Spawning 2
Shadow's POV
"How're you feeling?" Rouge asked as she walked into my room with a tray in her hands. On the tray was a freshly cooked bowl of soup. I watched her for a brief moment before turning my attention back at the wall. As if it was much more interesting than her. She sighed. "Shadow, i know that what Knuckles said is unacceptable, but there isn't much i can do about it." She said and placed the tray on my nightstand.
I had come home to a noisy house again. If it wasn't bad enough to find out that i could be gravely ill, there was an arguing echidna and bat to make it worse. Even more worse was the fact they were arguing about me again. The scene of me walking into our home was practically the same as when i came home from the hospital yesterday.
"Shadow." Rouge said and sat down on the edge of my bed. "It doesn't matter to me that you were talking to him about me behind my back again. That's the least of my worries." I answered. The truth was that the arguement did bother me. If Rouge wasn't going to be there for me, then who was? "You're lying, aren't you?" She asked. I didn't answer.
After a long moment of silence, Rouge stood up and went to walk out of my room. She figured that she should give me some time alone. "I could be ill." I said as i finally decided to tell her what was bothering me. Rouge paused in the doorway. Her eyes were widened in shock. The white bat turned back to me and looked at me. "What?" She asked with a high tone in her voice. She was startled by the sudden revelation. I still wasn't looking at her. My arms were wrapped around myself as if it had suddenly become cold into the room.
My focus moved away from the wall and went to Rouge. I looked at her from the corners of my eyes briefly before looking back at the wall. "I didn't miscarry. What they took out of me wasn't a child. It didn't even resemble one." I said and paused before talking again so Rouge had enough time to let the new information sink in. As i spoke, Rouge had approached me and sat down on my bed. She waited for me to talk again.
"Carthoff is going to make sure that i'll have another few weeks to rest. She wants to know if i'm still sick or if removing the abnormality was all that needed to be done." I explained after a moment of silence. Rouge wasn't looking at me. She was staring at the floor in front of her in shock. "Not that it matters, though. By the time i do get to return the Commander has probably fired me already." I said and chuckled lightly to try and lighten the mood a little, to try and get rid of the tension that grew between the two of us.
It stayed quiet. I was waiting for her to say something, but Rouge kept quiet. She had no idea what to say. The news was still sinking in. She was still trying to process it all. "Do they know what it was?" She asked after a while. I shook my head. "No. Carthoff has yet to find that out." I answered.
"Rouge? I'm back!" The voice of a certain red echidna resonated through the house. I had almost forgotten that he had left. Shortly after their argument, he had gone out for a walk to cool his head because Rouge had told him to as soon as she had noticed that i had come home. Rouge looked at my bedroom door. She couldn't decide if she should go downstairs to her boyfriend or if she should stay here with me. "Just go." I said to decide for her and watched as she got up and walked out of the room. This way i had some time to myself.
Sonic's POV
"Are you worried about Shadow?" Tails asked to break the silence in the room. I nodded as an answer and kept staring at my glass. "Wouldn't you be? This whole situation doesn't make sense." I asked my self-proclaimed little brother and looked up to him from my seat at the table. "Of course i am." The kitsune answered. "It's not normal for Shadow to even get a cold. Let alone attracting something so dangerous." He added before taking a seat himself. "Exactly." I sighed.
Tails felt a bit uncomfortable as he sat there. He wasn't used to having me this quiet and therefore didn't know what to say himself. He understood why i was concerned after explaining to him what i had witnessed, but didn't know what to say about it. He had only recently heard that Shadow could've had a miscarriage and just now he got to hear that it might've not been a miscarriage, but some sort of tumor or cyst. There was no other explanation for it. A child doesn't grow that fast. Now that i thought about, neither did a cyst.
That was my reason for doubting both of the conditions that poeple wanted to diagnose Shadow with. It just didn't make any sense. From what i've heard, this thing took about a month to grow. During a pregnancy it took about 3 months for someone to show. According to Rouge, Shadow had already been showing. If it was a tumor, then it would take months or even years before once to show. And it most cases poeple still didn't show anything. Unless the tumor was more at the surface, of course. But that wasn't the case with Shadow. So neither of the two diagnoses were right.
"Maybe you should ask that doctor? You know, the one that looks after Shadow and Rouge when they get hurt." Tails suggested. "Dr. Carthoff? Maybe. But i don't think she'll have time for that." I said. "Don't you think that the Commander will make her have time to have her discover what's going on with Shadow?" The kitsune argued. I had to admit that he was right. Despites the Commander and Shadow not seeing eye to eye with eachother, he did care for him, but more because Shadow was one of his best agents and there was no way he could miss him in his team. It was only natural that dr. Carthoff would be forced to find out what was going on with him and if it would return.
"I'll ask her tomorrow." I decided and emptied my glass before getting up and putting it in the sink to wash it later. "Keep me updated." Tails said and tried to cheer me up with a smile. It worked a little as it lightened the mood and i smiled back at him. He stood up from his chair and ran in the direction of his workshop. "I'm going to work on some of my inventions. See ya later, Sonic!" Tails yelled before closing the front door and running to the back to get to his workshop, which was located in a seperate building that was build right next to our house.
