Sonic X Fan Fiction ❯ Matter of Trust ❯ The Chaos Drainage Theory ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

--------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6 — The Chaos Drainage Theory

--------------------------------------------------

When Shadow came back to the world, he found himself partially on his belly, and partially on his side, and practically having his arms and forehead pressed into Sonic's chest. He was still too confused to be shocked or embarrassed, although he suspected that everything that brought to this situation about had happened while he was asleep.

Since the day he was created, he had always talked, moved, interacted with others or even sleepwalked during his sleep.

Gerald accused his too developed instinct of survival.

Though how it had occurred was lost on Sonic, the hero had fallen asleep at some point in the night, pressed between the couch and Shadow, and was still slumbering peacefully beside the other when the sun rose. However, it wasn't as deep as Shadow's had become in the late night; Sonic's rest was troubled, fitful and since he couldn't shift fully, his ears were twitching wildly in agitation.

Shadow watched curiously the blue hedgehog's face, then with a sigh he slowly stood up; when he was in a sitting position, he gently shook Sonic by the shoulder.

Sonic growled and tried to roll over, the attempt defeated by the couch back he was pushed into. So instead he swatted sleepily at Shadow's hand and curled into a ball, spikes beginning to come on end.

The black one sighed and was a little hurt by the reaction, but quickly shoved it away as he resumed watching Sonic's face.

Sonic was frowning, and a hand went out, searching for something. It crept along the cushions for a moment, then rose up the top of the couch. There, folded in a bundle, was the blanket Shadow had used during his stay before, while all he'd been able to do was sleep. Sonic grabbed hold and dragged it down over himself, snuggling into the warmth.

Shadow, not knowing what to do, sighed once again and grabbed half of the blanket, curling up into it in an upright position.

Sonic made something like a cooing sound, and cuddled against Shadow, dropping back into sleep in a moment. His quills relaxed and he pulled the blanket around himself tightly, sinking into its held warmth.

"You...might want to get out of the way...."

The black hedgehog looked up at the red echidna, not knowing what he was up to, but moved away nonetheless.

Knuckles gave Shadow a wicked grin and produced an ice cube in his mitted hand. Gently moving the blanket aside, he tossed it underneath so that it collided with Sonic's stomach, then hurried backwards a few feet.

The result was instant.

Sonic yelped, and propelled himself backwards off the couch, over the opposite armrest and onto the floor, landing upside-down. Knuckles was grinning like a demon.

"Good morning. Nice to see you awake, Sonic." He greeted the hero cheerfully. Sonic was not so pleasant with his salutations.

"You just wait till I figure out which of you three is the real one...."

The black hedgehog stared, then started snickering. Soon, the snickering became full-blown laughs, which expressed pure amusement.

"Hmph..." Sonic grunted, pushing off the couch so he landed on his hands and knees, then stood, folding the blanket, still glaring at Knuckles. The Echidna took no notice of his look of doom, still grinning. "At least I'm entertaining..."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "You and I both know it's one of the few ways to wake you up. You're lucky Tails didn't call Amy Rose again, like last week."

Sonic shuddered, gripping the blanket. "Gah! Don't remind me!!"

Shadow stopped laughing, "Amy Rose? Who is she?"

"Take the essence of a fangirl and wrap it in a pink package." Sonic cringed. "She stalks me like there's no tomorrow, and these guys get a kick out of sending her after me. Sweet kid, but she's twelve and thinks we're soul mates. Obsessive much?"

The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow and was going to say something when the phone rang.

"Coming! Coming!" Tails half screamed running from his workshop and taking the receiver to his ear. When he was done talking, he turned to Sonic, "Amy's coming here in a few minutes..."

Sonic stiffened. "Oh.... hell..." Then he was gone, a trail of smoke left in his wake. "I refuse to go without a battle!!!" The blanket, once folded, now fluttered gently to the floor.

The black hedgehog was never able to say something as the door was slammed open and a pink creature threw herself at Shadow's neck.

"Oh, Sonic! I missed you so much! Have you heard those terrible things that happened yesterday night? A whole base decimated! Do you really think that it was just an accident?"

"It was no incident. It was me."

The pink hedgehog, confused, released her hold on the neck and step back a few feet. When she noticed that her 'Sonic' was covered in blood, she screamed terrified with all her lungs.

Knuckles clapped his hands over his unseen ears, and bellowed for Sonic, the hero skidding out into the living room, looking around excitedly, but also in fear.

