It had been a few days since the Time Eater was defeated and Sonic's party had gone off without a hitch. Everyone seemed to be incredibly happy now that things had gone back to normal in their lives. Everyone except one brooding hedgehog who had just gone through one of the hardest adventures of his life.
Shadow.
After Sonic's party had ended, Rouge and Shadow returned home to their house they shared with their fellow Team Dark member E-123 Omega. Almost immediately, Shadow had gone into his room and refused to come out. Something Rouge and Omega hadn't seen from their team leader in a very long time..
After Shadow had defeated Black Doom the first time, G.U.N. had recruited him to become an agent just like Rouge in order to gather intelligence on Dr. Eggman and his covert operations. During his hiring process, Shadow had been required to take a psychiatric evaluation at the request of Commander Towers, who figured that the events of the Space Colony ARK and Maria's death had caused Shadow to develop a few key mental health conditions that he wanted to make sure were being taken care of and treated. Sure enough, Shadow was diagnosed with depression and complex PTSD. Thus began his road to recovery.
Soon he was given a strict regimen of anti-depressants and a strict therapy schedule to help him get better and finally begin healing from the trauma of his past. He had his ups and downs. But for the most part, Rouge and Omega made sure he was okay, stuck to his schedules and made sure he had a support system he could fall on just in case he was going through a rough time. Thankfully Towers made sure this therapy and treatment was all covered for him, regardless of whether or not Shadow stayed as a G.U.N agent or decided to move on. He wanted to make sure his pseudo brother in arms was okay. And he made sure Rouge gave him updates if requested regarding Shadow's condition.
If he became unstable by refusing treatment, he would be forced to intervene on behalf of G.U.N to make sure Shadow got back on track. But if he stuck to his treatments, Shadow was allowed all the freedom in the world to go about as he wished. It was a difficult agreement, but one Team Dark had come to accept. Their leader was strong. He shook Towers' hand himself and let him know his conditions were fair. The two learned to trust each other somewhat, despite everything. And even after taking a ship to the ARK without his permission, Towers knew Shadow didn't do it to spite him. He did it to protect the Earth, despite the damage he and Omega did to the G.U.N base in the process to get the ship to begin with.
Rouge was going to be getting hell from the commander for the rest of her life over that little stunt they pulled. Just like how he never quite got over their stunt at Prison Island all those years ago.
Years of therapy had helped the intrusive thoughts Shadow suffered from. He was getting better slowly. But his adventure in White Space felt like a derailing in his progress. Unable to handle the emotions of losing Maria a second time, Shadow isolated himself. Something he hadn't done in ages.
And now on the other side of his bedroom door sat the only person capable of hopefully getting him out of his head.
"Shadow? You in there?" Rouge called as she knocked loudly on the door. She soon heard the shuffling of blankets and the whir of Shadow's air shoes slowly move themselves towards her. Shadow opened the door slowly, looking up at her with an exhausted glance. All of the lights in his room were turned off as he dwelled in the dark. This was never a good sign.
"Hey you. You okay?" Rouge asked softly as she looked closer at her bed headed friend. His eyes wore heavy bags from a lack of sleep as he sighed.
He growled. "I'm not really in the mood right now…"
"I can tell. But maybe it might be good for you to have some company. Can I come in?"
"Even if I answer no, you're going to storm in here anyways. So what's the point of asking?" Shadow grumbled as he stepped aside. He knew Rouge did what she wanted. There was no point arguing with her if she sensed something was wrong with him. She smirked and followed him slowly, taking in the scene around her.
"Wanna talk? I can tell the whole White Space thing has you pretty broken up." Rouge asked as Shadow's ears perked up to her question. She was right. He wasn't okay.
After their original team up with Dr. Eggman to activate the Eclipse Cannon and destroy the Earth, Rouge and Shadow had formed an interesting bond with one another. He has saved her more times than she could count, as has she for him. The two have lived together with Omega for a long time. In a way, Rouge and Omega had become the dark hedgehog's closest companions. It was something he was never expecting from his life after Maria's death. To have friends. To trust again.