I walked into the livingroom and sat down on the couch. I took my cellphone from my pants, flicked it open and looked at the small screen. I was tempted to dial Shadow's number and ask him if he was alright. But i knew that it wouldn't be such a good idea. After what had happened in the G.U.N headquarters, he probably wants to be left alone for a while. I should try to call him later today.
I sat back against the couch and sighed. I wanted to know how he was doing. I had a hard time keeping myself from calling him. I wanted to give him the time he needed, but it was difficult. My head laid back on the couch and made me look up to the ceiling.
An hour or two passed by. I had fallen asleep as i waited. When i woke up i found myself still in the same position that i had been in before. My head lifted and a hand came to rest on my neck because it felt stiff. I looked around to see if Tails was in here, but he wasn't. He must still be in his workshop.
I looked at the clock and noticed that it was evening. Outside the sun was already setting and the sky was slowly turning dark. My left hand squeezed shut as i realised that i had been holding something there before. I leant forward and looked at the ground. The cellphone that i had been holding on to before had fallen onto the ground after i lost my grip on it. I reached down and retrieved it.
I flicked it back open and looked the screen. Maybe i should call Shadow now? It took me a while before i made my decision and dailed his number. I placed the phone against my ear and waited for a response. "Who is this?" A voice asked after a few beeps. "Shadow? I just wanted to know how you are feeling." I explained. "Sonic?" The voice asked. "Yeah, it's me." I answered. "You're not talking to Shadow. It's me Rouge. Shadow is still sleeping." Rouge said. "I see." I replied in dissapointment. "Do you want me to wake him up?" She asked. "Nah, that won't be needed. I'll call back later. See ya!" I said and was about to hang up, but Rouge stopped me.
"Do you think that Shadow is really sick?" She asked hesitantly. I didn't know what to answer. Shadow had told me that he could be sick, but it didn't seem to make sense to me. "Yeah, he told me." I answered when i had lack of answers for her. "But do you think that he could really be sick? I thought that Gerald had created him with a strong immune system so he would be unable to get sick." She said. "So did Shadow." I answered. She stayed silent after i had made that argument.
"Is he okay?" I asked after a while. It had been silent the whole time and neither one of us were hanging up, so i figured that i should come up with something to talk about. "He's a bit in an odd mood lately, but he's just fine now." Rouge answered with a sigh. She didn't seem to be so keen on talking about her friend's current situation. I couldn't blame her. She and Shadow were together practically 24/7. They were best friends, they were housemates, they were partners or co-workers. The very thought of him being so gravely ill must be disturbing to her.
It stayed quiet again. We didn't really have a topic to talk about. Wasting time and money was pretty much all we were doing at the moment. "I think it's better if we hung up." Rouge suggested. I agreed. "So i'll be calling again or visiting to see how he's doing." I said to inform her of possible calls or visits that will occur in the future. "I know. Knowing you i figured that you would do something like that. If you wouldn't than i would get worried." She replied with a carefull amused tone in her voice. "I guess you're right." I chuckled as response. "So, see ya?" I asked. "Yes. See you later." I could hear her say right before the beeping came that signaled that she had hung up. My cellphone flipped closed again and was put in my pocket. He leant back against the couch and rubbed in my eyes to get rid of the tired feeling in them.
After a while i pushed myself upward to stand up and walked out of the livingroom and out of the front door. I decided to check up on Tails to see if he was alright. I strolled over to his workshop and took the door knob. I twisted it, but it didn't open up. The door was locked. I tried to look inside, but there was no movement inside either. "Tails? It's me Sonic, are you in there?" I yelled, but there was no response.
My ears twitched as i became alarmed by the lack of response. I ran back into the house and up the stairs. I approached the door that led to Tails' bedroom and softly opened it. A sigh of relief left my lungs as i saw the kitsune asleep in his own bed. He leant against the door frame as i watched him for a while. The lack of response had made me worry about something bad happening to him. Like an accident in his workshop or maybe, in extreme cases, somebody had taken him. I was happy to see that he was just peacefully sleeping in his bed.
My eyes moved to rest on the clock. It was getting close to midnight. Still feeling tired, i decided to go to bed and try to sleep. I stood up straight and walked into my bedroom that was down the hallway. I walked into my bedroom and sat down on my bed. I kicked my shoes off and undressed untill i was only wearing my boxers. The clothes were left on the floor as i was to lazy and to tired to get back up and walk all the way to the laundry room and back. I yawned and relaxed on my bed. My eyes slowly closed as i felt myself drifting off to sleep.
Shadow's POV
Those two weeks had passed by slowly. They were full of staying at home alone and doctor appointments. Carthoff had done scan after scan, but there wasn't anything out of ordinairy to see on any of them. Probably because they had already taken it out of me.
It was odd to think back at everything that had happened almost three weeks ago. Eggman has been keeping a low profile and isn't causing much trouble ever since what happened. I don't know why he reacted the way he did. I have thought of him possibly being stratled, but that would be a bit to far fetched.