"She gone already? Geez that was fast!" He probably would've relaxed next, if a pink blur hadn't hurled herself at him.

Amy, the pink blur, pointed at Shadow, "He... he.... he said that..."

"That I killed them all. Wonderful isn't it?" The black one finished for her. He didn't liked her at all, especially after how she introduced herself to him, and thus he enjoyed scaring the hell outta her.

Sonic rolled his eyes to the ceiling in a 'why me' fashion, before looking down at the girl before him. "Don't worry about Shadow, Ames, he just has a.... really.... morbid sense of humor...." He raised his eyebrow at the dark hedgehog.

"He's going to be staying with us for a while, you know, until he can get some business attended to and find his own bearings, blah blah etc. etc. He's a cool guy, once you get to know him...." He waited till she was looking at Shadow to take a large step backwards, trying to make space between them in case she decided to fly at him again.

Shadow's eyes narrowed at her, clearly showing that he didn't like her at all. Amy back stepped, "But Sonic..." She said trying to tell him her discomfort and the fact that he was killing her with just his eyes, "He's covered in blood!" She finally managed to say.

"Oh, that?" Sonic searched his mind for a believable excuse. "Um.....it's a....um.....crap..." He dug his fingers into his quills, trying hard to think of something, anything to use as an excuse.

"It's the prank joke we used to wake Sonic up this morning," Knuckles growled from behind Sonic, his teeth pulled up into a smile. "He didn't want to say anything because we made him scream like a girl..."

"You did not!!" Sonic snapped, quills standing on end.

"Hush, with your high notes. You can wash up now Shadow, I think he's plenty awake." Knuckles gestured for Shadow to follow him and retreated into the house area, leaving Sonic to fend for himself against Amy.

The black hedgehog shrugged, but followed the red echidna, "Why did you cover for me like that?" He asked, not wanting to finish at first, "I almost killed you..." He finally whispered.

"Almost. While I have not completely forgiven you for that, you are still Sonic's guest, and could've disposed of us both quite easily I'm certain, since Sonic seems to refuse to actually fight against you." Knuckles growled. "He's going to trust the wrong person one day and get himself killed. Up until the end of yesterday, I was certain said killer would be you."

"What made you change your mind? I could still go crazy and kill him. I'm not that entirely sane, you saw that, didn't you?"

"I have reason to doubt your sanity; but I've questioned my own, and that of others around me far too many times to hold that as a good excuse for digging you a grave and dropping you in it." Knuckles grinned just barely. "Plus I believe having Sonic stuck to you like he is right now to be punishment enough."

"Having Sonic around is a punishment?" He asked a little confused as they stopped in front of a closed door.

"He hasn't challenged you to a race yet. Believe me, the little beast is as annoying as it gets when he's gloating. Sonic hasn't lost yet, though he's come close...." He set a hand on the door they'd halted before and pushed it open, "This is the bathroom here; I trust you'll figure your way around? Oh, and mind the water, it's rather cold at first."

The black hedgehog shrugged, "I have a lot of patience, and yes, I can figure my way around." He said entering in the bathroom and taking off shoes and gloves, which were completely covered in blood.

Knuckles closed the door behind the bloodied furry, and debated going back out into the living room, where it was obvious a rather distressed Sonic was trying to talk his way out of being dragged on a shopping spree.

"Knuckles!!! A little help?!"

Knuckles grinned to himself. 'I think I'll stay back here for a little while...'

As Shadow heard Sonic's plea for help, he opened the door and looked at the echidna, "Will you tell that pink nuisance that if she doesn't stop, I'm gonna kill her?" He inquired, sounding fairly annoyed.

"If you can get past the hammer she swings, you're welcome to try..." Knuckles said dryly. "Though I doubt Sonic would be too pleased. Amy's annoying, but he far from wishes her dead." Sonic was yelling at Amy to let go of him; most likely, she had him tackled to the floor again.

"I said no, Amy!"

"But it'll be just like a date!!"

"Now it's DEFINITELY no!!!"

Shadow sighed heavily, "Excuse me, Red One. I'll be back in a minute." He said walking to the living room.

The black hedgehog approached the pink girl and grabbed her by an arm, then he brought her to his eye level a little too much roughly, "Now listen here, little annoyance: If you don't stop whining, I'll be ripping your head off; Your little childish demands are making me pretty mad."

