「 light in the darkness. 」

≻ . flowers

The night air was cold and the cave did little to shelter the two hedgehogs from it, but to save Light from shivering, Shadow built a fire for her to keep warm by. He was used to the cold, but she certainly wasn't and it was difficult to hear his own thoughts over the sound of her teeth chattering.

'Maybe she'd be happier hanging with Amy and Sonic. It'd save me looking after her.'

Light, who was curled up by the fire, had her quills ruffled by shifting around so much. Shadow figured it was due to the cold.

"N-No, please—"

His ear flickered at the sound of her voice. She was whimpering, but still fast asleep. He straightened up, watching as she turned over. Her expression had been content, but he could see it was almost one of discomfort, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Walking over, Shadow crouched down and placed his hand upon her shoulder. Shaking her gently, he spoke, "Light. Wake up."

A gasp was heard, the female shooting upwards as she scooted back, hands swatting as if in attempt to escape an attack.

"Stop. It's me," Shadow told her, grabbing her wrists to stop the incoming blow aimed for his face, Light's eyes focusing on him now.

"S-Shadow?"

"I'm here. It was a dream."

The male's had his fair share of nightmares, which was typically why he avoided sleep where he could. They could be intense, so it was a good thing he was always alone during them. But now that she was here..

"He was gonna hurt us. The machines got me and you were hurt. Sonic and Amy too. No one was left to help us."

Sniffling, Light tried to smooth out the tremors in her voice. She was afraid and clearly upset. Shadow was far from the best person to provide any means of comfort, but he wasn't going to scold her for being so upset.

"Like I said, it was a dream. I'm right here, so are you, and the other two are just fine."

Standing, Shadow extended his hand to her.

"Come with me. No more tears."

He figured the idea that had come to mind would work to calm her, so the moment she'd accepted his hand, he guided her to her feet and then tugged her to the exit of the cave.

"Where—.. where are we going?"

"Quiet. Let me show you."

The darker hedgehog led the female a small distance from the cave. The moon over their heads poured light down on the clearing and through the gaps in the trees.

Light shivered at the chill of the night air, whilst Shadow seemed unaffected. However, her watery eyes gazed at the darkened scenery around them. Earth was beautiful, even under a blanket of darkness.

"Here," Shadow spoke, releasing her hand in favour of folding his arms over his chest.

Using the back of her hand to dry her eyes, the female's gaze fell to what Shadow had brought her to which immediately brought her to her knees to look closer.

More flowers, though they seemed to glow beneath the moonlight; the petals were blue, their pointed tips purple. It was a beautiful sight and the breeze carried the scent of them to her nose.

"Pretty.."

"I can't deal with you crying all the time, so whenever you're upset, come out here to these flowers. We'll make sure these ones aren't trampled."

A smile found its way on Light's face as she looked up at Shadow, nodding her head.

"Come back in when you're ready. Take all the time you—"

"Wait—"

Light stood, reaching out to grab onto Shadow's arm to prevent him from leaving just yet. Naturally, it earned a frown, but her grip was gentle and barely there at all.

"When Sonic saved Amy, she put her arms around him. Is this the way to say thank you?"

"Yes. But I don't need one."

Shadow gently pulled her hand away, then turned back towards the cave.

"Look at the flowers."