"That should do it." Carthoff said as she pulled the needle back from a vein in my arm. I pressed a small piece of cotton again the puncture wound as i watched her put the small container with my blood somewhere safe. "Is this the last test?" I asked. "It should be. Unless you'll relapse." She said. I jumped of of the examination bed and approached her desk. "How big is the chance that i'll relapse?" I asked. "That depends. If it was an agressive tumor than there is a bigger chance of you relapsing. But even if it isn't, there's still a chance." Carthoff explained and sat down behind her desk. She took a small bundle of papers that were used to write a prescription or write down how many days one would have to stay at home.
I watched her as she wrote something down on it. "You're making me stay at home even longer?" I asked. "I'm sorry, but i can't let you go back to work if i'm not sure that you're better." Carthoff apologized and put her signature on the paper "But i can't stay at home for much longer. I'm about to lose my job! The Commander is probably filing my resignation papers right now!" I stated. "You're health is my first priority, Shadow." She said before tearing it off and handing it to me. I reluctantly took it and put it in my pocket for safekeeping. I took my wallet and paid her before leaving without saying another word.
I disliked going outside lately. Ever since the incident happened, poeple have been whispering and gossiping about me everytime i walked apst. Even after G.U.N confirming that there was a bigger chance of me being sick than pregnant. They just didn't stop. It was difficult to ignore. These two weeks alone i had nearly lost my temper more than i should have. But, thankfully, i was able to keep myself from blowing up on those poeple every single time. I didn't know for how much longer i would be able to keep myself from 'accidently' hurting someone.
The agonizingly long walk finally came to an end. I walked in through the front door to find it completely empty. Good. There was no Knuckles and Rouge to argue to eachother about me. I still had no idea why it bothered Knuckles so much. Maybe because he just didn't buy the story of me having an illness and still thought of me as a dirty whore. In fact, that was the main topic that poeple were talking about whenever they saw me pass. Sometimes i wondered if they actually believed that or if they just didn't have anything better to do and found it a good idea to prey on me for fun.
The weather was slowly becoming warmer and there was no reason for me to wear my trenchcoat so i had left it hanging on the peg. I could see that Rouge had left her coat aswell. I walked into the livingroom after kicking my shoes off and dropped down on the couch. I saw my cellphone lying on the coffee table. My brows furrowed upon seeing the small device. I don't remember leaving it there. I reached for it and took it into my hand. The screen lighted up and a message appeared. It said that i had 8 missed calls and 4 messages. Who would call me that much or send me that many messages? And more importantly, who else besides Rouge had my number?
After dailing the unknown number i placed it against my ear and waited for someone to answer. I was excited and tense as the waiting seemed to take forever. I wanted to know who this person was.
"Hey, Shadow!" A voice said and i internally sighed in relief. It was just Sonic. "I've been wondering why you haven't been answering my calls or messages. Any reason why? Did something happen?" I could hear him ask. He was worried about me. "No, i'm fine. I was just trying to figure this number out that was continuesly calling me and sending me messages." I answered. I could hear Sonic let out a small "Oh?" in confusion. He was certain that i would know it was him who called me.
"I don't have your phone number." I briefly explained. "You don't? When Rouge gave me your number i was certain that you had mine aswell." He responded. I guess it makes sense now that i did not have his number. "Can you save my number into your phone? That way you can call me whenever you need me." Sonic proposed.
I thought about his proposition. I wasn't so certain. But he had been there for me when even Rouge was having doubts about me. It would be foolish to refuse it. "Yes, i will." I said before telling him goodbye and hanging up. Shortly after, i saved his number in my phone and placed it back on the coffee table.
The only problem i had now was how i would entertain myself for the rest of the day for aslong as Rouge wasn't home. She wasn't gone because she had to work, it was sunday and the commander had given us every sunday off, but she was gone because she was on a small daytrip with Knuckles and she probably wasn't going to come home untill later tonight or she wouldn't be coming home at all because she would be staying at his place instead.
I found out that she, as i thought, did not come back home in the evening. It was around 10 pm when she texted me that she wouldn't be coming home. I had been lying on the couch, watching a random program on tv when i recieved it. My eyes blinked and narrowed when i tried to look at the screen. I had been sitting in the dark the whole time. My only light source came from the tv, but that wasn't enough to keep me from adjusting to the dark.
I threw my cellphone back on the coffee table and sighed. I should be happy that Knuckles wasn't going to be here, but i would've liked Rouge to be here with me. Not that she could stay here all the time. She still had a life and she wanted to live it to the fullest. So the least i could do was to let her go and have some fun. The doorbell rang. I with an annoyed sigh, i lazily got up from the couch and walked out into the hallway. I took the doorknob of the front door and twisted it.
"Sonic?" I said in surprise upon finding the hedgehog on the doorstep in the middle of the pouring rain. "Hey, just wanted to check up on you when Rouge had told me she had gone out." Sonic explained. "Rouge told you that?" I asked in surprise. I didn't think that she would tell him that. Had she done it with no particular reason? Or had she done it on purpose.
