Work Text:
Restoration HQ:
“Man, that was a tough work session, who’s up for lunch?” Asked Sonic as he walked into the break room with Tangle and Whisper following behind him.
“You read my mind!” Said Tangle excitedly.
“I could use a little break…” Said Whisper quietly.
“Oh, hey guys.” Said Jewel as she mixed her cup of coffee.
“Hey, Jewel. We did what we could with clean up, there’s still more than enough work for everyone to take part in. I just wish you sent us on that mission instead of Tails and Amy.” Said Sonic with his arms crossed.
“I split up the work as best as I could, we’re already short handed and there’s plenty of people still on missions. The Chaotix and members of the Restoration are doing their best to help, but we can only do so much.” Said Jewel as Sonic rubbed the back of his head with a guilty look.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Jewel. I didn’t mean anything by that.” Said Sonic apologetically as an awkward silence passed.
“Come on, guys, we managed to recover from the Metal Virus. We’re gonna get through this too, even if we’re still a little short handed.” Said Tangle, trying to cheer everyone up.
“Yeah, your right Tangle. The best we can do is look towards the future.” Said Sonic with a smile as he walked over to the refrigerator.
“Now if you ladies don’t mind, I have a date with a chili dog.” Said Sonic as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a chili dog wrapped in plastic.
Zap!
“I brought more coffee beans.” Shadow teleported into the room with chaos control.
“AAAAHHHH-!!” Screamed everyone in unison as Jewel dropped her coffee and sonic dropped his chili dog.
“Don’t DO THAT, SHADOW!” Yelled Sonic in irritation as Shadow ignored him and looked around the room with a bag of green coffee beans in his hand.
“... Where is she?”
“Where’s who?” Asked Sonic.
“Lanolin, we have coffee during lunch once a week. Where is she?”
Another awkward silence passed as Shadow continued to look around in confusion and slight irritation.
“She’s not here anymore, are you even aware of what happened a few days ago?” Asked Jewel as Shadow shot her a puzzled look.
“... No?”
“Wait, seriously?! With all the chaos and destruction involving Clutch and Cleansweep AND A GIANT CARRIER CRASHING INTO THE TOWN, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!? What do you think all that debris outside is from?!” Asked a shocked and bamboozled Tangle as Shadow stood there and stared at her with a blank expression.
“I don’t keep up with current news. But none of this answers my question, where is Lanolin?”
“Oh, well, you see after everything that happened. With Clutch, Mimic, and the recent disaster… She blames herself for what happened and saw herself as being unfit for the Diamond Cutters. Mimic The Octopus infiltrated the Restoration and the Diamond Cutters as a fake persona named Duo. He tricked Lanolin and helped Clutch frame Sonic. After all that, Lanolin just told us she wasn’t worthy of being in the Diamond Cutters anymore, so she left.” Explained Jewel with everyone in the room developing saddened expressions.
Shadow simply stared at Jewel as his eyes widened in shock.
“Where did she go?” Asked Shadow.
“She went back to her hometown, Riverside. I think she said something about staying with her mom. But that’s all we know.” Explained Whisper.
“Very well, you’ve all been useful.”
Zap!
“Does he even know how to say ‘thank you’?” Asked Tangle, slightly annoyed.
“That’s about as close as you’re gonna get.” Sonic as he looked at the floor.
“Now, it’s time for a delicious-... Hey! Where’s my chili dog!?” Yelled Sonic as he looked all over for the chili dog he just dropped.
“Where is it!? Where the heck is it!?” Yelled Sonic, panicked.
“I think I saw Shadow grab it.” Said Tangle.
“What!? Oh man!” Groaned Sonic in annoyance.
“I thought you told us he doesn't even like chili dogs.” Stated Whisper.
“He doesn't! He just eats MINE out of spite!” Yelled Sonic.
Riverside: The Wool Shop
Lanolin was sitting down in her original amber dress as she worked a drum carter, processing wool with tired eyes.
