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It was a quiet day; the sun was cresting the horizon, painting the land below it in a soft golden shine, the shattered moon creeping out of sight, leaving behind cotton candy-colored clouds, and birds singing their songs in the canopy above.
After the shenanigans of Eggman attacking the village for the nth time this week, Shadow had found a rare moment of quiet to himself.
It wouldn’t last very long, a few hours at most. As he, Rogue, and Omega were called for a mission that G.U.N wanted them to do, Team Dark was a catastrophe, barely toeing the edge of trustworthy. However, they were a force to be reckoned with, and they worked incredibly well together - but alas, he was free. Either until he ran out of time, or until his schedule got filled with missions from G.U.N. Since he was in an area targeted by Badniks.
Anyway, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do for the time being.
His air shoes ignite with the energy poured into them, hovering just an inch off the ground as he propels himself forward. The wind brushes through ebony quills, his body pushes past air resistance, and he speeds through the paths.
His inhibitor rings crackle with suppressed chaos energy, pushing past anyone unfortunate enough to be in his way, often leaving disgruntled Mobians on their butts in the wake of dust and dirt that he kicks up behind him. Smooth, flawless movements allow him to skate fast, pushing himself to his limits to expel his energy, to do a few loops around Greenhill.
Until he catches sight of a familiar face ways along the path.
Off to the side, sitting on the bench surrounded by oak, was a rabbit with her accompanying Chao. However, Shadow’s keen senses caught a third lifeform - light gray, with speckles of white dotting the fur, and lighter socks that mismatched between darker and lighter grays - it was a cat.
A cat lying off to the side, purring against Cream’s side as her hand pets through the fur, green eyes opening as the cat lifts its head to rest against Cream's knee, letting out a mewl as it stretches before settling once more.
No. It was a kitten, to be more precise.
As he drew closer, his skating slowed. The chaos energy fizzled out from his air shoes, enough flooding out until his feet planted firmly against the paved ground and he was walking. He knew Cream would have called out for him if he sped past, and he didn’t want to ignore her, so he settled on standing a bit off to the side, indifferent to everything around him. He keeps his distance, plenty enough to not glaringly stick out.
Shadow observes as Cream pets along the cat’s back, Cheese bouncing and floating around her head and the kitten’s body, letting chirps fall from its mouth.
Frankly, he wonders what Cream was doing out here. So far from her house, her mother surely must be concerned about her well-being. Perhaps Vanilla had not noticed her daughter was out of her sight. It just seemed unlike her, Shadow thinks, as he harrumphs and pressed gloved fingers against the bridge of his nose.
Uncertain on just what to do - if he should go up to her, or go the other direction - a pit remains deep in Shadow’s stomach. He knew Cream looked up to him and that she would have been excited if he had walked over to her. He knew she shouldn't be so alone out here, but he had things to do in a few hours.
Unfortunately, his decision was made for him, and as Cream looks his way, they lock eyes, and a smile spreads across her face. It was bright and happy and something that made an ache spread through his body because she was so glad to see him, he who had his hands stained with blood. He barely indulges those thoughts before her hand raises into the air, enthusiastically waving at him and patting the seat next to her, jostling the Chao that was busy trying to pet the cat. Cheese lets out a squeak before hovering around Cream's head.
"Hi, Mr. Shadow!" His keen hearing picks up on Cream's voice, "Come meet our new friend!"
Cheese chirps alongside Cream, and Shadow narrows his eyes. Frankly, he thinks that this is silly, to get involved with a child with an overexcited Chao, but alas, he gives in to her invitation and makes his way over. Those green eyes lay sight on him as the kitten looked at him, freezing him on the spot.
He quickly gets over it, continuing his pace as he approaches Cream. She smiles up at him, and Shadow glances at the cat before looking at her. A look must've befallen on his face because Cream suddenly looked worried, those big, brown doleful eyes staring at him, with her creased frown and furrowed brows. She clutches her Chao closer, Cheese mimicking her sad look, and Shadow briefly feels his heart being squeezed.
"What are you doing out here?" He instead asks, "It's quite dangerous."
With all the attacks going on recently, Eggman must have been getting more and more fed up with Sonic's whole hero thing, thus increasing the severity and quantity of robots attempting to destroy the village. If he is concerned, he doesn't mention it, instead; he levels Cream with an indifferent stare, masking the guilt trickling into his mind.
