^^
|ββββ ΰ¨ΰ§ ββββ|
Shadow tensed, his gaze flickering to Y/n, who was still lying on the workbench. "Y/n?" he called, his voice firm but expectant.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times before focusing on him. "Shadow? Why the face?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
Shadow narrowed his eyes. Had it actually worked?
"And where were we? Weren't we just in the forest?" Y/n continued, sitting up.
Shadow stiffened. It worked?
"Waitβyou remember the forest?" he asked, needing confirmation.
Eggman scoffed. "Tch. Of course she does! What kind of amateur do you think I am? That was a small question, ask something better, you dimwit."
Shadow shot Eggman an irritated glare but ignored his comment. He turned back to Y/n. "What's the last thing you remember?"
Y/n furrowed her brows in thought before her eyes lit up. "Your words," she said softly. "You're not just a machine. You're more than that."
Shadow's chest tightened.
It worked.
He kept his expression neutral, but deep down, relief flooded through him. He had been prepared for failure, but somehow, Eggman had actually done something useful for once.
"Ahem," Eggman cleared his throat loudly, breaking Shadow's thoughts. "I believe this is the part where you say thank you, oh mighty Ultimate Lifeform."
Shadow huffed, crossing his arms. "Hmph. Thanks." The gratitude was reluctant, but it was there.
Eggman rolled his eyes. "Charming as ever."
Without wasting another second, Shadow reached for Y/n's hand and led her out of the lab. She followed without hesitation, though confusion lingered in her expression.
Once they were far enough away, Y/n glanced up at him. "What was that all about?"
Shadow didn't answer immediately. He kept walking, his grip on her hand firm but not forceful. Finally, after a moment, he spoke. "You're going to have to act the way you did before."
Y/n blinked. "Before?"
"Before you started remembering," Shadow clarified. "Before Tails erased your memories. They'll be watching you closely, and if they suspect anything, they'll try to undo what we just did."
Y/n frowned. "So... you want me to pretend I don't remember everything?"
"Exactly."
She sighed. "That's going to be hard. I barely even know what I was like before."
Shadow glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "Then we'll figure it out. Together."
Y/n stared at him for a moment before a small smile crossed her lips. "Alright, Shadow. I trust you."
Shadow didn't respond, but the way his grip on her hand tightened slightly said enough.
They weren't done yet. Not even close.
The town was oddly quiet when Shadow and Y/n arrived. Normally, it was bustling with movement, but it didn't take much guessing to figure out where everyone was. The beach, like always.
Shadow wasn't concerned about them, though. Instead, he decided to pay Blaze a visit.
That plan, however, proved unnecessary.
Before he could even take another step, Blaze had already spotted him.
"So, how'd it go?" she asked, arms crossed as she eyed Y/n beside him.
"Good. She remembers again," Shadow replied simply. "Had help from Eggman."
Blaze's golden eyes widened. "Waitβyou're telling me Eggman actually helped you? Without some sort of trap attached?"
"Tch. I was just as surprised," Shadow muttered. "But he did what I needed."
Blaze turned to Y/n, still slightly wary. "Wait... does she remember me?"
Y/n tilted her head for a second, processing the question. A few seconds later, her software kicked in, pulling up stored data.
"Blaze the Cat," she said, looking directly at her. "Yes, I remember you. I remember our hangout together."
Blaze relaxed slightly at that, the corners of her mouth twitching into a small smile. "That's good to hear."
Then, her expression turned serious again. "Listen, put her back with Tails," she said firmly. "I'll explain things to him, but I won't expose you."
Shadow studied her for a moment, as if gauging whether he could trust her with this. After a second, he gave her a curt nod. "Thanks."
With that, he turned and walked away
with Y/n by his side.
As they made their way through the quiet streets, Y/n couldn't help but let her thoughts wander.
Did I finally achieve my goal?
She glanced at Shadow. His face remained its usual neutral expression, but she had spent enough time with him to notice the subtle changesβthe way his posture wasn't as tense, how his pace matched hers instead of making her keep up, and, most importantly, how he was talking more.
Shadow had always been closed off, grumpy, and unwilling to say more than necessary. But now... it felt different.
Did I finally make the grumpy hedgehog talk more?
Did I actually make him feel comfortable?
She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling she was getting close.
When they arrived at Tails' workshop, Shadow stopped a few feet away from the entrance, glancing down at Y/n. "You ready for this?"
Y/n hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. But... if something goes wrongβ"
"It won't," Shadow interrupted firmly. "Just act the same as before. Blaze will handle the rest."
Y/n exhaled, steeling herself.
Together, they stepped inside.
Tails was already inside, working on some gadgets at his desk.
When he heard the door open, he turned, his eyes immediately landing on Y/n. His expression was a mixture of relief and confusion.
"Y/n?" Tails called, setting his tools down and walking over. "Where have youβ" He froze, noticing Shadow behind her. His expression darkened slightly. "Shadow...?"
Shadow crossed his arms. "I brought her back."
Tails frowned, suspicious. "And why should I believe you didn't tamper with her?"
Blaze suddenly stepped in behind them. "Because I was the one who told him to bring her back," she stated. "And I'll explain everything."
Tails looked between her and Y/n, clearly conflicted. "...Fine," he sighed. He turned to Y/n. "Do you feel okay?"
Y/n smiled at him. "I feel perfectly fine, Tails."
Tails still looked uncertain, but he nodded. "Alright. Let's run some tests to make sure everything's in order."
As Y/n followed him deeper into the workshop, Shadow lingered near the entrance, watching.
Blaze stood next to him, lowering her voice. "This is the best shot you've got. If anything goes wrong, we'll figure it out."
Shadow exhaled through his nose. "It won't go wrong."
Blaze smirked slightly. "You really do care about her, don't you?"
Shadow shot her a look. "Tch. Stay out of it, Blaze."
Blaze only chuckled as they both watched Y/n interact with Tails.
For now, everything was going according to plan.
You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net