‘I wonder what the others are doing right now… Maybe going on missions, saving people, stopping Eggman. That sounds nice, Sonic and Tangle probably already ran in to face the problem head on. Heh, I hope they’re alright. I know they’ll do better without someone like me to mess everything up. You can’t think about that, Lanolin. You need to focus, this is your life from now on, making wool clothes. May not be as glamorous as smashing evil robots… but it still helps out…’ Thought Lanolin as she monotonously continued to process wool.
Zap!
“Lanolin.”
“AAAAAHHH-!”
Thud!
Shadow appeared right next to Lanolin as she jumped out of her chair in surprise.
“Shadow! How many times do I have to tell you!? DON’T TELEPORT NEXT TO SOMEONE! USE THE FRONT DOOR NEXT TIME!” Yelled Lanolin as Shadow slightly nodded his head.
“Anyway, what are you doing here?” Asked Lanolin with crossed arms.
“I went to our usual coffee spot, you weren’t there. Your friends said you left.” Explained Shadow bluntly as Lanolin’s eyes widened.
“Oh… Right. Yeah, I should’ve told you before I left. I’m sorry.” Said Lanolin.
“What reason would you have for leaving?” Asked Shadow.
“You spoke to my friends, I’m guessing they already told you what happened.” Lanolin said as she placed a hand on her hip.
“They did, but I want to hear it from you. Do you believe yourself to be unworthy?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin turned around to look away from Shadow.
“... A while ago, Eggman attacked my town. I ran for my life and I’ve never been so scared. That was until Sonic and his friends showed up. They smashed those badniks like they were NOTHING! They saved me and my village. And when the Metal Virus popped up, they saved us AGAIN! I knew I couldn’t just hang around this boring old wool factory, I had to make a difference! I wanted to make sure nobody else felt the same way I felt that day! And do the right thing… But, things don’t always turn out the way you think.” Said Lanolin as she turned back to Shadow.
“And then, there was Mimic… I was still learning how to be a leader, I wanted to do the right thing and give everyone a chance. Silver and Whisper accused him of being an imposter, but I didn’t listen. That allowed Mimic to be a mole, tell Clutch everything that we were doing, and manipulate us like we were his little puppets. And only until the very end when things started to fall apart was when the mask was finally removed. I just… I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to help, but I just made things worse. I wouldn’t blame Sonic, Jewel, the Diamond Cutters, or anyone else for hating me after that. I knew my place wasn’t there. I’d just mess everything up again…”
“So instead you’d rather waste your time at some wool mill?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin glared at him.
“Hey, this is my family’s business! We are the primary producers of wool products for Riverside and beyond. My family’s wool products keep everyone warm and cozy in the winter months, I’m still helping out. But from a more ‘behind the scenes’ approach.” Lanolin argued as Shadow stared at her with an unconvinced expression.
“Then why did you leave your family's wool factory in the first place?”
“Well, I-... Because… Because I wanted to be a hero. But things change, I’d be better for everyone if I stayed here instead.” Said Lanolin as she looked away from Shadow with a guilt ridden expression.
“I can at least understand why your family is the top wool producer around, it’s so fluffy.” Lanolin was left confused for a moment, before she felt her thick fuzzy wool puffs shift slightly.
She looked back, only to see Shadow standing beside her as he felt her fuzzy hair.
“What the-!? Will you stop it!?” Yelled Lanolin as she slapped Shadow’s hand away with a blush.
“Don’t you know you're not supposed to touch a sheep’s wool!?” Growled Lanolin with an embarrassed look.
“But… It’s soft.” Uttered Shadow as Lanolin rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Look, get this through your head, I’m NOT going back to the Restoration! I screwed up too many things back there! They’re better off without me!” Yelled Lanolin.
“All I know is without your involvement, things would’ve been much worse. From everything I’ve heard, you are the most organized and coordinated fighter I’ve known. I don’t think I’ve seen better traits for a leader in anyone else. You completely sell yourself short.” Stated Shadow as Lanolin growled in annoyance.
“I’m not going to argue with you, Shadow. You get-”
“Lanny, honey? Are you talking to someone?” Asked a mature feminine voice from behind a nearby door.
