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Another hour had gone by, with no leads as to where the location of the last chaos emerald could be. Dead end after another dead end, with several adversaries racing to find it without a true clue as to why. Shadow believed he was correct to believe that the Eggman communicating through Metal Sonic was not deceiving him, because why would he go to the trouble of sending his most trusted creation in need of help from a sworn enemy… hmph. The idea of being deceived yet again by Eggman made his heart palpitate, but what other choice did he have? At the very least, follow the lead and confront any foe who chooses to stand in his way, Eggman included.
Regardless… Shadow looks up at Metal. Standing in silence, gazing out at a warm sunset beyond the empty frigid chambers of the cave they temporarily abided in. He gazed into the melting sky as well, ruminating on his thoughts…what their next plan of action should be. As he let the thoughts swirl within his mind, he looked back at Metal. Standing completely still, but if you look close, it seems as if he was breathing. Why would a robot need to do that… unless…
“Metal Sonic- “ Shadow started, and instantaneously Metal jolted and focused his attention onto him. Silent, intense gaze. Not like Sonics… more… intense. If one were to shove every emotion in a small box, anger, love, happiness, sadness, fear, longing, and project it in a concentrated amount, it might cause one to avert their eyes away. However, Shadow remained curious about the individual standing across him, and returned the gaze in equal measure.. until Metal cocked his head sideways in a questioning manner. Right. Hmm.
“I noticed you were looking into the sunset. It is particularly stunning tonight, isn’t it?”
Metal held his stare, and swiveled his head to gaze upon the crimson sun once more. He lifts his hand, and makes what Shadow can only assume is a “so-so” hand gesture.
“Ha! Well, appreciate it for what it is, if we don’t catch up to Eggman Nega soon it could be the last sunset for all of us.”
No response this time.
“We won’t allow that to happen though. I’ve learned that you and I make a formidable team; there is no way he is accomplishing anything with us working together.”
A whiiirrrrrrrr sound emits from his turbine. Ah well. At least there’s something with what he said that resonated with Metal.
They both stood across from each other in silence for a few minutes. It was nice to simply coexist next to someone without the need to talk. Not many understand that, Omega perhaps, and Knuckles, but both become restless after so long. Not that he can say he doesn’t feel that way either…but he supposes… it depends on the company. It’s odd that he is the one carrying the conversation this time, as usually he is trying to get away from others that yap nonsense constantly.
The edge of the sun slowly dips below the mountains. What is taking Eggman so long to respond? Neither of them have time for this, they specifically chose this location because it had somewhat of a reception. Where is he?!
Some jumbled beeps and whirs cut through the silence. Shadow looks to the side to see Metal mimicking him, pacing back and forth. Ah. So lost in thought he hadn’t realized what he was doing, and… is that what he looked like?
“What are you doing, stop that.” Shadow warns Metal, but can’t hold back a slight chuckle at that gesture.
Metal repeats what he said in the same cadence in a mocking tone, while through buzzes, whirs, and beeps, it’s clear what he is communicating.
“Hey! Now is not the time to be foolish, we have to-”
Yet again, Metal mocks him in a similar manner.
“Why you!” Shadow beelines straight for Metal, and points his finger directly at Metal’s armored face. Instantly, Metal grabs his finger, twists his arm back, and locks him in a vulnerable position. Metal increases the tension on Shadow until he kicks his leg back, making Metal stumble back just enough to release his grasp.
Shadow smells the blood seeping down his arm. Ugh. He looks up at Metal, who is standing in a defensive position.
“Look.” Shadow inhales sharply, and exhales out in a slow release. “It seems we both have a lot of tension built up, but it’s best not to mess around and risk injuring each other before we confront the inevitable. AFTER THAT, I will be whipping your TIN ass for this.”
Metal’s eyes glow stronger after that remark, but he turns away, dismissing Shadow with a flip of the hand. “Yeah right”, his mechanic sounds almost seem to communicate.
The sun has set. Some static has emitted from Metal’s communicator, but only garbled bits and pieces thus far. They both are agitated, and need answers to continue on with the mission. Otherwise, they will have to ditch this location and seek out answers themselves. Much good that has done them so far. Sigh.