"Mind if i come in?" Sonic asked. "Oh, huh, sure. Come in." I said once i snapped out of my trance and stepped aside. Sonic walked inside and closed the front door behind him. I ran up the stairs and got him a towel before going back to him. As i reached the bottom, i slipped on a small puddle of water that had formed on the floor because of the hedgehog's wet clothes and fur. Sonic took me by my arm and prevented me from hitting the stairs or the floor. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I'm just fine." I said and handed him the towel. "Thanks." He said and quickly began drying his wet quills.
"Follow me, you need to get out of those wet clothes." I said when i noticed that Sonic was having a hard time drying himself. He followed me as i walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. I took a pair of pants and shirt and gave it to him before he stripped out of his wet clothes to dress back up in the clean ones. The clothes i gave him were extra clothes that were here for Knuckles, but i'm sure that he wouldn't mind. And if he did, than i didn't give a damn.
Once he was dry, i offered him a seat on the couch and he gratefully sat down. I offered him something to drink and he gratefully took a simple glass of water and drank from it. I took the remote and turned the tv off before sitting down on the couch. Sonic emptied the glass quickly and placed it on the coffee table near my cellphone. Despites having been wet from the heavy rain fall, he was still pretty thristy. Must've been because he had to run here.
"How have you been feeling?" Sonic asked. I thought back at the past few weeks. "Fine." I lied. I have been feeling horrible. At home i was bored as hell, the doctor appointments were hell and the constant tests were hell. All in all, the past few weeks have been hell. "Don't lie to me." Sonic replied. I sighed. I hated how he could easily tell. In the very beginning he couldn't tell if i was telling the truth or not. But now... I guess that i have lost my touch.
"What does it matter?" I asked. "It matters to me. And especially after what happened to you." Sonic answered. "I mean, losing your child like...." He said. I stood up. "My child? Listen, Hedgehog, that thing they took out of me was nothing even close to a child!" I told him. "What else could it be? Do you really think it was a tumor?!" The hedgehog asked. "Cause it sure as hell didn't look like on to me when i saw it!" He added. "How the hell do you know how one looks like?!" I questioned him with a loud voice. "Well, let's just say that i've been busy these past two weeks." Sonic stated.
It stayed quiet. I had to admit that i felt flattered that he had actually taken the time to investigate what could be wrong with me, but i still couldn't get over the fact that he actually thought that i had miscarried. "There's one little detail that you missed Sonic. I was supposedly pregnant for only a month, but i looked like i was about three months far. There was no way that i was pregnant." I told him with a calmer tone than the one i used just a few moments ago. Sonic was the one who stayed quiet this time.
My ears flattened. I didn't like the heavy silence that hung in the air between us. I knew that we just had a fight, but i wanted him to say something because i didn't know what to say myself. We stood there in silence for quite a while. Neither of us attempted to say or do anything. The heavy tension was growing. One of us needed to do something to break this silence, but neither one of us made a move to do so.
"It's... huh... late." Sonic finally said after a while. I looked at the clock. It was a few minutes past midnight. I never realised that so much time had passed untill now. "Yeah it is." I hesitantly said. I glanced outside and noticed that it was still raining outside. "You should go home. Tails must be worried." I said. Not that he could in this weather, but what about the kitsune? He's still a child, he can't stay alone at home for so long. "Don't worry about him. He's staying at Vanilla's house. He has a sleepover today with Cream and Charmy. Amy is over there aswell to help Vanilla. Not that she needs it." Sonic answered. He chuckled at his last sentence. "I see." I muttered.
It became quiet again for a moment or two before i said something again. "You could stay here for the night." I offered. Sonic didn't need to think twice before he answered. "I would love to stay for the night." He said and smirked lightly. "I see." I muttered. "Although we do have a problem. There aren't any guestrooms in here anymore. I took over the only guestroom in this house when i came to live here when i came back after the ARK incident." I explained. "So you're stuck on the couch." I said. "The couch? That's fine, although, i wouldn't have mind to share your bed with you." Sonic said with a chuckle. It was just a harmless joke, but after all the rumors, the gossiping and the teasing, i couldn't help myself and saw it as another harmfull tease.
"What do you think i am?! Some kind of whore! How dare you say that!" I immediatly yelled at him. I was shocked to hear him say that. But Sonic seemed to be even more shocked by how i reacted. He had not seen this coming at all. "Calm down, Shadow. I wasn't trying to insult you." The hedgehog tried to reason with me, but i wasn't exactly listening. "I don't care what you're trying to do!" I yelled and walked out into the hallway. I wasn't usually the one to just walk away from an argument, but i really did not feel like doing this with him. "Shadow! Shadow wait!" Sonic yelled and followed me up the stairs. I didn't listen and just continued climbing the stairs.
I reached the top and made my way in Rouge's bedroom. "Shadow..." Sonic said and followed me inside the room. I approached the closet and opened it's doors. Sonic watched my every move. I bent down and angrily took a pillow and blanket. I stood back up straight and kicked the the doors closed before passing by Sonic and walking back down the stairs. My rival had been trying to talk to me, but i barely even noticed it as i made my way down the stairs and made up the couch for him to sleep on for tonight.