“Oh, uhh… Nobody, mother. I’m just talking to myself.” Replied Lanolin with a nervous smile, before turning back to Shadow with an annoyed glare.
“Get out of here!” Hissed Lanolin.
But before Shadow could reply, the door to the room opened up as Shadow and Lanolin looked over to see a full grown sheep Mobian standing before them.
“Lanolin, what is going-... Oh, you didn’t say you were having friends over.” Said the woman as she had a seemingly soft smile as she walked over to the pair.
“Who is this, Lanny? One of your little friends?” Asked the woman as she stood beside her daughter with her hands folded and her eyes closed with a warm smile. However, Shadow could easily tell it was fake.
“Ugh… Mother, this is Shadow The Hedgehog-” Said Lanolin with a groan of annoyance.
“-The ULTIMATE lifeform, I might add!” Added Shadow.
“Uhh, right. Shadow, this is my mother.” Said Lanolin as she gestured to her mother.
“Well then, welcome, Shadow. It’s nice to meet you. I’m honestly a bit surprised you were friends with my daughter at all. The way she slouches and her grumpy frown, I’m shocked she made any friends at all at that silly little club.” Said Lanolin’s mom with a fake smile.
“Mother, it wasn’t a club. The Restoration is an organization meant to help people. Like stopping Eggman or any other scumbags who try to take over the world.” Explained Lanolin as her mother giggled and placed her hand on Lanolin’s wool, rubbing it with a smile on her face.
“Okay then, Lanny. Call it whatever you want. I’m just glad you realized your place wasn’t there, but here at home with your mother. You’ll make an ACTUAL impact here, helping me run the family business.” Said Lanolin’s mother as Lanolin looked away with a tired and annoyed look.
“Come on dear, stand up straight and smile. You don’t want to make your boyfriend feel unwelcomed, do you?” Whispered Lanolin’s mom as Lanolin immediately blushed and spun around to face her mother.
“Boyfriend!?” Yelled Lanolin as Shadow looked at the both of them with a confused look.
‘Huh? Boyfriend? What’s a boyfriend? I guess it makes sense, I am a BOY, and I am her FRIEND. But why did she react that way?’ Thought Shadow.
“No, no, mother! He’s NOT my boyfriend!” Explained Lanolin frantically.
“Alright then, whatever you say, dear. But, you still have work to do. So I suggest you get back to work. Also, remember next time when we go out in public to smile and present yourself as a proper lady. I wouldn’t want you to be a downer like what happened when those robots attacked our village.” Stated Lanolin looked at her mother in a straight posture and smiled.
“Good girl. Now go on and get back to work.” Stated Lanolin’s mom as Lanolin turned around to get back to work on the drum carter.
“Oh, and Shadow, would you like to have dinner with us tonight? I was hoping you wouldn’t get a bad impression of our family from my daughter’s ill-mannered behavior.” Said Lanolin’s mom with a fake smile.
Even though Shadow was mostly uneducated with how the world worked, he could easily see that what she said was very inappropriate.
“... Very well, then I accept.” Said Shadow, still a little taken aback by Lanolin’s mother’s rude behavior. As she finally left the room.
After she left, she turned back to Lanolin at her machine and walked over to her.
“Well, your mother seems… Nice.” Uttered Shadow as Lanolin glared down at the machine she was working on.
“‘Controlling’ is more like it. Ever since I was little my mother always told me how to act. To stand up straight, to smile, to always fake a pleasant voice. Any time I have actual problems, she told me it was never an excuse to ruin her image. When the badniks attacked months ago, she brushed off my near death experience as me ‘overreacting’ or ‘ruining HER image’... You want to know something? When I told her that I wanted to volunteer to become apart of the restoration full time, we had a huge fight. She said it was nothing but a bunch of kids playing pretend, and blatantly ignoring how many times they’ve ACTUALLY helped us.” Shadow walked closer to Lanolin as she slowed her work down as her face visibly became sadder and sadder.
