Shadow always tried his best to remain by your side no matter what. Though he spent a significant time at the labs, trapped underneath the scrutiny of the researchers, he never let that stop him from spending the rest of his time with you. Whether it was sneaking around past the ARK's curfew, going over the material your teacher taught the both of you, or sitting in the observatory room and pointing at Earth wide-eyed, he could never imagine being without you. You were the closest thing to a friend he had. Family.

But there was that something lingering in the back of Shadow's mind. The thought that he couldn't always be there for you. Of course, that wasn't something the ebony hedgehog liked to think about at all, and he tried his best not to.

That didn't mean all those doubts hadn't caught up to him. On one particular day, one of the researchers had rushed into the laboratory red-faced and ran up to Gerald. Shadow had watched in confusion as the professor quickly left the room with a sense of urgency. And when he'd finally been told what was going on, they hadn't allowed Shadow to leave the laboratory at all. Not until the professor returned.

What had happened was that you'd suddenly collapsed again. There'd been no warnings whatsoever; you just...did. When Shadow had found out, he'd been overcome with worry. But he'd been forced to wait.

Finally peering into your room after what felt like hours as the automatic door slid open, Shadow glanced around before his red eyes landed on you. His gaze immediately softened at the sight of you lying down in the bed, hooked up to machines. He always felt a sense of bitterness whenever you were like this; it was a painful reminder that even with all the tests, there was only so much he could do to help.

And Shadow hated that. He really did.

Casting those thoughts aside, Shadow focused on you. He quietly walked up to your side, his expression hard but unable to mask his worry. Unsure whether or not you were awake, he murmured softly,

"{{user}}?"