Shadow grumbled, moving himself over on his bed to allow Rouge to sit next to him. She sauntered over calmly and took a seat. She knew Shadow obviously had a lot on his mind, battling with his sense of purpose. It was difficult to read his thoughts, but she always offered an ear for him in his time of need. She knew he needed someone to talk to. And she was the only person who he trusted enough to listen, except for Sonic on very rare occasions.
"What's going on, hun? You okay?" She asked as she hesitantly placed a hand on his arm. Shadow looked away from her, both with shyness and defiance. He always tried his best to seem like he was in control even when he was breaking down.
"It's been…difficult." He said with a sigh. "My depression has been a bit more on my mind lately. It feels like I'm stuck in my own head.
"I hate to ask but, have you been taking your medication?" Rouge asked as she glanced towards his nightstand where two pill bottles stood. She could see the pills inside them at approximately the half way point in their containers, a good indicator that he'd been following his doctor's orders. Shadow growled in response but nodded his head.
"Yes. I've still been struggling though. I guess seeing the Professor and Maria again was a little harder than I was expecting it to be. Then again, I guess you can't anticipate the dead coming back to haunt you like that."
Rouge looked at her friend sadly. She remembered watching Shadow peel out of White Space in a hurry, a stray tear from his eye grazing across her face as he sped past. It wasn't the first time Shadow had cried in front of her or the others, but it was a rare occurrence to say the least. She knew he was hurting.
"I know hun. I wasn't expecting them to be there either. The Time Eater distorting our world and pulling people from all segments of our pasts wasn't something any of us could have imagined was even possible. I'm sorry you had to go through with that again."
Shadow looked towards the floor. "I could feel them. I could hold their hands. Maria even hugged me. It was her! I can't believe I got to see them again. It was like nothing had ever changed. I was hoping I could change their fates…"
He raised a hand to his face and sighed. "I really thought I could prevent their deaths."
Rouge felt his words cut to her core. He desperately wanted his family back so badly. Even though she and the others had tried to make Shadow feel at home on Earth, he would never forget the people who raised him. And that was okay. She thought for a moment how a life with Maria and Gerald would have been for him. A what if scenario full of possibilities. She felt her ear flicker as she heard a very faint break in Shadow's voice when he spoke.
"What did Maria say to you before they went back to their timeline? If you don't mind me asking." Rouge asked cautiously, hoping not to overstep her boundaries and cause him to drop their conversation. Shadow blinked, a sad expression formed on his face as he remembered their final conversation together.
"I told her I could help them, that I could use Chaos Control and keep them with me here. But Maria said she didn't want to be stuck in one place in time. She told me that we would meet again someday and that if fate drove us apart…" Shadow felt his voice break as a tear formed in his eyes. "She would always be in my heart."
"She wanted you to go forward…" Rouge said sadly as Shadow suddenly broke down completely right in front of her. Tears ran down his face as he started to sob harder than Rouge had ever seen him cry before. She pulled her best friend towards her and enveloped him in a tight hug. Her wings covered him from shoulder to shoulder, acting almost like a shield to protect him from the world as he vulnerably cried in front of her. She promised him mentally that she would make sure no one saw him at his lowest. He hated showing weakness.
"It's okay, let it out." Rouge said calmly as she felt her own eyes start tearing up. Shadow turned towards her and hugged her hard as well, embracing the support she was giving to him.
He was so thankful for his friendship with her. He felt seen. He felt like even though they pushed each others buttons and made fun of each other often that they always had each others back. She could talk to him and he could talk to her. She knew how much Maria meant to him and how her death had affected him. He felt similarly to Omega. But it helped that Rouge was a living being and not a robot with a desire for bloodlust. He was a great friend and always reliable in battle. But he was obviously not the best choice for emotional support.
They held each other for a few moments until Shadow calmed down. Afterwards they sat in a comfortable silence until Rouge felt the need to break it.
"Your next therapy session sure is going to be interesting." She said lightly as she felt a tear fall from her own eye. "All of those techniques to remind you that Maria and Gerald have been gone for a long time. The cognitive behavioural stuff you've been practicing to keep negative thoughts out of your mind. Kind of hard to do that when the physical manifestations of those thoughts come back, huh?"
Shadow felt himself smirk in amusement through his tears. "That's an understatement."
