Shadow the Hedhehog 2: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

New Beginnings

"You wanted to see me, grandfather?" In the doorway of one of the living rooms on-board the ARK, a young girl stood. An elderly man sitting on an easy-chair near a large window gave her sign to sit on a sofa near him. As she came closer she could see he was sad… very sad. She sat down in front of him, and he poured some tea which he gave to her. "Thank you," she said and took a small sip.

"Maria… how do you feel?" he asked.

"Better now. The pain's gone, but I get tired more easily..." She stopped as she can see tears emerge in the old man's eyes. "Please don't be sad, grandfather, I'm not in pain anymore… That's good news, right?" she tried to comfort the old doctor.

But he just shook his head and hugged her. "I'm sorry… I've failed you," He almost whispered. "It's so hard for me to tell you this… I fear I can't have the cure ready in time. We still haven't figured out a way to transfer Shadow's immunity to you." He sniffed and continued. "And what's worse, you've spent almost your entire childhood without your parents for nothing…"

The little girl could feel a teardrop run down her cheek, and yet she wasn't the one crying. Although, she was rather depressed. She knew she didn't have much time left.

"There's still hope…" said a voice from the doorway. The two looked over to see a woman standing in the doorway.

Gerald recognized her at once. "Louise?"

The woman came over and kneeled down so that she would be eye-level with Maria. "I've found one last way. You'll think I'm crazy, but perhaps the only way to keep you alive… is to let you die." She then dug into her lab-coat pocket and pulled out a tiny glowing crystal on a string.

"Is that a Soul Catcher?" Gerald asked amazed when he looked upon it.

"Yes… the very last of its kind, as far as I know," Louise said and started to tie it around Maria's neck.

The girl looked in the reflection of the nearby window in admiration. "It's so beautiful… but I'm not sure if I can receive such a gift," she told them.

Gerald put her hands on her shoulders and stared at her in a very serious way. "Whatever happens, Maria, you must not take this pendant off. Will you promise me that?" he begged.

"I promise… but why would you want me to wear it?" her granddaughter asked, puzzled.

"Follow me, and I'll show you," Louise then gave her a signal to follow, and she did so. Gerald, on the other hand, stayed behind to write this info in his log book. As the two girls walked, the older one explained. "That pendant on your neck is a Chaos Emerald with a unique power… It can undo death. If you die before we can cure you, the stone will absorb your very spirit and soul."

They then walked into another room. The woman threw switch to show a large machine with two capsules, one on each side. "And once I put the finishing touches on my 'secret weapon,' I can recreate you in a new, stronger, healthier body," she said, trying to sound optimistic. "I call it, 'Project: Angel.'"

But Maria looked a little unsure at her. She wasn't sure what to think about the idea of abandoning her own body. But she did see one potential advantage. "One quick question… can you re-fabricate someone as a different specie with this machine?"

Louise thought for a moment. "That would be quite a scientific breakthrough. I might look into it." She then paused and looked at the girl in curiosity. Why would she ask that unless… "Why? Is there something you want to be?"

"N-no," she said nervously. "I was just curious…"

The scientist laughed. "You're a lousy liar. Do you know that?"

Maria simply blushed in response.

"C'mon. What is it you want to be?"

The girl hesitated, but answered. "A hedgehog… my biggest dream is to be a hedgehog."

Now Louise understood what this was all about. "Ah, I see… You wish to be a hedgehog and be with Shadow, huh?"

Maria nodded a little and blushed even more, feeling more embarrassed and very ashamed. She never wanted anyone to find out, especially not the boy in question.

The woman chuckled. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Maria. Love is a natural thing. It is, however, rare that it happens between species."

The girl kept quiet. She didn't look at her until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"If it means that much to you, your secret is safe with me."

Maria nodded a simple nod to her promise to not tell a soul. She didn't want to feel more pity than necessary.

The former human girl wasn't sure how long they had been asleep, though one thing was certain. It was early in the morning, and she could smell herself. It was then she realized how long it was since she had taken a shower.