Cream looks down at the cat, a thoughtful expression crossing her face as Shadow waits patiently for a provided answer. She eventually let Cheese out of her grip as she turned her attention solely onto the ground, as if the blades of grass with all the bugs and dirt were more interesting than anything else in the world. Shadow catches onto this whole guilt thing and knows that she did something dangerous. Did something that would've endangered her, the Chao, and the cat's lives.
Great. Just great.
"Well," Cream begins, "There was this super bad, evil robot yesterday!"
Ah, when Eggman was attacking the village. That explains it.
"And when I saw this kitten being bullied by the mean robot... I knew I had to do something! Because Mr. Sonic wasn't there, I thought I could be like him and save the day!"
Shadow was going to murder Sonic.
"But..." Cream pauses, looking him in the eyes. "I wanted to be like you more."
That... Okay, that makes him freeze, Cream, wanting to be like him? The Ultimate Lifeform was just that, a weapon made to win wars, given cruel sentience, given a soul similar to that of a human child. Maria. His fists squeeze, divots made in white pristine gloves as he straightens his back, leveling Cream with an unreactive expression, demeanor barely changing as he lets out a sigh.
"That was a dangerous thing to do." Shadow settles on.
"I know."
Again, Cream’s head lowered, and the Chao hovered around her, letting out anxious squeaks as Cream sniffled, about to pet the cat before a singular, darker gray paw, smacked the Chao right in the face. Cheese is suddenly staggering back with a squeal, sent right into Shadow's chest, who freezes in place as pink wings get caught in his fur.
"Oh, no! Mr. Shadow, I'm so sorry!"
"It's alright." He gruffly responds, nudging Cheese off of him with gentle hands, freeing the Chao that goes back to hovering around Cream.
Shadow is as rigid as a block of wood right now, as Cream looks at him, looks at Cheese and the cat before she draws her gaze back to him - and lets out soft, muffled giggles. Her hand pressed against her mouth and her eyes sparking with genuine glee. Cheese, unbothered and unharmed, let out happy trills alongside Cream.
The ebony hedgehog lets out a sigh, tension leaving his body as red eyes soften at the scene in front of him, expression lifting into something that resembled a vague smile.
"Mr. Shadow?" Cream's voice snaps him out of whatever stupor he was in.
He blinks, realizes she has seen all of that, and prepares himself for a lot of questioning. Cream's hand lays stationary against the kitten's fur. Shadow cannot help the urge he has to pet the animal. He inhales. Exhales. Cream's eyes widened as she looked directly at him, the cat beginning to bat at her hand, prompting her to resume her pets. The devotion that seeped into his brain, something that was pure, good, would not leave, and he was left with remnants of fondness fogging up his mind.
"Yes?"
"Do you like cats, Mr. Shadow?"
The question rings inside his head like a bell, a tolling that won’t stop as Cream asks the unexpected question. Does he like cats? It doesn't stop, and he flounders for something to say, instead of standing there like a fool. He feels his back go rigid in place as he stumbles through his words.
Does he like cats?
That vulnerability snaps away in an instant. Inhale. Exhale.
He crosses his arms, scoffing, trying to play off her observation skills as much as he could without completely being taken off-guard once again. Especially like that.
"No, I'm not a cat person." He says.
"Oh. Well, that's okay!" Cream responds, a knowing smile on her face. "I just thought you might, since you seem like one!"
That makes Shadow wish the ground would swallow him up, suffocate him, and kill him. If he could disappear right now, or be called on that mission by G.U.N and Team Dark, or he'd even take Sonic right now wishing to race him and get into a fight with his rival. He'd take anything, anything, to move out of the observant eyes that Cream had. She saw through him. She was seeing through him right now, she could see all his hideousness - all his imperfections, all the things that make him something other than The Ultimate Lifeform.
"I am the Ultimate Lifeform. I hold no affection towards small animals."
He does though. He does, and that's terrifying.
The cat chooses its next victim, bounding off of the bench and leaving Cream and Cheese confused as the small animal walks towards Shadow. He doesn't notice until his fur meets the kitten's. It was rubbing against his leg and it jolts him out of his thoughts; the shock was jarring enough to make him feel as if he was plunged into freezing, cold water.
