I'll Be There

I'll Be There- Part Twelve

Sonic and Silver happily dragged their older brother's hands, enthusiastically leading him into their backyard. Once the three hedgehogs walked outside, Shadow was greeted by a loud "SURPRISE!" He looked around to see all of his friends and family smiling at him. Knuckles and Rouge were sounding party blowers, and his parents were popping champagne bottles filled with confetti. Shadow was more than confused at this incident. 'What are they doing?' He thought to himself in a shocked matter. 2-year-old Silver the Hedgehog jumped in front of Shadow with a beaming smile. "We made this party for you so that you can feel happy!" He said, sweetly. Shadow was still stunned. "But... why?" He asked, at a loss of words. "Because-", 5-year-old Knuckles the Echidna cut in, "We couldn't stand seeing you so upset all of the time! We just wanted to see you happy again!" Sonic nodded at his best friend. "But-" Sonic said to Shadow, "this wasn't our idea!" Shadow looked at his younger brother in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked. This caused Sonic to lower his eyes and smile. "Well...", he said in a softer tone. "This all wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for a certain treasure hunter I know." Shadow's eyes widened at that comment. 'Rouge?' He thought to himself. He looked around his backyard to to find the ivory bat, then saw her sitting on top of a new motorcycle that Shadow's parents had gotten him. Rouge felt her cheeks burn as she watched the black hedgehog walk up to her. "Hi!" She said to him, successfully masking her embarrassment. "Enjoying the party?" Shadow looked at the new motorcycle, then back at Rouge, expressionless. "Why... did you throw this party for me?" He questioned. Unexpectedly, Rouge's cheeks turned bright red at that comment. "Well..." she began, trying to sound as casual as she could. "I couldn't stand seeing you so upset. And when you said there was nothing anyone could do to help you feel better, I was determined to at least help you shed one more smile." She looked away from Shadow, still blushing madly. "But..." she continued. "I understand that this party is not your thing. I was so stupid for even thinking-" Shadow cleared his throat to interrupt the bat from continuing the conversation any further."I see..." he said, Rouge now looking at him. "Thank you for this", he continued. "It's nice to know that I have someone who cares about me." Rouge looked into the black hedgehog's eyes, giving him a small smile. "You're welcome, hon", she replied.