“We had a big fight, I packed up my things and left. When I came back, I had to practically get on my knees and beg for her to let me come back. Now if I want to stay, I have to do what she says, act the way she tells me how to act.” Lanolin said in a depressed tone.
“You don’t have any other place to go?” Asked Shadow.
“None that I can think of. I can’t go back to the Restoration, or ask any members of the Restoration if I can crash with them, I have too much pride for that. Besides, this is where I belong; in some regular village, living a regular life, and doing what my mom says, so I’ll become a ‘proper lady’.”
“...You’re not happy, you don’t deserve this.”
Before Lanolin could respond…
Zap!
Shadow already teleported away with chaos control.
“Actually, yeah, I do deserve it… But why do you care so much?” Asked Lanolin to nobody in particular.
Riverside: Later that night…
“Supper is ready!” Stated Lanolin’s mom as she walked over to the dinner table where Lanolin was already sitting at with a depressed look.
“Remember what I said, Lanny, no slouching. Or would you rather SLOUCH elsewhere?” Asked Lanolin’s mother as Lanolin immediately sat straight up as Lanolin’s mother held up a steaming pot of stew and placed it in the middle of the table.
She filled up her and Lanolin’s bowls as they both sat down to eat.
Lanolin’s mother stopped as she looked at the clock, then back at Lanolin.
“Hmm, I guess your little friend changed his mind. Maybe if you had been more polite, your friend would’ve shown up-”
“ENOUGH!” Growled Lanolin as she slammed her hands on the table.
Lanolin’s mother looked back at her in shock.
“What did you just say?” Asked Lanolin’s mother in a dangerous voice as Lanolin’s eyes widened in realization as she slowly sat back down with a timid look.
“I-... I’m sorry, mother. I didn’t mean to snap like that. I should’ve had better control over my emotions…” Uttered Lanolin as her mother giggled.
“Hehehe, that’s quite already, my dear sweet daughter. You will carry on your family name and grow out of your child-like attitude. After I get old and leave, you’ll continue to run it. EXACTLY how I envision it too-”
Zap!
Lanolin and Lanolin’s mother were both taken aback as a flash of green light appeared before them. As the second it faded Shadow was seen standing there.
“Oh, dear! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Yelled Lanolin’s mom in fear.
“SHADOW! LAST TIME I’M SAYING IT! KNOCK AT THE FRONT DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!” Lanolin hissed through her teeth.
“Using chaos control to teleport is easier.” Replied Shadow nonchalantly.
“Well, anyway, you’re here now, dear. Please, have a seat.” Said Lanolin’s mom as Shadow took a seat at the end of the four sided table.
Lanolin’s mom poured Shadow a cup of stew before sitting back down.
“So tell me, Shadow, how did you meet my daughter?”
“I discovered green coffee beans, I heard they contained a certain kind of power. Lanolin showed me how to perfectly make and brew coffee to release that power. Ever since then, I gave her coffee beans whenever she needed them. We even had a schedule that we would meet up once a week and have coffee.” Said Shadow as Lanolin’s mother listened.
“Oh, really now? Well, that little tradition is going to have to end. You see, Lanny has developed an addiction to coffee, too hyperactive, too much caffeine, if she’s going to run the family business some day, she’s going to have to stay focused.” Said Lanolin’s mom as Lanolin looked away with a frown.
“... Has your daughter told you about how she helped save the world several times?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin’s mom smiled and waved her hand dismissively.
“I think you might be overexaggerating a bit, dear. Lanny isn’t built for fighting. Like her great grandmother, her grandmother, and me, she will continue on the family business of making wool products for the town of Riverside. It’s hard work and commitment, but you love making your mother happy, don’t you Lanny?” Asked Lanolin’s mom as Lanolin nodded her head with saddened eyes.
“Why did you invite me to dinner, then?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin’s mother frowned and looked back at Shadow with a hint of curiosity.
“It seems you're so determined to keep Lanolin here rather than letting her make her own choices. It seems you want to separate her from anything involving the Restoration or anything similar to that. I may be stepping over the line by assuming this, but this also means her friends as well, correct?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin’s mom gently placed down her spoon with a serious expression before putting her hands together into a tent.