He felt the reverberations of that purr vibrate against his leg, something in his brain betraying him as he stood there, mortified because Cream was watching this all. It was soothing to him. The Ultimate Lifeform was not someone who could just be soothed by a cat, of all things, a delicate, defenseless animal that, apparently, Badniks had bullied. He was seriously going to kill that damn doctor if he showed his face around Shadow, for targeting a kitten and having a child watch.
He doesn't know how to react; he realizes. It comes as a shock, maybe because there are eyes on him, but he stands there like a fool, not knowing what to do.
"Go on, Mr. Shadow. You should pet it!" Cream's nudging gets a hold of him.
He lets out an acknowledging grunt, followed by a shallow nod before he lowers himself to a knee. The cat's green, vibrant eyes lock with his own ruby eyes. His heart rate increases, the purr grows, and he slowly, mechanically moves as if he were built like a robot - and pets the cat.
It's awkward, it's barely anything. He struggles to pet the thing and Shadow is speechless. Yet, the kitten presses against his hand, into his touch, jolting him.
Not knowing what to do, and feeling a new sense of helplessness flood into his chest, he pushes through and uses gentle hands to brush through soft fur. Gentle was not something that came to Shadow easily, but he's found he’s steadily had to get more and more used to it. This gentleness was unnatural, fake, and Shadow didn't know what he was supposed to do with all of this change.
The cat lets out a meow, butting its head against Shadow's hand, setting his brain into a pleasant buzz as the purring increases in intensity.
Out of his peripherals, Shadow sees the rabbit hold her Chao, leaning forward as she looks right through him before that gaze lands right back on the cat that purrs beneath his touch. Cream's expression pulls into a softer one, a gentle smile on her face, wide, innocent eyes locking with his own.
"I think the kitty likes you."
The Chao let out a trill of agreement, doing a flip in the air as Shadow wonders if this tiny animal truly does like him.
He closes his eyes, lowering his head with a grunt.
"Hardly." He says.
Cream lets out a giggle, kicking her legs on the bench as she watches the tender moment unraveling in front of her. She tilts her head to the side; her smile growing brighter with every passing moment, and she catches on to the mask that Shadow had been putting on because he can't let himself grow soft with a kitten. But, alas, it was impossible.
He's always been a cat guy.
"There's no doubt about it though, Mr. Shadow!"
Her voice, high and sweet, fills the silence as he understands she has already caught onto his general appreciation for smaller animals, especially cats. Because his personality is cool, calm, and closed off; cats have always seemed to like him, and his soul similar to that of a 12-year-old girl betrays him.
He sighs. There was no winning with a child that could see through you.
So, he stays there, kneeling in the grass, with a cat purring by his side, drinking up all bouts of affection that Shadow hardly hands out nowadays. And that was enough of an answer to Cream as it was to himself - he liked cats, and cats liked him. Her shoes planted against the terrain as she stood up from the roughened, weathered wood beneath her, and she approached the ebony hedgehog. Cheese's small, rounded hand clutched in the rabbit's as they both walked toward him.
Shadow looks up, confusion just barely dawning on his face before he watches Cream crouch down next to him, sitting cross-legged in the grass. Cheese ends up sitting on her head; laying between two floppy ears, with rounded, faded yellow arms outstretching across the rabbit's head.
"You should sit down, Mr. Shadow! Sitting like that isn't good for your knees," Cream says, her point not invalid. "Besides, the kitty must want to lie down!"
Shadow lets out a hum, letting his body sink onto the ground, the kitten meowing with a stretch, before pressing its head against his knee and trotting over to Cream when she pats the grass to call it over. Shadow watches, silent, unmoving, as Cream now holds the cat in her arms, brown eyes softening as she looks at him. He remains quiet and waits for Cream to say what is on her mind.
"Mr. Shadow, do you want me to teach you how to pet and hold a cat?" Cream asks, "Not saying that you aren't good at it! But petting a kitty like this one is more than what people think!"
Her words were confusing, and untrue for such a simple task, but he didn't have the heart to correct her.
"Sure." He settles on.
Cream's smile makes it all worthwhile.
"Great!" The rabbit nudges the cat over, "First, you start with petting her!" Her. Okay. "They like to be pet around the head, like between the ears, their chin, and their cheeks usually!"
