Frog Forest - Ghosts and Phobias

[L]

Whilst returning to pursuing Black Doom, after a short hiatus, Shadow the Hedgehog had been lead back into the jungle-like climate known world-wide for it's enormous vegetation and just as enormous wildlife. This place in and of itself was a good candidate for Doom to choose as a hiding spot; since it was rather spacious, or just easy to get very freaking lost in. The hedgehog humored the possiblity of the latter most of all, as he had very little clue where he was at that point. This was quite a frustrating development as he'd trekked through the Frog Forest once before without this happening.

The obsidian mammal stopped for a moment to gain his bearings on the situation, tapping his foot in an impatient motion.

[Jamie Lee]

Speaking of lost, elsewhere, a human girl had found herself very much so. One moment she had been in the comfort and security of Area 27 where she felt relatively safe, and then in a flash of colorful light she had suddenly found herself in the middle of a tropical jungle. It was beginning to rain, and as a result she had taken to huddling up beneath a gigantic leaf, shivering in fright and holding her arms tightly.

"Shadow...?" she called out vainly. "Tekno...? Anyone...?"

She sniffled, sobbing lightly as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had no idea where she was, how she got there, or even how she would begin to get back... Hopelessness welled up in her stomach and caused her to feel nauseated.

All of a sudden she heard a loud "Grrrk?"

Maria gasped, looking up with a start to see two bright yellow eyes staring at her, closer examination realizing the largest frog she had ever seen sitting right in front of her.

The girl squeaked, trying to push herself away. When her back hit the leaf's stalk she gasped sharply, her terror suddenly bubbling up and bursting out into a terrified shriek.

[L]

Alerted by the scream, the hedgehog's head turned to see a nearby frog had startled someone who was likely as lost as he was. He sprung into action and quickly dashed at the amphibian, managing to startle it away in a surprised string of croaks. His deed done, he turned to help the person it'd scared and possibly ask for directions. "You need not worry, the frogs in this forest are intimidating, but otherwise harmle-"

He froze.

[Jamie Lee]

Maria hiccuped when the frog hopped off and shivered again, looking as terrified as ever. However, when her eyes trailed over toward who her 'hero' was, they widened considerably, and a relieved smile spread over her face.

"SHADOW!" she cried, leaping up from under her shelter at him. She grabbed him and embraced the smaller body in a bone-crunching hug as she continued to cry.

"Sh-shadow, where are we?!" she blurted between sobs, rubbing her face into the fluffy patch of white fur on his chest "Where are we?! I-I've never seen any p-place like this before... I-I'm scared!"

[L]

Shadow was still froze, his fingers twitching ever so slightly, filled with fear and confusion by what was now crying into his chest. Maria couldn't still be alive; it was impossible. Though there was the possibility that one of his MANY foes may have cloned her in order to strike at him, a sample of her DNA would've proved difficult to retrieve. That and it was unlikely they'd have known he was heading this way and dropped such a thing here. There was only one other possible explanation....

The hedgehog quickly broke the girl's grip on him, putting a tiny bit of distance between the two of them. He positioned his index fingers into the pattern of a cross and held them in front of himself defensively. "Spirit... HAUNT ME NO LONGER!"

[Jamie Lee]

The girl hiccuped, staring at the hedgehog with a shocked and hurt expression when he pulled away and suddenly yelled at her. Immediately she began to panic and blame herself. What did she do? What did she do?! D-did she do something wrong?! Oh dear, she must have done something wrong... a-and now he hated her! She began to hiccup several times as more tears began to well up in her eyes.

"... Sh-Shadow...?" she whimpered pathetically.

[L]

The girl's cries unnerved Shadow a tiny bit, his suspicious still not dispelled. He lowered his hands back to his sides and took in a deep breath, trying to calm his heightened heart rate down a tad. "Does the name Maria Robotnik ring familiar to you?" He asked.

[Jamie Lee]

Her eyes widened with a look of horror, right about the same time she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Th-th-that's dragon c-called me Robotnik... b-but..." she hiccuped, covering her mouth, wondering with anxiety why in the world Shadow was even bringing that up. "... W-why are you a-asking?"

[L]

The hedgehog continued to inch away cautiously. "Well, it'd make sense that someone would call you by that." He replied, trying to disregard the mention of a dragon out of nowhere. "It's your name isn't it?"

[Jamie Lee]

The girl just stared at him, her expression somewhere between terror and confusion.

"N-no!" she blurted, shaking her head quickly and hugging her arms, "I'm not... I'm not related to Robotnik! Muh-muh-my l-last name is R-Roderick! Shadow you kn-know that..."

