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Two months passed since Rouge left the envelope on Shadow’s bed. He never said anything about it to her. But he did start going out Tuesday and Thursday evening of every week. When she asked about it, he said he just had some “unfinished business” to deal with. She knew exactly what that meant.
Rouge hadn’t noticed any significant changes in the hedgehog’s behavior. He still fled whenever they got too close, even if he did stick around a few seconds longer than before. That was something she didn’t expect to change for a good long while. Still, she missed being able to talk with him in any meaningful way. These days, it seemed their conversations were limited to work and general small talk that fizzled out within five minutes.
That all changed late one night when Rouge heard the same shuffling outside her door she’d grown accustomed to. This time, however, the shuffling was followed by a knock and the turning of the knob. Almost immediately, Rouge sat up in bed and pulled the string for her bedside lamp. There, standing beneath the door frame, illuminated by nothing but the distant glow of the light, was Shadow.
Rouge couldn’t quite make out the expression on his face but, just from the scattered look of his quills, she could tell what had happened. Still, she wanted him to confirm it in his own words. Especially since he never came to her room afterward.
“Bad dream?”
Shadow was quiet for a moment. Eventually, a low sigh escaped his lips. “It was about you.”
Rouge, still half asleep, didn’t quite know how to respond. She had her own suspicions about what he dreamt about—Maria, Professor Gerald, the Ark, the Black Arms, G.U.N—but, somehow, it never once crossed her mind that he would’ve dreamt about her. Now that she knew, Rouge wanted to slap herself for not considering that sooner. After all, despite how distant they’d been as of late, she was still one of the hedgehog’s closest friends.
Intrigued, Rouge patted the empty space on the bed beside her. “Tell me more.”
A heavy silence consumed the bedroom as Shadow slowly stumbled over to the edge of the bed, opposite the bat, anxiously awaiting his next words. He slumped onto the mattress, his face turned away from hers. At long last, he took a few deep breaths and relayed the information as best he could.
“I was standing in the middle of the city, but it wasn’t the same. Flames engulfed everything. Armed G.U.N. soldiers surrounded me on all sides. They even turned Omega against me. The whole time, I wanted to scream. To tell them that I wasn’t responsible for whatever the hell had happened. But my mouth just stayed shut, no matter how hard I tried.
“Right when Omega was about to fire, you burst through the line of troops and flew right in front of me. You planted your feet firmly on the ground. Your wings and arms were spread out, like a shield. I couldn’t make out your face before they blew us up.”
Shadow suddenly turned to look at the bat, who was hanging on his every word. “If I didn’t know any better, I could’ve sworn you winked at me.”
“That sounds like something I’d do.” Rouge gave her friend a knowing smirk.
Shadow seemed puzzled. “What? The wink?”
“Well, kinda!” she said, giggling slightly.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a smile briefly pass the hedgehog’s face before immediately fading. He didn’t say much after that. He looked away but continued to sit on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. Rouge was conflicted. She was tempted to give him space like she usually did. Still, knowing that he went through the extra effort of coming to her directly, Rouge felt obligated to do more.
So, after taking a few deep breaths of her own, Rouge rolled over slightly and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Seriously, Shadow, even if everyone else in the world were to turn on you, I will always remain by your side. Remember that.”
She suddenly felt the touch of his hand on her own, causing her heart to skip a beat.
“I won’t.” the hedgehog said quietly.
The two sat in silence for a few moments more until Shadow decided to return to his room. From that moment forward, he started to be more open with the bat. Just as he had been in the past.