Youth ~ Sonadow High School Fanfic

Part 21: If I Hold You In My Heart

~Shadow's P.O.V~

"Shadow, get up," Sonic sat down on the bed next to Shadow, who was just starting to get up.
"Why?" He propped himself up with one elbow, staring up at Sonic.
"Don't try that with me, you aren't sleeping all day," Sonic chuckled a little even as he said that.
"But I'd have a bigger opportunity of sleeping with you~" Shadow smirked as he saw Sonic's face glow bright red.
"Maybe tonight," The small hedgehog got up and walked over to the window, looking outside. "My stomach has been hurting a ton lately, I have no clue why."
"Well, it has been 3 months, just wait. You're gonna have to go to the hospital soon if it starts hurting too much," Shadow sat up, pulling back his quills.
"Yea, and we wouldn't be able to handle that whole process on our own," Sonic whimpered a little at the thought. Shadow sighed, getting up and walking over to Sonic.
"You really don't need to worry about it, you're gonna be fine," He held the other hedgehog's hand lightly, and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, softly.
Sonic smiled, looking up to Shadow. "I'll take your word for it." The small hedgehog perked himself a little, pulling Shadow back down to kiss him on the lips as soft as he could, which only made it better.
Bzzzz... Shadow's ears perked a little when he heard that sound. He leapt over to his backpack when he heard it again, and pulled his phone out. He growled a little when he saw Gerald was calling him. He decided to go ahead and answer, Gerald never called him so it had to be something important.
"Hey, Dad," Shadow hated using that term to talk to him, but he felt like he had to.
"Sorry to bother you, Shadow," Gerald's voice was very shaky, which actually made Shadow concerned. "I'll need you to come over to the house as fast as you can."
"Why? Is there something wrong?"
"It involves Maria." Shadow already felt tears in his eyes.
"...I'll be over there in a few minutes." He hung up, pulling some clothes out of his backpack and slipping them on. He put his phone in his pocket, he didn't want to leave it in his backpack because it would get tangled in everything and be impossible to get out.
"Who was that?" Sonic had a touch of worry in his voice.
"Gerald."
"What did he want?"
"I don't want to explain it, really."
"Oh... Sorry, I guess I was kind of intruding there..."
"No, it's fine, Sonic." Shadow walked over and kissed the other hedgehog on the forehead. "For right now, I have to go."
"What?! Where?"
"My old house. I don't have much more to explain, Sonic, it's her that I'm worried about right now." Sonic's ears fell as Shadow walked out the room. The black hedgehog hated leaving the other alone, but he was forced to, he knew this was a personal problem and he didn't want anyone else to be involved if it was bad enough Gerald had to call him.
His phone buzzed again, and he looked at it, seeing Gerald had texted him. The only thing he said was, "If you want to find us, I'm Maria's room. Please hurry." Shadow shut his phone off, shoving it in his pocket and bolting out the door without telling anyone else where he was going, or why.

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Shadow glared a little when he reached his house. He sighed, stepping up on the porch and opening the door; it was never locked anyways. He shut it behind him and ran upstairs to Maria's room. The door was open a little, but he felt he should knock anyways. Gerald opened the door for him.
"It's good that you're here, Shadow," He had tears rolling down his face. Shadow almost instantly knew something had happened to Maria if it made Gerald cry that hard.
"Shadow...?" His heart snapped into pieces when he heard Maria's voice. She sounded like she was in a lot of pain. Shadow pushed past Gerald and walked over to Maria's bed, falling to his knees next to her. She lifted her small hand, and Shadow didn't hesitate to take it in his own.
"...What happened?" Shadow looked back to Gerald. His voice cracked as he tried to talk.
"It's a virus," The man tried to keep his voice steady, but tears were rolling down his cheeks so fast it seemed so hard. "It's taking me and Maria both. She managed to survive the concert with it, but now she's too weak to do much of anything. I've tried to help her, I really have, but I'm afraid it's no use." Tears crawled down Shadow's cheeks as he looked back to Maria.
"This might be the last time you'll see me, Shadow," Maria's eyes were becoming a bit blurry and pale, which only made Shadow cry more.
"Maria... Y-you can't go... You can't leave me here!" Shadow shut his eyes tightly as he tried to force those tears back, it almost seemed impossible when the closest person to him in his life was being taken right in front of him.
"You'll be fine without me," Maria smiled, but it almost seemed forced. "You can still be happy, you have that blue hedgehog, he is your true family. You really have no reason to worry about me."
"Yes I do, Maria," Shadow tried to hold back his urge to shout his pain. "You're the closest thing to me in my life, and you're the only sibling I've ever had. I don't want you to go, you can't, it's not your time..."
"I'm sorry, Shadow, I can't keep you happy forever," Maria's eyes closed halfway as the life was draining from her faster by the second as she tried to talk. "But you can keep other people happy. Nobody needs to fear you, you can be their friend. You were the best friend I had, and I'm sorry this happened so suddenly." Maria paused for a moment. "Remember what we talked about when we were younger? When I told you what would happen if I was ever lost?"
Shadow opened his eyes, looking up to her. It was hard for him to think at the moment.
Maria smiled, her face brightening a little. "Promise me, Shadow, if today I am lost, you can still remember me..."
Shadow recalled the words he added after she said that so many years ago, and he finished her sentence. "...If I hold you in my heart." He whimpered a little as his chest started to hurt from the pain in his heart.
Maria's face grew even more pale. "Thank you..." Her eyes closed a little more. "I'll never forget you."
"Maria, please, don't leave now!" Maria's eyes had already fully closed, which only made Shadow cry harder. Gerald walked over to him, putting one hand on his shoulder. Shadow looked up to him, trying to stop tears from rolling down his face.
"She's in a better place now, Shadow," Gerald didn't even admit how hard he had been crying when he said that, which only made Shadow even more upset. He slapped Gerald's hand away from him.
"DON'T touch me EVER AGAIN!" He yelled, racing out of the room and out the door, heading straight for Sonic's house.