「 light in the darkness. 」

≻ . dream

There was a beam of light.

For as far as her eyes could see, darkness consumed her surroundings except for the lone stream of light flooding in. She wasn't sure where she was, nor had she the courage to bring herself to move. There were whispers that brushed past her ear, causing her to shudder.

'It's your fault this happened.'

It wasn't the words that caused the heavy sinking feeling in her chest,  but who the voice belonged to certainly did.  It was his voice. Shadow.

"I don't understand.. what have I done?" Her voice was soft, almost too quiet to hit even her own ears. She was unsure what he'd meant and that drew her forwards, slowly, carefully, the light providing her a path to follow.

'You killed me, Light. You let this happen.'

"I don't know what you mean.. Shadow? Is that you?"

'Not Shadow.. something else..'

There was a flash, blinding the purple hedgehog for a moment before her eyes adjusted to the suddenly lit area. It seemed empty.. just four plain walls, a floor, roof... and then her vision became focused enough for her to register the blood splattred upon the walls and soaking the floor. She gasped, eyes wide with fear. It willed her backwards, but her feet felt heavy, the bottoms glued to the floor.

"Where are you? You're scaring me.."

'At your feet, stupid hedgehog..'

And so, her gaze fell and so did her heart. Her eyes, blurred with tears, stared at the form laid before her. Shadow, stiff and lifeless, blood soaked through his fur. His heart wasn't beating, his body held no life and yet she could still hear his voice,

'Your fault.. your fault.. '

---

Light's eyes shot open wide, a loud gasp sounding from her as she jerked awake. Her blankets were twisted all around her torso from her tossing and turning. Her shoulders heaved as she panted heavily - anyone'd think she just ran a mile.

It was only a dream..

Only able to release a feeble whimper, Light wiped her tears with the back of her hand as she slipped out of bed, barefeet meeting the cold surface of her bedroom floor. The contact with the floor and the cold air had her shiver, arms wrapping around herself as she slowly exited her room. She knew where she was going, where her instincts were taking her, despite her mind screaming for her to turn back.

Shadow had fallen asleep on her sofa. They'd fought over Shadow's wounds before Light ran off to her room in tears; he'd only risen his voice in order to have her drop the issue. Sending her to her room upset hadn't been his intentions. No doubt he'd been in too much pain to take himself back to the cave he isolated himself in and therefore fell asleep angry and annoyed, which was the cause for Light's hesitation.

She paused when she found him still in place, only able to see thanks to the faint, pale light from the moon seeping in through the window. His wounds seemed to be closed, no thanks to her but to his healing factor. His fur was still bloodstained and he was bruised, but he was asleep. Or at least, he had been until his ears flickered at the sound of Light choking on sobs in a poor attempt to keep quiet.

"Light?"

His voice was hoarse, eyes only half open. He had always been a light sleeper so he woke easily, yet still suffered slight tiredness once awake.

The lack of response from the female had Shadow frown, even more so once he acknowledged the fact she was crying. He could make a safe bet as to why she was so upset..

Sighing, the male shifted in the slightest, creating room beside him big enough for the other hedgehog to lay with him as he extended his hand towards her, "Come here.."

Light, while initially shocked at the invitation, immediately accepted the hand and slowly settled herself down beside him.

"What was it?" He asked, tugging her closer to him. His arm wrapped around her, hand stroking her quills in attempt to calm her. "Tell me what happened.."

The female buried her face against his chest, taking deep breaths to help herself settle down.  As she spoke, her voice trembled, face pressed into him completely, "It was horrible.. you were dead and it was all my fault. I am so sorry.. "

"Do not apologize for stupid things," Shadow asked after a moment of silence to process what she'd said, his hand rubbing circles on her back. "I'm right here. I'm alive. It was a dream and no more than that."

His words did help her to calm, even just slightly.  As she slowly pulled back to look up at him, she sniffed back her tears. The way he looked down at her felt.. different. It wasn't out of pity or annoyance, but there laid something genuine behind his eyes. She was uncertain whether it was concern or guilt, but she knew that her own guilt was clearly laced within her voice, "I didn't mean to wake you.. I-I was going to leave you alone when I saw you sleeping.."

"Well, i'm glad you woke me.. I can't have you upset all night. Now.." Trailing off, Shadow adjusted Light's sweater in order to help her keep warm. Then, he laid a kiss upon her temple, lingering for a beat before continuing, "I apologize for upsetting you earlier. It is clear to me that I am the cause of this dream of yours.. I will make up for it in time but for now.. you need your rest."

Earning a nod from the purple one and a faint smile, Shadow allowed her head to return beneath his chin, eyes closing as she nuzzled into his chest. It was unlikely that he would fall back asleep, but he held no intentions to move now that he had Light wrapped up in his arms. It took a while, but her breathing did slow and that, along with her loosened grip on him, told Shadow that she'd fallen asleep once again.

Certain she was asleep, Shadow looked down at her. She seemed peaceful which caused relief to wash away some of his concern.

"Sleep well, my Light.."

Resting his chin atop her head once again, the dark hedgehog frowned.

Trouble was coming.