All the while, Lanolin looked at her mother with a fearful expression.
“I want my daughter to grow out of this silly little phase of her’s, I want her to continue the hard work of her family and do what she’s supposed to do. I’m sure you and your little friends have done your part to keep the peace, but my little Lanny doesn't belong in that little club of yours. She shouldn’t make friends who fight robots and monsters, she should make friends with normal people from her own town. However, I still have enough kindness to allow one of her friends to spend time with her one last time before she completely dedicates herself to her work. No offense, of course.” Said Lanolin’s mother as her grimace changed into a fake smile once more.
“Lanolin is my friend. I don’t say that about many people. She had shown kindness, strength, and bravery. Along with showing me the inherent power of coffee. You don’t care about your daughter, you just care about yourself and your family and company’s image. She belongs back at Restoration HQ with her friends, not here wasting her life away.” Stated Shadow bluntly as Lanolin’s mom stood up instantly and slammed her hands on the table out of anger.
“You think you can come into MY HOME and talk to me that way?! I want you to get out and LEAVE! And tell your little friends that if any of them try to talk to Lanolin again, they will be VERY SORRY!”
“Stop, please!” Begged Lanolin as Shadow and Lanolin’s mom glared at each other.
But before anything could happen…
BOOM!
Shadow, Lanolin, and Lanolin’s mom all broke away from their intense conversation as they looked out the window to see a fiery glow and citizens screaming and running away.
All three ran outside to see Badniks attacking.
“Where is that foolish blue hedgehog and his team, I thought they were supposed to be handling these things.” Said Shadow.
“They were all too focused on repairing Restoration HQ and finding missing people. It could be a while before they show up.” Said Lanolin fearfully.
“Lanny, let's go before one of those things destroys our house!” Ordered Lanolin’s mother as she grabbed Lanolin by the arm and started pulling her away.
Shadow stood there and watched as she shared one final look with Lanolin, before she turned away and started following her mother along with the crowds of running people.
“Hph, not exactly how I wanted to end my day.” Said Shadow as he instantly dashed into the action and took down several low and mid-level Badniks down within the blink of an eye.
Several areal badniks attempted to attack Shadow from the sky, only for Shadow to easily spindash every single one into oblivion.
Shadow landed and stood back up and he brushed the dust off of his shoulder.
“Is that the best you’ve got, Eggman?” Asked Shadow, before suddenly, a Mobian sized bullet came streaking towards him.
Hitting Shadow in the chest before he could react as he was sent flying back through multiple houses.
Crash! Bam! Smash!
Shadow picked himself up from the ruins of a wooden house, as he looked up at none other then Metal Sonic hovering above him.
“Shadow The Hedgehog, Eggman has ordered for your termination. There is nowhere to run.” Stated Metal Sonic as countless badniks surrounded Shadow along with Metal.
Shadow looked around, as she started to smirk.
“Hehehe, only Metal Sonic and several hundred badniks? I’m insulted!” Growled Shadow as Shadow and Metal Sonic dashed into each other and began to clash.
Each one moved at nearly the speed of light, moving so fast that each figure looked like blurs.
That was until Shadow landed a hit on Metal Sonic and sent him flying back, smashing through several dozen badniks along the way.
Smash! Crash! Smash!
Shadow changed his assault to the badniks behind him, which he dashed through and smashed to pieces with little effort.
“I thought Eggman wanted to exterminate me. How is he even going to come close to it with these low-level piece of trash?” Asked Shadow as he kicked the severed head of a badnik aside, as suddenly Shadow was electrocuted.
Kazap!
“AAUGH!” Yelled Shadow a she fell to one knee and looked back to see several wasp-like badniks behind him.
Suddenly, Metal Sonic came speeding in and uppercutted Shadow into the sky.
“You didn’t think this would end like all those other times, did you, Shadow? The only reason you managed to walk away is because of Sonic and his friends. Without them, you’re nothing.” Growled Metal Sonic as Shadow was send flying high into the air as Metal Sonic quickly dashed high into the air and punched Shadow, sending him soaring back into the Earth.