Both of us were back in the livingroom again. I had just finished making the couch up. I could feel him standing behind me. It was creeping me out. I knew i could trust Sonic. This feeling probably came from my job. It made me paranoid.
It stayed quiet for a while before Sonic started to talk to me again. "I'm sorry if i insulted you in anyway." He said. I turned to him. "It's fine. I overreacted." I answered. It was quiet again. The apology and the answer did little for the awkward tension that hung in the air. But fortunatly, Sonic was able to try and make it dissapear. "Well, since i'll be staying here, we might aswell watch a movie. Have any good ones?" He asked. I didn't show it, but i was gratefull for the distraction when i didn't know what to say myself. "I don't know what your definition of good is, but Rouge does have quite alot of movies lying around here." I said and turned to the dvd cabinet that stood against the wall next to the tv. I went to my knees and looked at Sonic as i waited for him to join me. Sonic took the hint and went to his knees next to me.
"So far i've seen all of them." Sonic said as his eyes scanned briefly scanned over the covers and titles. "Nothing good so far?" I asked and faced him. "It's not that they're no good, it's just that i don't feel like seeing them again." He explained. "I see." I muttered and turned back to the dvd cabinet.
Time passed by slowly. After half an hour was had decided to stop trying to look for a suitable movie to watch. Neither of us knew which on to watch, so we settled for none of them. Sonic dropped down on the couch and yawned. I couldn't blame him, it was getting pretty late.
"I guess it's time for us to go to bed." I said. Sonic nodded in agreement. "We should." He said shortly after. He kicked of his shoes and got rid of any clothing articles that he wore on his upper body. I guess that he was the kind of guy to sleep in his boxers. Not that i had anything against it, i slept like that aswell sometimes. Except for in the winter. Despites our thick fur, it could still be way to cold for any mobian.
"Good night." I muttered and turned to walk out of the livingroom. "Night." Sonic answered as i left and waited till i was upstairs before getting rid of his pants and socks. He laid down and rested his head on his arms as he crossed them behind his head. His eyes closed and he let out a sigh. He hadn't even noticed how tired he was untill he laid down and shut his eyes. A yawn left his throat. He didn't really want to sleep, but at the same time he felt to tired to stay awake. Despites his will to stay awake, he quickly fell asleep.
I wasn't. Instead of sleeping, i was just lying in my bed. I knew i felt tired, but i somehow couldn't doze off like Sonic could. It frustrated me. I rubbed in my eyes and i yawned, but i still couldn't sleep. I hadn't had such a hard time sleeping in a while.
I sat up in my bed. It was no use trying to fall asleep if my mind didn't want to give in. I got up from my bed and walked out of the room. I sneaked down the stairs and into the livingroom. It hadn't been long since we had gone to bed, but Sonic had already dozed off. I silently sneaked past him and into the kitchen. I helped myself to a glass of water and leant against the kitchen counter as i drank from it.
I had to think back to the argument we had a few hours ago. I didn't know what to think of it. It felt good to know that somebody cared for me, but it seemed to far fetched to think that i wasn't sick. Everyone knows that you can't get pregnant without having sex. And i was still a virgin. So if i had never been this intimate with anyone before, i couldn't have gotten pregnant and therefore i could never have had a miscarriage. I had already accepted that i could be, or could have been, sick. It was much easier to accept than the loss of a child.
I shook my head to get rid of the thought and emptied my glass. It was no use to think about it. It was over now. I placed the glass in the sink to wash later. I walked back into the livingroom as quietly as i could and stopped. I glanced at Sonic for a few moments before turning back to the hallway and walking upstairs to try and sleep again.
The next morning Sonic left not to long after breakfast. He knew it wouldn't take long before Tails came back home and he needed to be there before he arrived. Rouge, on the other hand, didn't come back. Not even when the sun began to set again. She only returned the next day and told me that she thought tha ti would be spending time with Sonic and that she therefore could spend some quality time with Knuckles without having to worry about me. i accepted her excuse for now. I didn't feel like thinking any more about it than i should.
Another two weeks had passed by, meaning that a month had passed since the incident. I tried to remind myself of it, but i found it difficult not to. So far everything was fine. Carthoff said so. I was even allowed to search for a new job. I had to. The Commander had fired me after i was forced to stay at him for almost two months. That damn jackass. Firing me when it's not even my fault that i had to stay at home for so long. Rouge was trying to get me my job back, but her attempts were all in vain so far.
I was walking down the streets with a white bag in my left hand. I was just on my way home from the grocery. A path through the park served as a shortcut. When i passed a bench, i couldn't help myself and sat down. The bench was, just like it's environment, wet from the rain, but that didn't matter to me. I didn't know why i stopped. It was just a nice place to be able to think things over. With the bad weather, it was quiet in the park, making it the perfect place to think.
The sound of wings coming my way reached my ears and i looked up into the direction of where it was coming from. Rouge was approaching, which was odd seeing as she was supposed to be at work at this time of the day.
