A World Without Him (Shadow the hedgehog x Reader)

Chapter 15: Lost And Found

The balcony was small but comfortable, a cushioned loveseat pushed against the railing. A light breeze rolled through the summer night, rustling Y/N's hair as she sat down and tucked her legs beneath her. Shadow leaned against the railing, arms crossed as he gazed at the city below.

"So," he murmured, voice low, "what happened after the ARK?"

Y/N sighed, just as she had earlier that night, eyes drifting to the skyline. "...The agent who killed Maria..." she hesitated, as if saying it aloud still felt strange, "it was a misfire. And after it happened, he... he let me go."

Shadow's eyes snapped to her.

"What?"

"I don't know why," she admitted. "But he looked at me, and he just... froze. I didn't stop to question it. I just ran."

She ran a hand through her hair. "I found the escape pods. Most of them were already gone, but one was still there. When I got inside, I thought I'd be going to Earth like the others... but the system scanned my Chaos Energy."

Shadow's brow furrowed.

"...And?"

"It didn't take me to Earth. It took me here."

Shadow straightened, absorbing that information.

Y/N let out a hollow laugh. "There was a malfunction, apparently. When I landed, something went wrong, and I ended up stuck in stasis for fifty years."

His stomach twisted.

Fifty years.

The same amount of time he had spent in forced stasis under G.U.N.

"It wasn't until O.R.A.C.L.E. found me that I actually woke up," she continued. "They put me back together, trained me, helped me adjust." She let out a shaky breath. "And that's when I learned that if I don't use my Chaos Energy, it'll fester inside me."

Shadow's eyes darkened. "What do you mean?"

She gave him a sad smile. "It'll kill me."

Shadow's hands clenched into fists.

He had spent so many years believing she was dead, only to find out she had almost died in an entirely different way.

"...I spent a long time trying to accept that you and Maria were gone," Y/N admitted quietly. She turned her gaze to him, eyes reflecting the dim city lights. "And now you're here."

Shadow exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers against the railing. He wasn't sure what to say.

There was nothing to say.

Because he understood it too well.

He had spent so many years tearing through G.U.N. bases, hunting for any trace of her. Every lead ended in failure. Every door slammed shut in his face. He had believed she was gone.

And he had tried to accept it.

Tried.

"...I looked for you," he finally said, voice rough.

Y/N blinked.

"For a long, long time." Shadow's grip on the railing tightened. "I tore through G.U.N. facilities, desperate to find you. I thought that if I survived, maybe you had too."

Y/N's heart ached.

"But I never found you," he murmured. "Not a single trace." He let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Eventually, I ended up on Earth, and G.U.N. put me in stasis for fifty years. When I woke up..."

He glanced at her. "I still searched for you."

Y/N bit her lip, throat tight.

"But after a while, I had to accept it," Shadow admitted. "I thought you were gone."

Neither of them knew what to say.

Neither of them knew how to process this.

Fifty years of believing the other was dead.

Fifty years of loss.

Fifty years of aching, empty spaces.

And now...

Here they were.

The silence stretched between them, filled with all the words they couldn't say.

And then—

Y/N reached out.

Her hand barely brushed his.

It wasn't something they had ever done before. Not on the ARK. Not back then.

But she needed to know that he was real.

Shadow froze for half a second—then, carefully, slowly, he turned his hand over, fingers curling around hers.

His grip was firm. Warm. Steady.

Y/N exhaled, a quiet sob slipping out as she squeezed his hand.

Relief.

That was the only word she could think of.

Relief.

Shadow swallowed thickly, his throat burning.

For the first time in decades, something inside him eased.

Neither of them let go.

And as the night stretched on, they stayed there on that small balcony, leaning into each other, silent but understanding.

At some point, Y/N shifted closer, resting her head against his shoulder.

Shadow hesitated—then wrapped an arm around her.

For the first time in years, they both slept easy.