A cold sensation hits his arm. Excuse.. It’s Metal Sonic with a tube of water gushing out from his inner core. Rinsing the blood off. Is this a form of an apology…doubt it. Best not deal with an infection or any weakness before a potentially encounter with the Ifrit, perhaps he listened to him. Metal hooks his tube up and hovers back to his initial spot. This time he is sitting, and gazing out at the stars that were hidden by the sun’s glow.
“They are unimaginable, the stars. They look similar, but they are all unique, with their own names and stories. An old friend of mine taught me many of their names…I like to think she resides up there as well, with them.”
Metal beeps sharply, as if to scoff.
Silence for a moment.
“Do you ever for a moment wish you could get away from everything and explore them, see what lies beyond them, discover the edge of what we reside in?”
More silence.
Shadow points out. “That constellation right above that mountain’s peak, if you look close you can see the closest galaxy to our own, Andromeda. The constellation is also called Andromeda, but it’s named after an ancient Greek myth.” He pauses, and stops to look at his counterpart.
Metal stares off into the distance, but it does appear that he is looking at the constellation.
Thus, Shadow continues. “To put it simply, Andromeda was the child of a king and queen that was sacrificed to protect their own foolish ego. Chained to a rock, forced to face the brunt of a giant monster. In the end she was saved by Perseus, and they chose to rule a kingdom together..”
Metal’s body language almost seems weary, head hanging into his arms as he gazes outward onto the constellation.
Shadow hesitates, and his face heats up as he is about to ask his following question. Stupid to ask, but perhaps, if offered the chance, Metal can at least note his offer and consider it in the future. As long as his memory isn’t wiped again. Hm.
“I understand you are an individual of your own, as you have made it clear to me you are unlike any badnik I have ever encountered. If you ever desire to pursue that individualism further… well, Rouge, Omega and I would welcome you, or I can lend you a hideout for the time being. You are capable of making your own choices, so I will leave that offer on the table for you. Take the time to consider what I am offering you…” Shadow trails off. What else is there to say without projecting his personal views regarding him and Metal being used as tools with zero regard for what they want out of their lives. Perhaps he is a fool…
Shadow looks up to Metal looking down upon him. Completely silent, in disbelief that he didn’t notice Metal move towards him. Metal stares down for a minute, and sits down next to him. Silence.
In a near instantaneous movement, Metal draws out 2 words with his finger in the dirt.
“Thank you.”
Shadow looks up back at Metal, much closer this time. He hadn’t noticed the little movements and glitches sparking in his eyes. The way he subtly breathes, as if he retains muscle memory of being alive. Metal seems to analyze his face in return, and it seems the both begin to notice all the small details in each other as if they were gazing out into the night sky.
Unsure, impulsive, curious, Shadow raises his hand to Metal’s chest, and feels the rhythmic motions of Metal’s turbine. Up, down, whirring as if it’s overheating. Alive. Metal does nothing to stop him, and repeats the gesture. The cool, sharp edge of his fingertips graze across his chest, just enough pressure to leave a few scratches. He shudders. His blood heats up and it feels as though his heart is beating at the rate of a hummingbird. He feels his face flush, this is.. certainly not how he expected for Metal to react. However, he is not averse to this either, curious. He presses Metal’s hand upon his chest with his other hand, and almost kisses his forehead against Metal's own.
Has he ever been this close to another, in a fashion such as this? Why was he acting in such a way? He usually refuses closeness in about any manner, so why was he the exception? Why is he allowing this at all? Why-
Metal pushes Shadow onto the ground, never relenting his gaze. As he stares up at him, he notices all the stars above him and realizes Metal’s eyes are flickering with as much intensity as every star in the sky. They hold that pose for a minute, until Metal softly grazes Shadow’s face, as if to memorize his every bump and groove like a map. He-
“METAL! SHADOW! ARE YOU THERE??! I NEED YOU TO REPORT IMMEDIATELY”
The sound of Eggman’s yells jolts them back to reality. Metal immediately flies backward; back to his initial position, as if nothing happened just a few moments ago. Shadow sighs, stands up, and shakes the dirt off his fur. That was certainly too soon, for once he was almost relieved that Eggman’s boisterous nature interrupted them. Yet… perhaps Metal won’t forget the moments they have shared thus far, and consider that offer. Doubtful, but just maybe…
Shadow clears the tension out of his throat, and responds, “ Yes, both Metal and I are here, have you found the location of that damn final chaos emerald?”.