The Ruby Eyes of Affection

Maria's protection

  Shadows eyes shot open as he awoke in a familiar place. Everything in his living room was neat and organized besides himself. The ebony hedgehog blinked as he noticed it was just a nightmare. Wiping the tears from his face, he moved his body from the contortion position he woke up in.


"Man... that was intense". He whispered with his ruby eyes glimmering against the daylight of the morning sun.


Shadow quickly turned on the television as he threw his body off the couch and placed the pillow that lied on his face exactly where it belonged. He flipped through the stations before finding the news, the commentator started reciting the latest broadcast.


"Good Morning Mobius, it is now 7:00 am and police are still struggling to locate the whereabouts of the criminal Dr. Ivo Robotnik, who disappeared roughly last Friday. He is most notably known for directing machines to destroy valuable parts of our police and government force. If you have any information regarding his location you have been asked to call the number listed below." The newscaster nodded before switching to commercial break.


(Did the Dr. really decide to give up? That isn't like him. He must have something up his sleeve. Never mind that, didn't I come home around 6 pm, did I really sleep that much? I usually sleep a max of 5 hours a night. I can already tell this is going to be a weird day.) He contemplated while walking through the living room into the beautifully crafted kitchen with marble counter tops and turbo-stove.


"Anything in particular you want for breakfast, Maria? I happen to be absolutely starving." He looked over at a picture frame hanging on the wall right above him. A girl in her early teens was standing next to her grandfather. Her golden hair and blue eyes were beaming, almost embracing Shadow with a shroud of comfort.


"I think we will have to make do with scrambled eggs, I'm in no shape to travel to the market". He declared with a short snicker while gently cracking eggs into a large bowl.


As he mixed all the ingredients together he thought of the voice from his nightmare. It sounded somewhat familiar. However he didn't know any young children, at least not well enough for him to remember their voices.

(Hmm... I'm sure it's nothing... it was just a bad dream, right? But why would a child's voice fuel such a horrifying sense of feebleness.) Shadow thought as he poured the egg solution into a pan.


"Hay Maria, do you think a demon is following me or something?" Shadow asked the picture as he folded the partially cooked eggs on the stove.


"If so, it must be awful at finding people because I'm already corrupted as it is." He proclaimed loudly with a grin on his face and a single laugh.


"I kind of wish I knew more what you sounded like. You probably have a beautiful singing voice based on your picture. I must say you really must have taught me to appreciate music by how much I love it. Speaking of which, I need to call the boss and ask him when my next project is due. Jingles don't write themselves you know." He glanced at the calendar and sighed when he realized it had no more information then he already knew.


"Man, if people see me like this, they will think I'm crazy. Not that I care about what other people think, but still. I really wonder if my feelings are even accurate or if this is some elaborate scheme." His voice was drowned out by the sound of the sizzling eggs.


"They're all I have so I guess I have no choice but to accept them as fact. I know you died because of me, but that's where my memories start and end and even that memory is sometimes fuzzy." He averred frustratingly before looking at the young girl closely.


"Did you save me from my nightmare, Maria?" He inquired sweetly while a smile of affection creeped onto his face.


"You always seem to come when I need you most, even though you're no longer here..." Shadow whispered as he turned off the burner.


The house was again very silent except for the occasional chirping of the birds or ticking of the clock.
His smiling face turned to a frown as he put the eggs on two separate plates, making sure they were completely equal.


"Enjoy the food, my only true friend." He uttered with a quick nod.


He sat one plate as close to the picture as possible and took the other to the dining room next to the kitchen. He began eating slowly thinking about all that happened yesterday. Sonic had been acting very odd. He went from being laid back to almost being clingy and the more they communicated the more desperate and forceful the blue hedgehog became. Shadow glanced out the window and watched the birds fly from tree to tree grabbing sticks with their little beaks.

(Maybe it's best for us to separate completely. All we do is fight, after all.) He thought as he let out a shy sigh, but every part of his body was telling him 'NO'.

Why?

Why did Sonic have such a large impact on his feelings and actions? It shouldn't be that way right? He and the cobalt hedgehog weren't even really friends at best they were acquaintances at worst enemies.

(That feeling I get around him... What does it mean? Hell, I'm not even sure what feeling it is. Lust? Far from it, I never wanted to do anything sexual to him. Hate? If so why would I day dream of him on a daily basis. I mean if I really loathed him I could just eliminate him from my life completely. Jealousy? Maybe a little. He is always getting constant attention and love from practically everyone. Who wouldn't be a little jealous of that? Still, that doesn't feel quite right. His eyes froze as he noticed the only word that felt remotely right was affection...?) A knock interrupted Shadow's thought process as he finished the last of his eggs before roaring at the door.


"Just a minute! I need to clean up something!" He declared as he rushed into the kitchen to clean his dish and place Maria's in the fridge.


Finally, he strolled over to the front door to see who was visiting him so early in the morning. Opening the door, he felt a tad uneasy. Whoever was standing behind the door was not in a good mood and he could tell just from the aura of the area.


"May I ask who is visiting me on this fine morning?" Shadow requested with a polite tone.


"Your worst nightmare...!" Shouted a familiar voice.