"Rouge? What're you doing here?" I asked and watched her land in front of me. "I was searching for you." Rouge said between pants. Apparently she had been searching for me for quite a while and with quite some speed aswell. "I searching for me? What did i do wrong this time?" I asked with a sigh. "It's not you this time. It's about G.U.N. I've talked to the Commander and i've convinced him to give you your job back." Rouge said with a smile. She was obviously proud that she was able to help me after not being able to do anything when i was still sick.
"I have my job back?" I asked. "Yes, aren't you gratefull?" Rouge asked. I stood up from the bench and turned to her. "Of course i am. Thank you." I said. I felt gratefull. I really did. Even though i wasn't so good at showing it. Fortunatly, Rouge knew this and winked at me. "No problem, mr. Sunshine." She said and smiled. "The Commander expects you next week on monday. If you don't show up, then you'll lose your job permanently." She said.
With a stroke from her wings, she lifted herself up from the ground again and stayed put in the sky above my head. "So don't come to work late, okay?" Rouge said before flying off. Probably to go back to work since her break had already ended an hour or two ago. The Commander would not appreciate it if he were to find out that Rouge had left in the middle of her shift.
I sighed and sat back down on the park bench, the bag of groceries resting on the ground after i had placed it there. I knew i should be happy seeing as i don't have to search for a new job anymore, but i coulnd't help but feel bit idssapointed. I needed that job, but it wasn't like i liked doing it. I wouldn't mind searching for a diffirent job, but would they even hire me if i didn't have any sort of degree. I wasn't an idiot, i was raised by a family full of scientists after all, but i was never allowed to go to school. And because of that i didn't have a diploma. I was lucky that G.U.N even thought of hiring me as one of their agents. But that didn't help the dissapointment that i felt.
After a while of thinking to myself, i decided that it was time to go home. So i pushed myself up from the bench and resumed my journey home. It wasn't a long walk, which was one of the reason why i could afford myself to spent some time on that bench.
I arrived back at the house that Rouge and i shared and made my way inside. I quickly went to the kitchen and made sure that the groceries were put away before sitting down on the couch with my knees against my chest. I had nothing else to do, so i watch tv for now. All i could do was wait for monday to come and i could finally go back to work after sitting on my ass for nearly two months.
After three days monday finally came. I was finally able to go back to work. I got looks and whispers behind my back here and there, but Rouge helped me ignore them. I wasn't allowed to do any missions yet, but i didn't mind. The office job was only temporarily.
I had just finished the report that Rouge had asked me to make for her after she and Omega had returned from a mission. I was walking down the hallway. I was on my way to the Commander's office to hand the report over to him, but i had to make a small detour to the restroom. I hadn't gone ever since yesterday evening and i didn't feel like straining my bladder in anyway possible. So i quickly decided to take a small trip to the bathroom.
It wasn't easy going to the restroom. Because i'm an hermaphrodite i could go to both the ladies' restroom and the men's restroom just like all male and female hermaphrodites, that was supposed to be an advantage, but with a society like this one, that could be quite difficult. So i had no other choice and used the men's bathroom.
It wasn't long after relieving myself that i noticed that something was wrong. My hand placed on one of the sinks as i used it to support myself with it. My other hand went to my lower belly and rested on top of it. It ached again. It had only been a month since i was rid of the aching, but they were back. I looked down at my hand in concern. According to Carthoff i had been sick. Was i sick again?
The door of the restroom opened and i quickly lowered my hand before anyone started to question me about it. "Shadow, there you are. I thought we were supposed to meet up at the Commander's office? He told me you haven't come by his office yet." Rouge said as she approached me. She didn't give a damn that this was the men's restroom. "Ah right. I just had another bussiness to attend to before going." I answered and covered up my shock and concern as i left this room. Rouge could feel that something was wrong, but just shrugged it off as she thought it was because this was my first day back at work.
"Is something wrong, agent Shadow?" The Commander asked when he noticed the absent look in my eyes. He had been talking to me about something after i had delivered him the report, but i can't remember what. I was to busy thinking about the aches that i had felt before and i ended up sinking to deep in my thoughts.
"Huh? Nothing's wrong, sir." I answered once i noticed that he was talking to me. The Commander didn't seem to believe me, but he didn't talk any more about it. "I see. I was talking to you about doing your first mission a week or so. Carthoff told me to be carefull with you, but that doesn't mean i can't send you on easy mission." He said. A mission that soon? I should be glad that my office job wouldn't have to take so long, but with the aching cramps in my stomache? I don't know if i would even get that far if anyone would find out about them.
The Commander had nothing more to say to me, so he quickly dismissed me afterwards. I was glad. Now i finally had my break. I could leave this base and relax a bit aslong as i returned in two hours. Or that had been my original plan, but unfortunatly, just like most things in my life, things just didn't go the way they were supposed to go.
I was walking past a room when i was suddenly pulled inside, the door locking right after me. I growled at the human soldier that had such a tight grip around my arm. "What do you want?! Why did you lock the door?!" I demanded an answer, but the human just smirked at me. I recognized him. He was one of the many poeple who was convinced that i was a whore instead of sick. Just the mere thought of this piece of information send chills down my spine.
