Soul Eater but it's Sonic

Chapter 54

Approximately 52 years before the kishin's reawakening.

A human named Maria examined the shoreline of her home without stepping onto the beach. Doing so would only bring sand into her shoes, an annoyance that far outweighed the experience of viewing such a mundane sight up close. All she needed was something peaceful to look at while she pondered the many questions lingering inside her mind. Once that was done, she'd move through the island's forest.

The island housing the ARK facility was experiencing mild, pleasant weather as it had the day prior. And the day before that. And just about every day that Maria could remember. Although she knew that this was the result of one of ARK's many functions, and a necessity for her survival, it didn't fail to wear on her over time. Temperature management, air filtration and others that she couldn't quite recall, all seemed to be antagonizing her now. Natural rainfall was one of the few changes in weather that weren't erased completely. She welcomed those gloomy days that were unfortunately rare.

Seeing how the conditions outside were tediously pleasant, Maria decided on going back inside. She found one of ARK's entrance doors; it easily let her inside. Entering the underground facility caused her to discover the distant sound of a piano playing. She proceeded down various hallways towards the music until reaching the proper door. Once it slid aside, the notes easily escaped at a higher volume. An antique piano restored to the finest working condition was off at the other side of the room. It's sizable frame was covered in polished ebony plating. The person playing it was a hedgehog named Shadow.

"I think we might actually be family," Maria announced.

Shadow didn't stop playing, but did lower the volume of his keystrokes. "We're already family,"

"I mean we're like brother and sister. Sort of,"

"We're already like brother and sister. Sort of," Shadow reiterated.

Maria groaned. "We're MORE like brother and sister," She broadcast her additional thoughts after moving closer. "I've been thinking about Grandpa. He always said I'm his granddaughter, but he won't ever talk about my parents. No photos or anything. It always made me sad, but now I'm thinking I was made in this place too,"

"Does it matter?" Shadow replied flatly.

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'does it matter?'"

"If you knew for certain that you were made here, would anything about your life change?"

Maria crossed her arms and thought. "Well, it would mean I'm not a normal person, I'm a weirdo that was made in a tube,"

"Like me?"

Maria suddenly felt guilty. "I didn't mean it like that,"

"I'll bet," Shadow seemed more amused than offended.

"Shadow!" Maria tugged at a cluster of his quills. His head tilted gently to one side while his playing continued. "You know what I meant,"

"I'm not sure I do know what you mean,"

Maria only responded by tugging at his quills further. Shadow refocused the conversation.

"Didn't you make a big deal about us being family 'no matter what' when we were younger?"

"Yup!" She recalled fondly.

"And now you're saying we're family since we were both born here. Which is it? You're undermining the sentiment by saying both,"

Now she looked quite phased. "N-no I'm not!"

Shadow stopped playing, and appeared completely unconvinced. Maria continued.