Why was Shadow acting like he didn't know her? And why was he accusing her of being related to that tyrant? He wasn't acting like himself. He didn't even sound like him! Realization struck like a bolt of lightening and her eyes widened fearfully, causing her to begin trying to inch away from him herself.

"... You're not Shadow..."

[L]

Shadow glared at her. "I am Shadow the Hedgehog." He retorted. "Born 50 years past on the Space Colony Ark, created by Professor Gerald Robotnik as the Ultimate Lifeform."

He crossed his arms. "You bear a striking resemblance to the Professor's Granddaughter, Maria, whom I befriended in my earlier days on the Ark, to the point of sharing a given name." Shadow continued. "However, the idea that you could actually be the same person would prove to be quite ludicrous..."

[Jamie Lee]

She didn't even hear him. The girl just shook her head, covering her ears with her hands and squeezing her eyes tightly shut. Her blond hair fell around her face like a veil as she continued to sob.

""You're n-not Shadow... you're not Shadow... n-none of this is h-happening... this is j-just a dream... I'm g-gonna wake up in my bed and e-everything'll be normal..."

[L]

Shadow rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms as he took a low sigh. "I have no intention of harming you, if that's what you're worried about." He commented. "Perhaps if I took you back to Station Square we could help you regain your bearings?"

[Jamie Lee]

"No no no NO!" she wailed and jerked away, beginning to mutter - almost chant to herself as she continued to cover her ears and tried to ignore the ebon hedgehog in her presence. "My name is Maria Roderick... My name is Maria Roderick... My name is Maria Roderick... I'm not a Robotnik... I'm not a Robotnik... I'm not a Robotnik... I wanna go home... I wanna go home... I wanna go home... I want Shadow!"

The entire time she continued to inch back until she was once again leaning against the leaf stalk, then clutched at it fearfully, clinging tightly to it as if it was the only thing separating her from a gruesome death as she began to hyperventilate.

[L]

Shadow arched a brow. Either the girl was completely insane or not from around here in a very literal sense. ".. You wouldn't happen to be from the Sol dimension would you?" He asked.

[Jamie Lee]

Unfortunately, Maria didn't hear his question, for now her chanting had slowly drowned away into whimpering sobs as she continued to clutch at the stalk and shudder miserably with fright.

[L]

The hedgehog left out a soft sigh, and attempted approaching the girl. Very softly he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not exactly certain what's going on here, and I may not be your Shadow, but I assure you that I will not let any harm come to you." He said, speaking as softly as he could. "If you would allow me to do so, I'd like to take you to the nearest city so we can figure out what's going on and get you home. Would that be alright?"

Deep inside, he felt awkward as hell.

[Jamie Lee]

The girl flinched under the weight of his hand when he touched her, but didn't pull away from him. Her face had become a bright red from her pathetic sobbing and sputtering, and she sniffled at the congestion in her sinuses.

After a moment she finally seemed to calm down, if ever so slightly, and probably only due to beginning to tire herself out from crying so hard. Slowly her trembling hands unlatched their grip from the plant she clung to and her hair draped over and obscured her face. She kneeled there, trembling furiously and hiccuping, and slowly turned her head to look at him through her golden curtain.

This wasn't her Shadow. He might have looked like him, even sounded like him - sorta, but it wasn't him. But he was offering to help her. He was promising not to harm her. How could she be sure she could trust him?

She closed her eyes, pulled down a deep gulp and then hiccuped before she settled her gaze on the ground. Deciding that any help was better than none she quickly she lunged at him again, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face into his chest for comfort and support.

He may not have been her Shadow, but she was so cold and miserable, and he felt so warm to be close to. He was going to help her! He was going to take her away from this damp and frightening place she had found herself lost in! Relief dared to chip at the hopelessness that had descended upon her.

"Please help me..."

[L]

The girl's presence was still shocking to him, he knew, but that had to be put aside for now: she needed his help. She looked like Maria, but he knew that she couldn't be his Maria. It just wasn't possible... In much reluctance, he wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl to offer what little comfort he could. "... Everything's going to be alright." Was all he could get out, his stomach tightened by the awkwardness of the situation.

[Jamie Lee]

Maria nodded, her face still buried in the soft white fur of of his chest. She shivered and hiccuped, her face feeling hot as she tried to gain control of her emotional storm.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I'm such a burden..." she whispered almost inaudibly.

[L]

Shadow squinted uncomfortably. "It's alright." He uttered.

He took out an emerald and held it up the best he could. "Chaos CONTROL."