Out of nowhere he tackled me against a table. The attack came out of nowhere and i didn't have the time to react. I had barely gotten away. The soldier wasn't pleased with it. He tried to tackle me again, but i avoided it. This time he had seen it coming. Before i turned around, he took his gun and hit the back of my head with it. I groaned and placed my hand on the spot. The soldier took my other wrist and handcuffed it to one of the legs.
"Damn! What is it that you want with me!" I growled. "What do you think i want. I want what so many other men have already gotten from you." He said. I gasped in indignation at his comment. What so many other men have already gotten from me? I was still a virgin for Chaos' sake!
My short trance had given him the time he need to turn me around and force me to bend down on the table. His lower body was preventing me from escaping. Not that it was going to make me submit to this egotistical man.
I growled and looked at him over my shoulder. "How dare you even think that i would do something like this!" I yelled in anger. I wasn't going to take all of his insults. And i wasn't planning on taking his dick either. The sound of zipping was heard. "Don't you dare put that in me! Put it in me and i'll neuter you!" I yelled and formed a Chaos Spear in my left hand, the hand that wasn't cuffed to the table.
The soldier swallowed and felt sweat run down his forehead as he felt scared for his crotch. But his fear was short lived when my Chaos attack suddenly vanished. "What the..." I said and stared at my hand. The soldier suddenly grabbed my quills as he wanted to slam my head against the table. I made his plan backfire and instead slammed my head against his head. He screamed in pain and let go of me.
"You damn bastard!" I yelled and turned to him as he kneeled on the ground with his hands up to his face. I placed a foot on the table before tearing the handcuffs off of my wrist with one hard tug. The soldier looked up to me with his eyes wide in fear. I growled. This guy attempted to rape me. I was not going to let him go that easily. "I may not be able to use my Chaos energy for some reason, but that doesn't mean i can't make you pay." I told the human. He was growing more scared by the second.
"No! Please! Don't kill me!" He pleaded like the pathetic being he was. I growled and my eyes narrowed. I felt like ripping his throat out, but i couldn't do that. I would get in trouble and that wasn't something i could afford at the moment. I had to come up with an alternative.
Unfortunatly, i didn't get that far. We were interupted by a door opening and a third person joining us. It was Sonic. He stood there and watched us in surprise. He was probably misinterpreting what he was seeing.
"Is everything alright here?" Sonic asked. The soldier quickly made a run for it and escaped the room in panic and fear. I hmpfed and crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Are you okay? Did that guy try to hurt you?" Sonic asked in concern. "I'm fine." I answered. I didn't feel like talking. So i made myself over to the door. I came to a sudden stop and held myself up against the wall. I placed my hand on my belly again. Another painfull cramp. This one more painfull than the last.
I gasped and winced as the pain became a few times sharper. Sonic noticed quickly. "Shadow? Are you okay?" He asked. He approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm fine." I lied. I wasn't fine. I was far from fine. But i couldn't show him. I didn't want to show him. I didn't want to show it to anyone. It would only bring me more trouble.
I sighed. I was relieved when the pain slowly dissapated once more. I knew that i should probably go to Carthoff with this, but if i were to stay at home again, i would lose my job permanently.
"Are you okay?" Sonic asked again once he saw me visibly relax. His hand had never left my shoulder. "Yeah, i'm fine." I panted lightly and left the room.
Sonic's POV
I watched him walk away. The door closed behind him, leaving me alone in the room. "Fine?" I muttered to myself. Shadow obviously did not look fine. He looked like he was in pain. Did that guy from before hurt him? Or was it something else? Well, it was to late to ask him now. And i don't think he would tell me the truth either.
I walked out of the room and down the hallway. The reason i was here wasn't to pay a friendly visit to the base. I was here for Shadow. Not for him personally, but for something that might concern him. That i had interupted him and the soldier in the middle of something was pure coincidence. I heard alot of noise coming from this room and i had to see what was going on. So i ended up running into Shadow and that G.U.N soldier. I had no idea what those to were doing, but Shadow looked like he was about to kill that guy. I guess it was a good thing that i interupted the two of them. But that wasn't my concern at the moment. Atleast, not yet. I could worry over it when i was done here. My reason for being here was for something else.
The last time i was in this base, i was close to discovering something. But the Commander had interrupted me before i could. I had wanted to go back, but it was never the right moment. I wanted to wait a bit. That way the Commander wouldn't suspect anything when i returned. Going back earlier would've been a mistake.
I walked out of the room and watched Shadow turn the corner before walking in the other direction. I had to get back to that underground laboratory. But for that i needed to find that elevator. If i remembered it correctly, than it shouldn't be to far from where i am right now. As i suspected, the elevator was just a few hallways and staircases away. I took the elevator and went to the lowest floor.
When the elevator arrived, i left it after it opened for me. I walked down the hallways untill i reached the door to the new wing. This door needed a password. Last time i was here, i was lucky. These new doors were malfunctioning a bit. Sometimes they wouldn't close up by themselves and that's what had allowed me to press on last time.