As emphasis for Cream's words, her hand hovers around the cat's face before gently scratching behind the ears. The kitten purrs, rubbing against the rabbit's hand as her mewls spill out of her maws. Cream was so genuinely happy Shadow would have felt bad if he interrupted.
Cream's explanations and directions were simple, and he knew she was smart, but it was being explained to him as if petting a kitten was otherworldly.
However, there's a certain innocent charm to her teachings, like it was a knowledge so profound, so unknown, to know how to pet a cat; even though it was incredibly simple. At most, it could be dumbed down into a few short, simple sentences. Whatever. He merely lets out a grunt to acknowledge what she has said thus far.
"They also like to be pet near the tail!"
Shadow listens attentively, watches as her gloves meet the back of the spine - just before the tail - and sees as the kitten's back raises, pushing into her hold as Cream giggles and looks at the hedgehog to see if he is following along. He offers a brisk nod. It seemed to satiate the rabbit, so he considered that a win.
The Chao floats away from Cream's head, drawing her attention as Cheese floats off to pick out a pale yellow flower, something that looks like a buttercup, and offers it to the kitten.
The cat, sniffing the flower and the Chao holding it out, plainly ignores it. Cheese deflates, before attempting to pet the kitten much like Cream was explaining, only for the cat to bat it away. Then, the small animal makes its way back to Shadow, lying against his leg and playfully rolling on its back - playing with a fallen leaf - those wide, green eyes fixated on the leaf.
It reminded him of someone.
It reminds him of Sonic. They shared a similar personality, too. The kitten was expelling boundless energy, a hyper fur ball of an animal, with those same eyes holding such trust that Shadow would say that it sickens him. Sonic looked at him that way too. Like Shadow was somebody he could trust.
He sighs, already getting a headache from the sheer implications of all that meant.
Cream giggles, drawing him out of his thoughts, much to his relief. He doesn't need to think of that blue hedgehog right now. He was supposed to be hanging out with Cream and Cheese. When did this turn from awkwardly standing off to the side to a hangout? Cream has always seemed to drag him out of his plans. He had to congratulate the rabbit for her sheer determination to get him to show some resemblance to being a social creature. It'd never happen.
"She really likes you, Shadow!"
He harrumphs.
"Perhaps she does. Did you give her a name?" He doesn't know why he's asking that now, of all things. "I trust you have good names."
Cream pauses, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She enthusiastically nods her head, ears flopping and disturbing Cheese, who nearly got bumped.
"Yes! Her name is Brie!" Cream says, her gaze on Cheese. "So me, Brie, and Cheese can be good friends!"
He nods along, slowly tuning out Cream's rambles about friendship.
Suddenly, it was like he was thrust back onto the ARK. His fists clench, and his eyes widen. He was overlooking the Earth again - his promise to Maria repeating in his head, etched into his bones, into his lifeblood - to save the Earth and make the inhabitants happy. He realizes Maria was missing this, missing the soft wind brushing through golden blonde locks, those blue eyes catching the sun, happiness, and glee shining through.
She was missing the fur beneath her hand. As the rabbit pets the cat - named Brie. Cream should have taught her things, she should've been able to see this. But she wasn't here.
Maria is gone, and it left an empty cavern in Shadow's heart. Like his being was missing a part of him, as he realizes Maria would have loved Cream and Cheese and Brie. How she would've loved Sonic, Rouge, and everyone on this forsaken planet.
"What do you think Earth is like Shadow?" Maria asks, and he can hear her voice so clearly.
Maria might've never seen a cat in her life, but Shadow knows, knows that if he liked cats, so would Maria. But she was gone. And it was all on him. Because Maria still would be alive—breathing, smiling—if Shadow the Hedgehog never existed.
He clenches his teeth until he thinks that they'll break. And oh, if he could go back, he would for anything.
Shadow doesn't notice the cat moving back towards him, trotting away from Cream and Cheese. He doesn't notice that small weight, fragile, defenseless, helpless, leaning against him once again. At one point, he's sure he has worried Cream because the rabbit's widened eyes focus on his own. She leans over, placing a gloved paw on his knee to jostle him out of his thoughts.
He flinches back, watching as her hand recoils. He blinks, the droning in his ears clearing out and he can finally hear her words.
"-adow? Mr. Shadow? Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm alright."
