Resurgence (Shadow x Reader)

Chapter 32: The Breaking Point

Then, suddenly—

"Found her!!"

Tails' voice cut through the quiet like a bolt of lightning.

Everyone's heads snapped up.

Shadow was on his feet in an instant, crossing the room before Tails could even finish his sentence.

"Where?" Shadow demanded, gripping the edge of the console so hard his fingers ached.

Tails' hands flew across the controls, bringing up a grainy, distant video feed. The others gathered around as the image sharpened.

And there she was.

Y/n.

She was in a cave, moving methodically, setting up for the night. Her movements were slow, tired—but practiced. She had done this many times before.

The sight of her sent a ripple through the room.

Amy covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. Rouge exhaled a shaky breath. Knuckles clenched his fists.

Shadow stared.

She was alive.

After all this time—after all the fear, the doubt, the sleepless nights—she was alive.

He barely registered the others speaking, their voices muffled by the rush of blood in his ears.

Then, finally, he heard Sonic's voice cut through the haze.

"We're going down there."

₊˚𖦹 ༘ ೀ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Tails had explained it all—how he had managed to find her, how they needed to act fast, how this was their only shot.

They all agreed on one thing: Shadow and Sonic were the best ones to retrieve her.

With a direct visual on her location, Shadow could teleport them down, get in and get out before anyone noticed.

Before anyone could stop him, Shadow had already grabbed onto Sonic's shoulder, Chaos energy crackling around him.

In an instant, they were gone.

The moment they landed, the air changed.

It was heavier here. Thicker.

They were standing just outside the cave's entrance, the dim glow of the fire inside flickering against the stone walls.

They moved carefully, stepping over loose rocks, their breathing hushed.

She was fast asleep.

Bundled beneath a tattered cloak, her face was barely visible, half-buried in the makeshift bedding.

Sonic hesitated.

"How do we—?"

Before he could finish, he leaned down, carefully reaching toward her.

The second his fingers brushed the edge of her blanket, she moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

Like a switch had been flipped inside her, her instincts kicked in.

In one fluid motion, she swept Sonic's legs out from under him, sending him crashing onto his back. Before he could react, she grabbed a handful of his quills, yanking him into a headlock.

A crystalline blaster was pressed to the side of his head, its plasma charge humming to life.

Shadow tensed, muscles coiled, ready to intervene—

But Sonic, despite being held at gunpoint, wheezed out a weak, breathless laugh.

"Noted," he gasped. "Never wake you up in the morning."

Y/n didn't respond.

Her breathing was ragged.

Her grip was tight.

She wasn't seeing them.

She was still stuck in survival mode.

Shadow moved.

Faster than thought, he was beside her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her off of Sonic before she could fire.

She fought—hard.

Her body was tense, her strength shocking even for him. She thrashed against him, instincts screaming at her to keep fighting, keep running, keep surviving.

Until—

"Y/n."

His voice was soft.

Not a command.

Not an order.

Just her name.

And then—

She stilled.

For the first time since she woke up, her eyes focused.

And she saw him.

Really, truly saw him.

Shadow watched as realization crashed over her like a tidal wave.

Her grip loosened.

The blaster slipped from her fingers.

Her body sagged.

And then, just like that—

She crumbled.

Her knees gave out, and both Sonic and Shadow caught her before she could hit the ground.

A choked sob tore from her throat.

Shadow didn't let go.

He held her tight, his arms locking around her as if letting go would mean losing her all over again.

Sonic placed a hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles, his usual cocky demeanor completely gone.

"You're okay," Shadow whispered, his voice quieter than ever. "You're okay now. We found you."

And Y/n—after everything, after all the running, the fighting, the fear—

Finally let herself believe it.

₊˚𖦹 ༘ ೀ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

The moment they reappeared on the ship, chaos erupted.

Amy was the first to reach her, throwing herself into Y/n's arms, sobbing openly.

Rouge followed, hands gripping Y/n's shoulders, eyes filled with something that looked suspiciously like relief.

Knuckles hovered nearby, silent but there, the tension in his body finally easing.

And Tails—sweet, brilliant Tails who had successfully held himself together this entire time without cracking—was crying so hard he could barely speak.

"You—You're back," he choked out, his voice cracking. "You're actually back."

Y/n, overwhelmed, exhausted, barely standing, could do nothing but nod.

Amy wiped at her tears, smiling through the sobs.

"You scared the hell out of us," Rouge muttered, trying—and failing—to keep her voice steady.

Sonic smirked weakly. "Yeah, and she almost killed me in the process."

Y/n let out a broken laugh.

It was real now.

She was home.

Finally, finally home.

for the first time in a month, she let herself breathe.