It was a sorrowful evening at the Metropolis Cemetery. All loved ones had by then left, except for a family of four which stood at the freshly buried grave. The four consisted of a widowed mother, the eldest which was the only daughter, and two sons. ‘Jules the Hedgehog' was the name engraved in the marble with the description of ‘A loveable and caring soul’ underneath. Believing that they had said all their final prayers to the deceased, they saw it as their time to go, that was until a certain ebony hedgehog approached them.
“What are you doing here, Shadow?”, the azure teen addressed. Put a bit off guard by the bitter emphasis in his name, he decided not to press on it. “I came to pay respects to your father,” he paused, “…and to make sure you’re okay"
“To make sure I'm okay?! The last time we talked to each other, you said that you wanted nothing to do with me!” Sonic recalled. “Yes, I did, and I’m sorry", he gingerly apologized. “After I heard of what happened I knew that I had to come.” Sonic was confused. How could Shadow of found out his dad died, let alone the funeral arrangements. After Shadow had told him off last time, he did exactly as he requested, he left him alone. “Who told you?”
“I’m sorry?”, Shadow responded with a raised eyebrow.
“Who told you about my dad dying?!” he confronted. “I did, honey" the lavender female confessed while placing her right hand on her son’s shoulder. “Well not directly; I told Shadow’s father everything in the hopes that it’d reach him. After all, Shadow was close to us as well"
“When we were kids!”, Sonic turned his attention back to the one in question. “If none of this had ever happened, he would still be avoiding me like the plague!” He marched forward. “Hell, I don’t think you would’ve cared if it was me lying there instead!” There was a collective gasp from the others. “Sonic, don’t say that!”
“It’s true, ma! If it wasn’t why isn’t he saying anything?!” He’s right. Why wasn’t he saying anything? He may not have cared about him as much as he did in the past, but he didn’t hate him either. If anything, he couldn’t be further from the truth. He wouldn’t know how he would react if the roles were switched.
“In fact, it should’ve been me, I was the one that caused the accident!”, he felt his throat start to tighten. “All because I didn’t want to pay attention to what was going on, the car got hit at my side, and my dad died because of his injuries!” Tears threatened to make their presence known, but Sonic wouldn’t allow it. “And what did I get?”, he lifted his left arm, which was currently wrapped in a cast, “Just a stupid broken arm!” The pressing silence was overflowing with pure agony.
Shadow then abruptly comes with, “I know how you feel" That completely threw Sonic for a loop. What was he even talking about?
“How could you possibly know what it feels like to know that you’re the reason why one of your parents is dead?!” he was seething at this point. “Don’t you dare compare yourself to what I’m going through!” Shadow had been doing his best to hold his tongue, but that last sentence was the last straw. He had to let it all out.
“My mother died during childbirth!” Now it was his turn to cause everyone shock.
“The pregnancy was going smoothly, until the day I was born. When she went into labor, my parents were told that she was diagnosed with preeclampsia; which is a rare complication when the mother experiences extremely high blood pressure and fatigue" Seeing that everyone was still listening closely, Shadow continued. “They were told that it could potentially be fatal for both me and her, so the doctors performed an emergency C-section. Yet, even with their best efforts, her fate was already set as her body couldn’t take it" Harsh ruby eyes rose to glare at regretful emeralds.
“At least you had the chance to spend 16 years with your father before he passed!”, he pointed an accusing finger at the blue teenager. “I never even got the chance to spend a day with my mother, you should be grateful for what you had!”
Sonic felt like a complete asshole. He had no idea that was the circumstance that caused Shadow’s mom’s death. How could he have been so selfish? Going to reach out for the other’s shoulder he attempts to apologize but flinches when Shadow faces him, displaying a couple of stray tears running down his cheeks. Even so, the scowl in his expression showed his true feelings.
“I gotta go”, Shadow wiped at his tears as he began walking away. “Shadow, wait! Please!”
Shadow then made a sharp turn and roared “No, Sonic, not this time!” His fisted hands started to slightly shake with irritation. After a quick exhale, to calm his nerves, he muttered, “Just leave me alone, hedgehog”
Sonic knew he really screwed up this time. He should’ve known something tragic happened to his mom, considering he never mentioned her before. As much as he wanted to severely apologize for his ignorance, Sonic is aware that Shadow needed his space. All he could do now was watch the dark hedgehog as he wandered off into the distance.