KRASH!
The landing only took place a few dozen feet away from Lanolin and her mom as they were running away.
As Lanolin looked back, her eyes widened in shock as she quickly ran away from her mothers side and stood over Shadow.
“Shadow! Are you alright? Oh no, your hurt!” Yelled Lanolin as Shadow got back up and coughed.
“Lanolin, you need to get out of here! There are more badniks out there then I thought, and on top of that Metal Sonic’s here! Get to a safe place and get out of here!” Yelled Shadow.
“Are you crazy!? I’m not going to let you just-!” Lanolin wasn’t even able to finish, as Shadow pushed her out of the way of Metal Sonic who dashed in and collided with Shadow.
After a powerful sonic boom rang out, Shadow and Metal were all of a sudden gone.
“Shadow…” As Lanolin stood there in shock, Lanolin’s mother ran over and grabbed Lanolin by the shoulder as she tried to pull her away.
“Come on, Lanny! We need to get out of here! There’s nothing we can do!” Yelled Lanolin’s mom as Lanolin stopped for a second to think, before pushing her mothers hand away.
“No! I have to do this!” Yelled Lanolin as she ran away from her mother who was calling for her to come back.
Back with Shadow and Metal Sonic, Metal Sonic dashed all around Shadow and hit him from all sides before he could even respond.
Metal soon kicked Shadow into a horde of badniks, who attacked Shadow from all over with lasers, missiles, electricity, and more.
KAPOW!
“AAUGH!” Screamed Shadow as he fell to his knees with smoke ascending from him.
As Shadow looked up, he saw that Metal and all the other badniks hovered over him with their weapons trained.
“Prepare to die.”
Before Metal or any of the badniks could fire their weapons, they heard a strange noise coming from nearby…
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Shadow looked up in surprise to see several floating purple orbs of energy floating around the badniks and metal sonic.
As they all suddenly exploded.
DING!
Sending out a powerful shockwave that send Metal Sonic and all the other badniks flying away.
As an injured Shadow tried to stand back up, he saw a white hand extended to him. Without hesitation, Shadow grabbed it as none other then Lanolin helped him up with her all too familiar Golden Bell hanging around her neck.
“I didn’t need the help.” Stated Shadow as Lanolin smirked at him.
“Sure you didn’t, tough guy. Sorry I was late, I had to pick this up from the house.” Lanolin said, pointing at her Golden Bell.
“It does not matter if you have a little help, Shadow the Hedgehog. You shall be executed as scheduled.” Stated Metal as he and the rest of the surviving badniks surrounded Shadow and Lanolin.
“Are you ready for this, Sheep girl?” Asked Shadow as he got into a fighting stance.
“Always ready, Faker.” Said Lanolin, as both leaped into action.
Shadow dashed in and shredded through several badniks as Lanolin rang her bell, charging up a powerful sound blast. Aiming it at the incoming badniks and blasting them all away with a powerful sound blast.
DING!
Metal Sonic charged in to attack Lanolin while her back was turned, but he was quickly sideswiped by Shadow who dashed in and kicked him in the head, disorienting him.
Lanolin noticed this as she unleashed several more sound orbs that moved behind Metal Sonic, as Shadow dashed in and kicked the robot into the floating orbs, which erupted with a blast of sound that sent Metal Sonic straight back at Shadow.
Only for Shadow to launch a flurry of chaos spears to send the machine flying back several dozen feet. Smoking and damage.
With virtually all of the badniks too damaged to work or completely destroyed, Shadow and Lanolin moved towards Metal as Metal slowly stood back up.
“I will not fall as easily.” Stated Metal, as he suddenly dashed forward and knocked both Shadow and Lanolin back several dozen feet with a single strike.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m on my last legs here.” Admitted Shadow as he and Lanolin stood back up.
“Yeah, same here. But, I think I have an idea of how to take him down in one hit. It’s may sound crazy, but it JUST might work…” Said Lanolin as Shadow looked over and nodded.
