I'll Be There

I'll Be There- Part Thirteen

It was now sunset, and Shadow had been casually hanging out with his brothers and friends. Although he was still upset and unable to smile, the pain in his heart was gradually beginning to decrease. Shadow enjoyed that feeling for a change, for it was so much better than fully drowning in misery. He stood there, staring at the ground. Not because he was grieving over Maria's death, but because he was thinking of something to do to thank Rouge for what she's done for him.
Meanwhile, Rouge was sitting on top of the roof of the house, smiling at the sky, which had turned into beautiful shades of orange and pink. She was so happy to see that Shadow was at least out of his room and somewhat enjoying himself. Realizing that her plot had worked, Rouge took a deep breath in. 'I'm so glad to see him smiling again', she thought. 'I hope he gets well soon...' Right as that thought had finished, she heard footsteps on the roof, causing her to gasp and turn around. Much to her happiness and surprise, she saw Shadow standing there, smiling at her. Rouge immediately smiled back and ran to hug him. "Hi, Shadow!" She said with a smile. "I hope you enjoyed the party!" Shadow smirked in reply his best friend. "Well, it was definitely something nice for a change", he said in a harsh tone. Rouge smiled at Shadow. "Hey", she said, lowering her eyes. "Do you want to take one last ride on your new motorcycle before the sun goes down?" Shadow looked at the sky. It was beautiful; a shade of purplish pink had replaced its original blue shade, and the sun looked like a big, orange ball about to fall into the ground. Shadow looked at Rouge, who had hopeful eyes, and a small, genuine smile appeared on his face. "Fine", he told the bat. "But this is the only time!" Shadow grabbed Rouge's hand as the two of them quickly ran over to the motorcycle and sat on it. "You ready?" Shadow asked in a soft tone. Rouge smiled. "I'm ready as I'll ever be", she replied, her eyes lowering. She tightly wrapped her arms around Shadow's stomach as the motorcycle tore through the beautiful little town of Christmas Island. Today had been one of the best days of Rouge's life. She had finally been able to get her best friend to smile. She knew that Shadow wasn't fully healed, nor would he ever be. But the time she was spending with him now were the best moments of her life, and she was going to enjoy them to the fullest. She looked Shadow in the eyes once more as he rode through the town, and her grip on him tightened. 'This is the best day of my life', she thought to herself, still staring at Shadow. 'I'm never going to forget this moment.'