him softly, fighting back more of her own tears. "Let it all out..."
After a few moments, she let go of his hand and gingerly coaxed him to lean against her. Her arms coiled around him and she held him tightly, tenderly stroking his quills.
"I'm... glad I got to meet your family," she murmured, her voice catching in her throat. "...Our family. ...Thank you." The huntress internally scolded herself for how choked up she sounded as she uttered those last few words; she needed to stay strong for Shadow right now.
Unable to stem his emotions at all anymore, Shadow tightly clung onto Rouge as she soothed him. It reminded him so much of whenever Maria had been there to assure Shadow... that he had a good, pure heart, that he wasn't a monster, that he always did his best. Even as the tears continued to stream down his face, Shadow managed to calm enough to look at Rouge, his sobs finally quieting and relenting.
"Our... family..." Shadow replied distantly. He pulled her back into another embrace but without the desperate grip. "Rouge... if anyone should be getting thanked, it's you. As much as I hated saying goodbye... we at least got to make up for some lost time." Through his tears, the Ultimate Life-Form's face lit up a little with a smile. "Thank you Rouge... I'm glad you got to meet them too..."
The silence around them from the woods and cliffside had grown comforting, only a few distant birds, and the faintest echo of Emerald Beach's waves. Shadow and Rouge just held each other in their own solace, the huntress doing everything to alleviate her ally's grief.
"Oh..." Something suddenly occurred to Rouge, and she reached into her pocket while still holding Shadow with one arm and her wings. "I don't know how much help this will be," Rouge began quietly with a sniffle, "but I swiped the surveillance footage from Eggman's work on the Time Eater." The ivory bat opened her hand to reveal the flash drives she'd taken before she had joined Shadow in the main control room after they'd first broken into the lair. "There may be another gate elsewhere, or some other information that could help in the future." With a faint wry smile, she added, "I should turn these over to G.U.N., but I'll only do that if there's nothing useful to you on them."
"You…?" Shadow whispered, gingerly accepting the flash drives from her. He gazed at Rouge in amazement, speechless. Even with such a small window, she had found time to dig up extra information for future use. The black hedgehog had grown unaccustomed to someone showing such determined selflessness for him. There were no words to express his gratitude. Even if the flash drives had nothing useful, the gesture wasn't lost on him. Rouge had done everything she possibly could for him…
"I…" Shadow tried to say something, but just shook his head, and pulled Rouge into a gentle kiss. It was the only thing he could think to do to convey how much he appreciated her. Calling her his 'girlfriend' felt like a massive understatement. Gently cradling her wings, Shadow held her close, delicately despite the overwhelming power in his blood and muscles. He never wanted to let go of Rouge in that moment.
All of the tension that had accrued throughout Rouge's body during their escape from the base eased the instant Shadow's lips touched hers. With a contented sigh, she felt herself practically melt against him as she tenderly returned his kiss.
Nothing that had happened over the last few days felt real. Rouge had felt that way a number of times in the past, usually after being involved with world-saving events, yet this time, the feeling was on another level entirely. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't think she really deserved all of the care that had been shown towards her, not just from Shadow, but from Maria and Gerald as well. With the life she led, it was rare to genuinely feel love from others. It was all so new to her, though she certainly wasn't complaining.
The sudden buzzing of her phone snapped Rouge out of her blissful daze, though she was unwilling to pull away from Shadow. She attempted to simply ignore it, but not long after the vibration stopped, it started up again.
With a disgruntled growl, the huntress begrudgingly broke their kiss and snatched her phone from her pocket, fully intent on cursing out whoever was daring to interrupt this moment with her dark lover. Upon seeing the caller ID, however, she hesitated to answer. "Shit..." she mumbled, then glanced back at Shadow.
"So, uh... that's the hotel," she told him quietly, then chuckled and shook her head. "We never checked out; we both just kinda disappeared from our room without a trace."
"The hotel?" Shadow replied, and then folded his arms. Despite his tumultuous emotions having run him ragged, this mild inconvenience brought his focus back. The Ultimate Life-Form's iconic frown was back on his face. "They did see us stop Eggman, didn't they?" Shadow held his palm out towards Rouge. "Give it to me. I'll straighten this out."
"We weren't very close to the hotel during the fight, though they probably did see us on the news at least..." Rouge replied, reflexively holding her phone closer to herself. "I can just pay for another night or..." the huntress trailed off as Shadow insistently moved his hand closer.
