I Am...All of Me

Foreboding Memory

Claimer: Stuff I created belongs to me. OC belongs to me. DO NOT STEAL!

Third Person POV

     Shadow the Hedgehog stirred in his sleep, as a voice cut through his thoughts.

     Shadow...Where have you run off to now? I'm looking for you, dear, pathetic, little brother.

    Shadow grimaced and tossed to the side. 

     I'm coming for you. You couldn't escape me then, and you can't hide now. You can never outrun me, weak little Shads. You never could. I will always find you, no matter where you go, no matter how far you run. We'll be together again soon, little brother, just like old times. I can't wait to see you again. Hahahahahahahahaha!

      Shadow jerked up in his sleep, the laughter still echoing in his ears as he panted. His form trembled for a reason he didn't know, and he wiped beads of sweat off his face. It took him a long moment to realize that he was in his bed in Team Dark's apartment just above Club Rouge. He rubbed a hand over his face as the awful sound from his nightmare began to fade slowly. It had been a long time since he had heard that voice. The one that used to plague his every waking moment years ago. The only one who could sound so sinister. The only one who could make such a terrible laugh...

     "Oh no, I'm not going back down that road," he told himself. For once, he didn't want to remember that face, that crooked, devilish smile and those taunting yellow eyes...

     "NO! Stop! Don't think about it!" Shadow ordered himself, as he snapped his ruby orbs shut. He pushed the blankets away tiredly. Sleep would be impossible with those images and voices in his brain. He glanced at the clock and groaned to himself. It was only 3:42 a.m. With a deep sigh, he stood up and stretched before sluggishly trekking down the hall to the bathroom. He went to turn on the faucet but found his hand shaking, and he balled it into a fist, as he tried to steady himself. Why was he shaking? It was just a nightmare; he used to have them quite often. He turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face, washing out any sense of tiredness.

    He quietly turned off the water and strode into the kitchen/living room, being careful to not wake the other two residents of the apartment. After a few minutes, he was able to sit down on the couch with a steaming mug of coffee clasped in both his hands, but he didn't take a sip. His eyes stared out of window that held a gorgeous view of the night cityscape, but he wasn't looking at that. He was zoned out from everything, his mind lost in deep thought. 

    Why now? After all of these years, why am I remembering him? He was supposed to be dead. Well...we both were, when I think about it. Is there a chance he's still alive? Is that why I'm remembering? No! Impossible! He died a long time ago. He is no longer a threat to anyone; not to the Ark, not to the doctor, not to Maria, and not to me....

     This was how Rouge found her partner, sitting on the couch with a full, lukewarm cup of coffee and crimson eyes glazed over in thought. What was he doing up? It was only 8:00, and they had the day off. And even when they had work, she would have to drag her teammate out of bed. He didn't sleep often, but when he did, he never liked to wake up until he wanted to. 

      "Morning, handsome, you're up early," she greeted and stiffled a yawn herself. His only response was one of his ears twitching to signify he heard her. She found this very strange. Even though he was a quiet, antisocial, loner, he always replied when she said something to him. 

     "What's on your mind, hon?" she pressed, gently taking the wasted cup out of his hands. He shook his head, the movement snapping him out of his thoughts. 

     "It's nothing. Sorry. Good morning, Rouge," he replied, and she easily pinpointed the exhaustion in his voice. 

     "Are you sure?" she asked worriedly, and he nodded. "How long have you been up?"

     "A few hours, I think? I wasn't paying much attention to the clock."

     "Well, what time was it when he got up?"

   "3...40-something," he answered after a moment of thought, and she gasped. 

     "Good night! Shadow! What are you doing up so early?" she asked, her mostly buried instinct to look after her friend emerging. He broke eye contact. He didn't want to tell her, knowing it would only make her worry swell. 

    "Nothing, just a little trouble sleeping. I'm fine, Rouge, honestly," he said, while he inwardly berated himself for lying through his teeth. Luckily, she bought it. 

    "Okay, well, since you're up, maybe you can come with me to get a little grocery shopping done?" 

    He shrugged, but was grateful for the distraction, "Sure. As long as it is just grocery shopping," he agreed while reminding her of the last time she dragged him to town for the same reason. Besides groceries, she had stopped by the laundromat, a fast food joint, and to his undying horror, the mall. He couldn't handle another day like that. She winked and released a small smirk. 

    "Don't worry, handsome, we're just getting some groceries to restock. We'll be back before you can say Chaos Control!" 

    Unlikely, he thought but refrained from saying it, "Is Omega coming too?" 

    "I don't see why not. We could use him to help carry the bags back here." she replied as she went to wake up the charging robot. Once he was properly functioning, Team Dark set off on their new mission, to acquire groceries. 

   Surprisingly, Rouge stayed true to her word. They only stopped at the local supermarket a few blocks away from their apartment and picked up the necessities, as well as a few snacks. But Shadow was exceptionally quiet during their trip, though this wouldn't surprise most, it worried Rouge. His mind would often drift back to his dream, and even though he claimed that he left the past behind him, he wad more worried that it would come back to bite him. 

     Why can't I get that image out of my head? Why is my mind bringing it up now, years later? And why does it hurt to think about it? 

      Unfortunately, the dark agent was unable to answer any of these questions, as a green blur rushed past them, followed quickly by a familiar blue streak.