FOR YOUR HEART-BOOM

☆Ch27

The next day, Sonic's friends waited until the lunch hour for Sonic to potentially return, but it did not happen and Sticks scoffed while crossing her arms, as she sat by a table in the cake shop with the others.
"I knew Shadow can't be trusted!" she groaned in displeasure.
"Maybe they're just relaxing somewhere?" Tails tried to ease the situation with a hopeful theory.
"We can look for them, just to make sure," Amy suggested and put a piece of strawberry pie to her mouth before munching it. Sticks looked at them all back and forth, hesitating for a moment before nodding to herself in a final decision.
"I know where Shadow lives," she let the words out hastily before she could stop herself and then saw the three mobians glance at her.
"How do you know?" Tails asked curiously.
"From the stormy night, when Sonic and I were casted out by the villagers. I invited Sonic over to my place, where we had some conversation and I then got an idea to ask Shadow for help. Thennn, I sorta dragged Sonic out and forced him to lead the way to Shadow's place and that's how I got to know," she explained the best she could.
"So, that's why Shadow joined us then? I am surprised, that he even agreed with that," Amy admitted in utter amazement, because the dark hedgehog was usually closed off and did not see any of them in friendly terms. Until now, that is, when he spent the little time with them, even if still rather sitting in distance from everyone. He was still present there and maybe it meant, that he was trying to socialize with them. He also kinda has no other choice, if he truly wants to be with Sonic. He will have to get used to the others being around as well, whether he likes it or not.
"To me, he seems to be an introvert, like Kit," Tails stated while finishing his own slice of pie.
"You're right, these two surely have something in common," Amy nodded in agreement.
"Should we go now?" Knuckles suddenly jolted up, wanting to already see, what happened to their blue-furred friend.
"Oh sure, come on!" Sticks stood up as well, Tails and Amy following suit, as they all headed towards Shadow's cave with Sticks leading the way.

About an hour later, the gang arrived to the cave, Sticks climbed up on the top of it, while the others took a look around out of curiousness.
"Hm, they still don't seem to be here," Sticks stated as she looked inside through the two ceiling windows and found a completely empty place, it seemed untouched since Sticks checked it last time.
"I never thought of Shadow living in a cave actually," Amy rubbed her chin thoughtfully, definitely having a different imagination about Shadow's lifestyle.
"If they aren't here, then where else?" Knuckles asked after checking the wide area surrounding the cave and finding none of the hedgehogs.
"Another theory I got is, that maybe Eggman got in their way," Tails frowned upon such thought getting to the front of his mind, the others agreed with him.
"True! We should check that omelette," Sticks hit her palm with her fist in determination.
"Yeah, just... don't do anything violent right away, okay?" Tails gently patted her shoulder, which she rolled her eyes at.
"Don't worry, I am not planning to do that, unless it'd be necessary," she reassured him and the other two before the gang finally started heading towards Eggman's lair.

~•~

The ebony hedgehog woke up in an unknown room this morning, his body recovered a bit from the energy loss during the night, yet he felt still very tired, along with getting a terrible headache. Orbot and Cubot brought him breakfast along with some painkillers and glass of water earlier. Shadow was mostly non-responsive towards the robots and despite feeling hungry he did not touch the food, nor the pills, as he kept sitting on the bed with his knees close to his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs and his chin resting on top of his knees. He stared blankly at one spot of the boringly silver and empty metallic wall of the room, his mind wandering to the events of the previous day. The way he lied to Sonic only to lure him to Lyric's base and get him trapped. Eventually also basically killed. The way he forced the smile on his face while watching the poor innocent, oblivious hero trusting him enough to just do anything he told him to do. The guilt weight was nearly unbearable right now, releasing a deep sigh he growled under his breath and looking down at his exceptionally bare feet he let first tear fall on one of them. He wanted to take the time back and stand up against Lyric like the strong, tough lifeform he was. But the promise of Maria being possibly brought back to life was stronger and thus he carried out every Lyric's wish only to reach his goal. And it was all for nothing, because Lyric double-crossed him, betrayed him and made him watch another person, he dearly loved, dying right in front of him. Again being trapped in a 'capsule', again helplessly trying to get out, again failing to save his loved one. The history so harshly repeated itself for him and all he could now do was just praying, that Sonic isn't truly dead.