"Oh, fine," Rouge sighed as she relented and handed her phone over to him. "Just... don't get us banned, okay? I like that hotel."
"Hmph. Fine," Shadow replied before holding the phone up to speak. "Hello?"
"Yes hello, is this Shadow or Rouge staying in room-?" The voice of a female employee of the hotel began before Shadow cut her off.
"Miss, we were called away for an emergency in Station Square. Check the news," Shadow continued curtly. "We can't return now and probably won't be able to. Just put a charge for an additional day and anything else you have an issue with to this account:" He quickly gave the person on the phone the number of an account he'd had G.U.N. transfer his compensation for the jobs he'd done for them in the past. After making sure it was taken down properly, Shadow continued.
"Anything of ours left behind just ship to Club Rouge in Night Babylon, charge the same account as the extra night for that too," he went on. The woman on the other side of the line was quietly seething at how bluntly rude Shadow was being, but tolerated it since he was paying and technically abiding hotel policy.
"Understood, sir,"she replied through her teeth. "So, so sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for all you do! Is there anything else I can do for you?!"
"No, we're done here, and… thank you for tolerating me," Shadow added hesitantly at seeing the look Rouge was giving him. "I… should be the one apologizing for inconveniencing you. The stay at your hotel was… outstanding."
Despite the apparent pain in Shadow's forced apology, the tone of the hotel employee immediately softened somewhat at the shift in conversation.
"Well thank you for saying so sir. You and Miss Rouge have a nice day!" she replied, and the conversation finally ended. With a sigh, Shadow handed the phone back over to Rouge.
"Well, I didn't get you banned," he told her. "If they want to get mad later they can hold my account responsible."
Rouge raised a brow, then gave Shadow an impressed smirk as she took back her phone.
"It's extremely cute to hear you actually attempt to use proper manners with strangers," she teased as she returned her phone to her pocket. "Not to mention, that was quite gentlemanly of you to pay for any additional charges." Leaning in a little, Rouge planted a kiss on his cheek and giggled. "Thanks, handsome."
"Hm, yeah, yeah," Shadow chuckled, and playfully ruffled Rouge's ears a little. As irritating as the call had been in the midst of today, at least it had broken the two Mobians out of their darkened moods for the time being. Managing a smirk, Shadow looked back to where they had arrived earlier that day.
"Come on. I'll take you back home now. For real, this time," he offered to Rouge. "Mission accomplished, after all."
Rouge nodded as she got to her feet, then attempted to brush the sand from her clothes. "Mmkay, but I need you to do me a favor once we get there. Will you promise to come inside? Even if it's just for a few minutes?"
She had several other reasons for asking Shadow to stay for a bit, but now that things had calmed down, she had remembered the promise she'd made earlier regarding his original inhibitor ring. As awkward as it was, she felt like she needed him to see it before she explained the details.
"Of course, Rouge," Shadow replied, smiling bittersweetly. "I can hardly turn down a request from you right now, can I?" In the back of his mind, Shadow remembered the whole plan involving his original inhibitor ring that Rouge had held onto. While the idea of his immortality no longer being an issue was assuring, now that he had that assurance, deactivating it right now seemed… morbid. Still, knowing Rouge, she was probably more excited to show him the room she'd set up for him. The idea lightened Shadow's mood a little, even if part of him feared Rouge had decked the whole room out in hearts or something equally ridiculous.
Leading the way back to his bike, Shadow gradually began to feel better. He reflected on all he'd been able to tell Maria, that someone he knew from the present time had gotten to meet her and the Professor. Not just someone, Rouge… his long-time friend and ally, and now… something much more, much closer. 'Lovers' sounded schmaltzy, maybe a little insipid but…
As they mounted Shadow's motorcycle and began their journey back to Club Rouge, he fully embraced the comfort of her hold on him, her weight against his back. With her, Shadow no longer felt alone or afraid of what the future might bring. In that moment, he inwardly beamed with gratitude.
-Author's
Note:-
Sorry if this is too sappy or doesn't make much sense, wanted to try and make this a feelgood story without taking away the agency of Shadow's tragic backstory. Wanted to have a reason to callback to Rouge getting Shadow's bracelet at the end of SA2, that's a key moment in Shadouge ship-fuel lol. Despite the catharsis of seeing Maria and Gerald again, it's still bittersweet, having to say goodbye again. At least now they have hope for the future. Hope you enjoy!