Rouge smirked back at him. "How did it feel? Like physically seeing them again? I can't imagine how overwhelming that is."
"Another understatement." Shadow said as he tried to regain his composure, wiping his tears with his gloves. "At first I didn't think it was real. I tried my best to keep my distance from them. I thought it was some kind of trick from Black Doom to cut into my psyche."
"Did it almost feel like closure? Once you realized it was them?"
"I thought I could save them. But time has a way of making sure it doesn't destabilize. That includes preventing what's already happened from being tampered with. The professor told me he wouldn't touch anything to make sure he didn't accidentally create some kind of anomaly. But I'd be lying to say I wasn't absolutely over the moon to hear their voices again. To feel them."
Rouge smiled at him as she let him air out his thoughts, drying her own tears with her hand. "I can imagine. I'm glad I got to see the person you've been talking about this whole time in the flesh. She was just as sweet and kind as you've always said she was."
"Did you speak to her? In White Space?" Shadow asked calmly. Rouge shook her head.
"I didn't want to get too close to her and Gerald just in case it messed something up with the timeline. But I heard them. Gerald I've seen before obviously in the recordings on the ARK. I could tell he was a completely different man after Maria passed. Seeing him how you saw him was such an interesting contrast to Eggman. It's amazing how those two are related considering how much of a lunatic our Robotnik can be."
Shadow huffed with amusement. "He was a great man. I'm glad I got to hear him call me son one last time. I'd almost forgotten he used to call me that."
"I'm glad you got to see them again." Rouge chirped. "I'm sorry you had to watch them leave, but you got to show them how much you'd grown since the ARK. How much they shaped you into the person you are today. And Maria was absolutely thrilled to see her little brother again. I could tell."
"It hurts to watch them go, but in a way I'm happy too." The dark hedgehog said with a relaxed sigh as he felt himself calm down. "It reminded me of why I keep Maria's wish alive. To protect the Earth, giving everyone a chance to be happy. I'm going to continue doing good for her sake. For both of them."
"I'm glad to hear it." Rouge smirked as she put her hand on his shoulder and side hugged him, earning another amused huff from her team leader. "And as I've said before. Even if the world turns against you, I'll always be at your side to support you. So will Omega. You can count on us."
"I know. I appreciate it." Shadow said monotone. "More than you'll ever know."
Rouge felt herself smile from ear to ear. "You feeling a little better?"
"I am. Thank you Rouge." He said with a smile. Another rare occurrence to see from Shadow unless he was in the middle of a fight. He rarely smiled. Every time it happened, Rouge felt herself light right up with happiness.
Shadow looked up at the ceiling. "You remind me of her sometimes, you know?"
Rouge looked at him questionably. "Me? How? She doesn't seem much like a jewel thief."
"No, but she always saw the good in other people. Kind of like you do." He said with a sigh. "You've never given up on me. Or anybody. That's a very rare trait for someone to have. She was like that. Everyone deserved a chance."
"The only person I've ever given up on trying to help is that lunatic Eggman. Everyone else is completely rational compared to him." Rouge chuckled. "But I suppose you're right. It's good to see the good in people."
Shadow suddenly stood up, stretching his arms over his head as he felt himself coming back to reality.
"I suppose I've done enough wallowing in my own head. Guess we should get back to work."
Rouge got up after him and the two walked out of Shadow's space. Before they could walk back into the kitchen area to meet with Omega, Shadow stopped and turned back towards Rouge.
"Seriously, thank you guys." He said with a honest, soft expression. Rouge placed a hand on his head and ruffled his quills, causing Shadow to laugh as he pulled her into a playful headlock.
"It's no problem, you big goof." She laughed in response. Shadow quickly let go as Rouge dusted herself off. In the kitchen they found Omega making them dinner. From the looks of it, Shadow could already tell they were most likely ordering pizza tonight afterwards, but he appreciated his gesture.
"Welcome back, Shadow." Omega chirped as he flipped what looked like a burning pancake on the stove top. Something Shadow actually enjoyed. "I'm making many foods to cheer you up as I sensed you were sad."
His thoughts of ordering pizza quickly fizzled out. He was going to eat Omega's thoughtful dinner even if it killed him. "Thank you Omega."
"Thank you both for being in my life."