As Metal walked over, he stopped to look on in curiosity as Lanolin was ringing her bell in the air as purple energy started to surround it while Shadow injected the energy with his own green chaos energy.
“No matter how you may combine your powers, you shall all die in the end!” Yelled Metal Sonic as he charged straight towards Shadow and Lanolin.
“NOW!” Yelled Shadow as Lanolin lowered her Golden Bell as Metal who got closer and closer.
“CHAOS BELL!” Yelled Shadow and Lanolin in unison as a powerful and blinding blast of energy hit Metal Sonic directly in the chest and devastating the surrounding area around it.
ZAP-DONG!
Shadow and Lanolin got back up as they rubbed their heads.
“Did-... Did we get him?” Asked Lanolin as she stood up and looked down at the crater where Metal Sonic used to be.
“Either we completely obliterated him, or we send him flying FAR FAR away from here. Either way, he’s finished.” Said Shadow as Lanolin laughed to herself and fell on her knees.
“I forgot what it felt like…” Uttered Lanolin.
“To be in a fight?” Asked Shadow.
“No, to be a hero…”
Riverside: Later…
“So that’s it then, you're leaving?” Asked Lanolin’s mother in an angry voice as both Shadow and Lanolin carrying a large bag stood before her.
“... I was unsure of myself, for a while. I always wanted to do something that mattered, be surrounded by people who like me for who I am. I may not be perfect, but I know my place isn’t here.” Stated Lanolin firmly as her mother glared down at her.
“Very well, I can’t force you to stay. However, just remember not to come running back to me after another ‘incident’.” Growled Lanolin’s mother as suddenly a flame of anger rose in Shadow.
“She just saved this town from Eggman and you want to-” However, Shadow was stopped when Lanolin held out her arm in front of Shadow’s chest and stopped him.
Lanolin let out a deep breath before speaking again.
“Mother, this is who I am. I’m a hero, I want to help people and do the right thing. I still want you to be a part of my life, but only if you can accept me for who I am.” Said Lanolin with a determined face as Lanolin’s mom stared down at her in silence for another moment or two,
“... I guess you still have a lot of growing up to do, Lanolin. Goodbye.” Said Lanolin’s mother coldly as she slammed the door. Leaving Lanolin and Shadow outside.
“Are… you going to be okay?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin sniffed and wiped away a tear from her eye.
“I-... Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Stated Lanolin as she turned and started to walk away.
The two started to walk away from the town of Riverside.
“I’m assuming you're going to rejoin the Restoration?”
“... I’m-... Yes, it’s going to be nerve racking as all heck, but I’m still going to do it.” Said Lanolin.
“Good.” Replied Shadow.
“Hey, Shadow. You never really answered my question back there… Why did you come back for me?”
“Because we won’t have our coffee hangouts anymore.” Stated Shadow bluntly.
“... And?”
“And, you belong with the Restoration. They are your REAL family, and you deserve to be happy. After all the work you put into trying to make the world a better place.” Stated Shadow as Lanolin looked aside and blushed once more.
Shadow turned and noticed Lanolin was trying to hold back tears once more as the two were walking.
“Are you okay?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin turned to Shadow and dashed towards him. She wrapped her arms around Shadow and hugged him tightly as she continued to hold back sobs.
“*Sob* Thank you, Shadow…”
“... Don’t mention it.” Shadow said bluntly yet still in shock as Lanolin let go of him and the two continued walking.
The two were walking in silence for another moment or two, before Shadow spoke up again.
“I guess this means we can have our coffee hangouts again?” Asked Shadow as Lanolin softly smiled at him and nodded.
“Sure. But, I think we should start calling them ‘dates’ instead. I-I mean... I-If you want…” Said Lanolin as Shadow glanced at her with a confused look.
“Dates? What are you-?” However, Shadow wasn’t able to finish as Lanolin leaned in and kissed Shadow on the cheek before he even registered what was going on.
“When we get back to base, we can have a coffee date right there, to make up for my absence. What do you say?”
“... I say that sounds nice.”