His answer clearly didn't settle right with Cream. As the rabbit's eyes softened, her expression pulled into a taut frown. He takes in a deep, shuddering breath, letting his nerves unwind and allowing himself to relax back to his usual indifference. Absentmindedly, he pets along Brie's back, soothed by the incessant purring that vibrated through the kitten's small body.
His gaze locks onto Brie, watching her lean into his touch.
"You know... I've always loved animals." Cream begins out of the blue.
He looks at her, a frown deepening as he grunts, prompting her to continue as he continues to pet the cat.
"They're really sweet, and I think lots of people don't realize how great they are."
Cream's words are soft and pure. Cheese hovers near her head, the rabbit and the Chao clutching onto one another like they were the only ones left in this big, big world.
Shadow only nods.
"I think the best thing about cats is that big, tough guys like you, Mr. Shadow, can find comfort in them!" Cream says.
It makes him pause. However, he only snorts, rolling his shoulders as he ponders her words. Cats were great. He'd agree with that any day.
"So... Mr. Shadow... Me and my mom and Cheese would need lots and lots of help with this kitty! Mom says we can't keep Brie, because I've already got Cheese with me! So..." She locks her eyes with his own. "Would you wanna take care of Brie until the kitty goes to heaven? She already likes you!"
Cream sighs. "It's okay if not though, I get heroes like you have super duper important things to do!"
Shadow grunts, mildly perturbed by the mention of heaven.
"I do not take interest in such trivial things," He says, ignoring how her expression makes his heart clench. "And I am not a hero. I am an anti-hero, Cream. I am sure you will take good care of Brie until she gets a good home."
"Oh, okay! Anti-hero? Is that why you kick Mr. Sonic all the time?"
"Precisely."
Though his words were a pure denial of adopting Brie, Shadow has yet to stop petting the cat. He did not have enough time to care for an animal such as Brie, a helpless creature dependent on what, and when you feed it, Shadow was just too busy. Often, his missions ate up his whole day. Other times, he was too busy battling it out with Sonic or going out with Omega and Rouge for smaller events.
A cat would be fine, he muses the thought, but a kitten he could not properly care for.
Cream was about to say something else. However, both his and her ears swivel upon hearing a distant voice calling Cream's name. The rabbit smiles fondly, turning her gaze back to the hedgehog as Shadow straightens his back.
"I have to go now, Mr. Shadow. I'll tell my mom that you said 'hi'!"
He nods.
"You can have my seat, though! I'll come back later for Brie! Please don't leave her all alone, it's supposed to get cold!"
"I promise I will not leave the cat alone, Cream." He sighs. "Take care. I'll bring Brie over to your house if I were to run out of time."
"Oh? Are you going on one of your super cool missions that you do!? You'll have to tell me all about it later, Shadow!" Cream smiles. "I should go now. Bye-bye, Mr. Shadow! It was nice seeing you again!!"
"Goodbye."
Cream waves her hand enthusiastically as she runs toward her house. Her Chao lets out a trill of surprise at her dashing away, pink wings fluttering frantically as Cheese flies around her head once again. Shadow huffs, eyes closing as his mouth pulls into a smile, the events of the past hour finally taking a chance to settle in his brain. He would bring the kitten back to Vanilla's house later, as he would prefer for Brie to not tag along on a mission, and he knew he was likely going to stay over for tea, or something, since Vanilla was much too welcoming to Shadow.
He snorts, crossing his arms as he makes his way over to the bench. The silence was loud. However, he no longer felt so alone, as the kitten races over to the bench as well; and as he sits down on the rough, worn wood, the gray blur of fur leaps up onto the seat as well.
Instead of sitting beside him, Brie jumps smoothly into his lap, startling the hedgehog. The cat curled up, and Shadow found he did not have the heart to correct its position or push it off onto the bench. Instead, he allows it to stay there.
He... didn't expect a lap full of cat today. Shadow was not good at this whole animal thing. But maybe, just maybe, this could be the one exception he makes for a few hours, allowing the peace to settle nicely into his mind, the faint purrs filling the quiet, and Shadow just letting life sink in.
And if anyone saw this rare moment of tranquility? He'd shut them up.
So, with a ghost of a smile on his face, and a cat purring in his lap, he allows himself to just experience it. No stress. No fighting gods. Just him.
He and the cat.
Shadow has always liked cats.