She looked behind her to find that she was still in Shadow's arms. Luckily, he had loosened his grip around her during the night; else she had to wake him up in order to get up. Maria carefully wrinkled herself free from his grip and got out of bed. She looked at him for a moment and grinned. 'What is it that makes boys so cute when they're asleep?' she thought to herself with a giggle.

Maria then started searching for stuff she needed for a well-earned bath. As she looked through the wardrobes, she was very surprised. Besides a few exceptions, they were unchanged. She yanked a bathrobe off the hanger and looked up at some of her very old clothes. She definitely had to make adjustments since her measurements had changed.

A small smirk came across her mouth when she saw a pair of Shadow's old shoes on one of the shelves with a couple of other things. "Guess he had moved into my old bedroom." Then she noticed a pair of bracelets, like the ones he wore.

They weren't just an accessory for Shadow's style. They were a specially built inhibitor to suppress his powers, keeping them at a safe level. Removing them would greatly increase his Chaos Control ability, but it would also be a risk to his own life. Since Maria could control this same energy, did she need them?

"Better safe than sorry…" She quickly snapped them onto her wrists. Then, she quietly left the room and headed for the bathroom on the other side of the ARK. Maria opened the water in the old bath tub, and to her relief, it was working fine, and the water is fresh and warm.

After having undressed, she carefully dipped herself in the tub. It wobbled a little since it was a very old bath tub on legs. "I needed this…" She breathed blissfully and started to relax in the water.

About a half-hour later, three Mobians: a chameleon, a bee, and a crocodile, came into Maria's bedroom. They were sent to wake everyone up so they could help with another setup. They found Shadow in bed, hugging the pillow, still dreaming of what had happened last night. "I really missed you, Maria," he muttered in his sleep.

"Charmy," the big green one instructed, "get me the pepper-mill."

"Can do, Vector!" the bee replied. No sooner had he left did he come back with one.

The crocodile cranked the knob over the hedgehog's head, and small black pieces of seasoning sprinkled on Shadow's face. The hedgehog inhaled the pepper through his nose, and soon let out a bloodcurdling sneeze.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Charmy Bee instructed with a laugh.

Once he was fully awake, he glared angrily at them. "Can't you just use the alarm clock?"

"I feel your pain," Espio the chameleon jumped in. "Wait… Where's the girl?"

That's when Shadow realized he was hugging a pillow. He let go of it and looked around in despair. But Maria was out of sight.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. "What was that?" Shadow jumped out of bed to locate where it came from, and the other three followed.

Back in the bathroom, Maria lay on the floor shaking, and collected herself from the shock. She was in pain from the fall, but it wasn't serious. She was reaching for a towel when the tub she was in cracked and toppled over with a loud bang. The yellow hedgehog wrapped herself in the towel as she sat on the floor to recover. Suddenly, the door opened rapidly behind her.

"WHO'S THERE?!" A male voice shouted.

She looked up and saw a frustrated Shadow, who right away turned red in the head and locked the door shut.

"I didn't see anything! I swear!" he yelled from the other side of the door.

'Oh man, oh man, oh man! She's must be mad at me now!' The black hedgehog rubbed himself furiously in the face with his back turned to the door all embarrassed. 'Maybe I should help her…? No! I can't go in there while she's naked! But if I don't, she might think I'm careless. Oh, man, what should I do? What can I do? What's wrong with me?'

After quickly calming himself down, he realized the obvious solution. Carefully, Shadow leaned over and knocked on the door. "Are you okay in there?" He asked with an almost wet voice.

"I'm fine, but what about you?" Maria answered from the other side.

Shadow did not respond. Instead, he kept his back turned on the door, more embarrassed. He couldn't exactly run away from Maria and the ARK, since he thought she and the others would be trapped here if he just left them behind.

Soon, the door to the bathroom opened again. The young yellow hedgehog stepped out, wearing her bathrobe. Suddenly, he felt a hand rubbing him gently on the shoulder, which caused his cheeks to burn even more. "Shadow, are you alright?" she asked him worried. Afraid of facing her, he still kept his back turned to her. A small tear emerged, and he tried to cover it by blinking a few extra times.