This time i wasn't so lucky. But it wouldn't slow me down for long. I came prepared this time around. I pressed the right number on the keypad and the door opened. These past few weeks i had been trying to figure out what the passwords were to these doors. Tails had helped me. Well, he did inbetween complaints of how i was obsessed with Shadow after the incident. I know that he was worried. Even i didn't know why i had developed this sudden 'attachment' i had towards Shadow. Maybe because i witnessed the whole thing happening.
I walked out into the dark hallway that laid before me. The light turned on as the motion sensors detected my presence. No alarm had gone off so far. Did they even have security in this part of the base? I thought that would be necessary seeing as this is the place they could possibly be keeping their experiments. I wanted to open each of these doors and see if there was still anybody in here or if Shadow was the last experiment they ever made, but i came here with diffirent intentions.
I stood back in front of the door from a few weeks earlier. I got inside using the code that i and Tails had cracked and walked inside. Geez, for a hightech military base, G.U.N was pretty easily infiltrated. I ignored the matter for now and concentrated on why i was really here.
At first glance i didn't see what i was looking for, but after some searching i found this micrwave-like device that was used to keep all sorts of stuff cold. I opened it and was reliefed to find what i was looking for.
Shadow's POV
"What do you mean it came back?!" Rouge yelled in shock upon hearing the news that i was suffering from those stomache aches again. "It's like i told you. Those damn cramps have returned for no apparent reason." I sighed. A hand was placed on my stomache as i had just experienced another cramp. "What do we do now?" Rouge asked and looked at me as if i had all the answers. I shrugged and lowered my head a little. I didn't know what to do about this.
"You should go back to Carthoff!" She stated. "I can't!" I immediatly protested. "Why not?! You should go to her and get some help!" She tried to reason, but i wasn't going to listen. "Because i will lose my job if i have to stay at home again! I can't afford that!" I said. "Why can't you? Is your job really more important than your health?" She asked in disbelieve. "It is when i survive nearly everything!" I growled.
Rouge was surprised. At first she didn't know what to say, so she stayed silent for a while. I had stopped growling. Because of her silence, i believed that i had won this little discussion and huffed before leaving the room.
"If you can survive nearly everything.... Then why are you sick again?" She said, her words making me halt in the way. She had me stumped. But the worst part was, she was right. It was only a month since that tumor from before was taken out of me, it shouldn't have come back this quickly. "Shadow?" Rouge muttered softly. I walked on into the hallway and out through the front door. I wanted to clear my mind with the help of a walk.
Hours had passed by. It was around 5 pm when our shift in G.U.N was over, but it was close to midnight now. I had stayed away for almost 5 hours and i hadn't even noticed that much time had passed by. It was deffinetly time that i returned home. I turned around to head home, but the sound of my cellphone stopped me.
I took the small device from my trenchcoat and looked at the display. It was Rouge. "Rouge? Why is she calling me?" I thought out loud before picking up and placing it against my ear. "Yes?" I simply said. "Shadow? You've been gone for quite a while. Do you mind coming home right now? I need to talk to you." Rouge said. I mentally sighed before answering. "Sure, i'll be right there." I said before hanging up and walking home. I didn't feel like Chaos Controlling home.
After a while i saw the house that i shared with my friend appear up ahead. As i got closer, i noticed that Rouge was waiting outside. She was sitting on the doorstep in front of the front door. I quickly approached her and stopped in front of her. Rouge noticed that i had returned and stood up.
"Sonic called. He was looking for you. It sounded quite urgent." Rouge said. She seemed a bit concerned. I guess that whatever Sonic had to talk to me about really was urgent. "Come on. Sonic has been waiting for quite a while." The white bat said as she took a few steps past me before stretching her wings and flying away. I watched her go for a moment or two before walking into the direction of the cobalt's house.
After a short walk, we arrived at Sonic's house. I didn't see why i had to be here, but if Sonic had to talk to me, than who was i to deny him that? I walked up on the porch and knocked on the door as Rouge landed not to far behind him. The door was quickly thrown open to reveal a slightly impatient Sonic and a concerned Tails standing behind him.
"Come in. We were starting to get worried that you might not even bother to come." Sonic said and stepped aside. Rouge and i walked inside and made our way into the livingroom. After closing the front door again, the two inhabitents of this house followed us into the other room. "Now, tell me what was so urgent that you needed to tell me." I said as Sonic passed me and walked out through the back door, probably to get to Tails' workshop for some reason. I mentally sighed as i was being ignored.
A moment or two passed before he returned. He was holding a tray with something on it. I didn't know what, but the way he was handling it made it seem important. "What is that?" I asked and watched the tray with suspicion. Neither one of the mobians made a move to answer. The silence making me a bit ticked off. Whatever the hell it was, it was important and they were hiding it from me.
"What is it, Sonic?" I pressed on. Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but not a single word rolled over his tongue. "Sonic...." I said. Tails was getting more uncomfortable by the second. "We have to tell him." He muttered over to his caretaker. "Tell me what?!" I asked. With one last look at the tray, Sonic turned back to me and said "You're pregnant."