A hand moved slowly to his face, and gently turned his head. The black hedgehog looked guiltily at her and then down at his feet. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, Maria. I thought you… I…" he tried, still looking down.

"Shadow, calm down. I'm not mad."

"But I–!"

She placed a finger on his lip, and he silenced. "It was an accident. You just came to see what happened. That's all… There's no need to feel guilty or ashamed."

The black hedgehog sighed with a small, innocent grin. "It's strange how you're always so forgiving," he said, "but… I've always liked that about you." They grabbed one another in a hug, and the emotion the black one felt for her grew stronger inside of him as he could feel her freshly cleaned fur.

All the while, Vector was watching them from the corridor. Seeing all this, he grinned slyly. "What do you know?" he mumbled.

Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee showed up. "What's up, boss?" the latter asked.

"Now I see why he's always jumping through hoops to keep his promises," the croc replied. "They should call him Shadow the Sly Dog."

Charmy glared at him in confusion as he continued.

"Shadow has a crush on his best friend. He ran off so he could be alone with her, and I'll bet he's gonna ask her for a date, or invite her to take a space-walk so they can gaze at the stars."

Maria let go of Shadow, took his hands into hers, and rested her forehead on his. "Whatever happened is past… Friends?" she asked cheerfully.

"Best friends," Shadow smirked.

She gave his hands a gentle squeeze before letting go. Then she went into the bathroom and picked up the dress she grabbed earlier. "This isn't sitting right, so I'm gonna try to adjust it. It shouldn't take too long…"

"Mmm, take your time. No rush," the black hedgehog said as he watched her leave. He then chuckled to himself. "If she isn't Maria, I don't know who is." With that said, he left in the opposite direction.

"Look at that…" Vector said with tears in his eyes. "Shadow's too shy and insecure to tell that girl how much he cares about her. I know exactly what that feels like."

Espio sighed. "Not again with his nonsensical drivel…" he muttered. He then decided he would put Vector's delusions to rest in the only way he knew how.

Later that same day, Maria was working on the dress she had picked, trimming it down to size. Once she tried it on for size, a pink hedgehog girl came in. "There you are," she said.

"Good morning, Amy," Maria replied in pleasure.

Amy quickly hugged her. "I was so worried about you. I didn't know you had recovered." She let go of her as she continued. "We finally found Shadow. Well, really he found us. Perhaps now we can figure out who you are, Angel."

The hedgehog girl paused. "Oh, I get it. You haven't heard yet, have you?"

"Heard what?"

"I already got my memory back. My real name is Maria."

Amy's eyes widened, and she quickly scanned the girl from head to toe. "Wait… you're not Maria Robotnik, are you?" she asked, and Maria nodded. "No wonder Shadow was actually happy this morning!"

The former human already knew where her friend was all this time, but she couldn't help but tease him a little. "Aww… did he miss me that much?"

"You have no idea…" the pink hedgehog was being cautious not to mention the ARK incident.

The yellow one smiled. "Well, out of all the people I could ask to still be alive, I'm glad it's Shadow. Under all that black and red beats a heart of gold…"

The pink one thought for a split-second, and smiled at her in a sly way. "Sounds like someone has a crush on her best friend."

Maria blushed bright red. "No! No, I don't!" she said, defensively.

Amy laughed. "You do! That's so cute!"

Her eyes widened, and she looked away, slightly more embarrassed.

"So, girl to girl, what's up with you two? Have you been on a date with him yet?"

"Well, no. He doesn't know…"

"A secret love? How romantic!" she teased. Amy smiled as she noticed how embarrassed she looked. "C'mon, there's no reason to be so shy." She then took her hand into her own. "Look, you're his best friend, and you're super cute. Shadow's the lucky one. I also have a certain blue hedgehog that I'm pursuing myself. I wish us both luck."

Maria smiled in thanks, and they both laughed as two close girl friends would. It was nice for her to know someone understood.