"And when I'm mad, I'm far from being in control even of my thoughts. Now, this is a warning. Do not press the matter further. Do you understand?" He asked burning his eyes into hers.

Amy gave a loud squeak of acknowledgement, seemingly too scared to answer with actual words. Her frightened eyes were darting back and forth from Shadow to Sonic, obviously expecting the blue hedgehog to intervene. Sonic stood from the floor, and gently placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder, trying to get his attention before he seriously hurt the little female.

Shadow diverted his eyes from Amy to Sonic, "What?" He asked, dropping his coldness in his voice and eyes.

"While the clinging isn't high on my list of favorite things that Amy does, I would kind of appreciate you leaving her head on her neck, between her shoulders, where it belongs, okay?" He grinned.

Amy looked slightly more relaxed, but kept her eyes on Shadow apprehensively, unsure whether to rejoice being saved yet.

Shadow closed is eyes, "If this is what you whish, then so be it. But the warning is still valid. You have seen it, Sonic. I hardly control myself when I'm mad." He released the pink hedgehog and left for the bathroom.

Amy fled soon after Shadow retreated to the back of the house, telling Sonic that she'd find a way to save him from the homicidal maniac he was dealing with. Sonic just rolled his eyes as he nodded and waved her out the door, watching her disappear from the window. As soon as she was out of sight, he went and flopped down onto the couch.

"Safe at last..."

At the same time, the black hedgehog walked past the echidna with a small crazy smirk and closed the door of the bathroom behind him, finally getting peace and a shower.

Knuckles looked after him, somewhat surprised, and heard Sonic's relieved sigh. Guessing that Shadow had chased Amy off he smirked himself slightly, and went out into the living room, taking the absence of pink to mean his guess was right.

The Guardian looked at Sonic, "Let me guess. He threatened her to kill her if she didn't shut up, am I right?"

"As usual." Sonic closed his eyes. "It got rid of her, though she seems to think he's threatening my life to let him stay here. She's vowed to liberate me from his evil grasp."

Knuckles nodded slightly, "You should tell her that she's going to mess up big time. Shadow may be quiet and reserved, but if triggered... well... you saw in the forest how he acted, right?"

"Saw enough to know that I'll never leave Shadow alone with her. Even I want to kill her some of the time...." Sonic's face hardened but his eyes stayed closed. "Shadow wouldn't just want to, I imagine..."

"Sonic, Shadow is dangerous, and extremely so. Most of the times he's in control of himself, but when he gets strong negative emotions, he'll go crazy again. Be careful. I do not want to bury you." He said seriously.

Sonic opened one eye to look directly at Knuckles, "I know. I don't intend to get myself killed any time soon, Red. And if I do, it won't be Shadow that does it. I'm pretty sure of that." Then he smiled, despite the conversation. "Besides, when am I ever NOT careful?"

Knuckles raised an eyebrow at the blue hedgehog, "First of all, you're NEVER careful, second, why do you trust him so much? And tell me the truth."

"I trust him for pretty much the same reason I trusted you when we first met. I can see he's a pawn in someone's scheme and needs someone to hit him over the head and shove him in the right direction." Sonic closed his eye again. "Just like you were."

The echidna growled a little, then he sighed and sat next to Sonic, "And how do you know that he won't kill you in a fit of madness?"

"Didn't kill me yesterday, did he?" Sonic shrugged, and opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. "I guess...I don't know for sure.... but Shadow seems to know somehow...I mean, during his fit in the woods, he called you by name, he knew who you were. So if he recognizes me then well, I just work from there."

"He kept calling me Red One, but yes he seemed to recognize me. As for you, what happened after I passed out?"

"Nothing really, Shadow kinda.....went out of it. And then Tails showed up and warned us about the guards coming." Sonic grinned, "And Shadow got us back here with.... some kinda light thing...." He made odd loops with his hands to emphasize.

"Sonic... Shadow would have never snapped out of it alone. Tell me the truth."

"If I was to say...no..... what would happen...?" Sonic looked at the Guardian, smiling guiltily.

Knuckles sighed, "Sonic, I need to know, I might need this information to stop him next time he goes mad."

The sapphire shrugged, before speaking again. "....I told him that the choices he was making weren't the right ones, and that he didn't have to be the monster GUN wants to portray him as." Sonic looked away. "Anything else you want to know, you'll have to ask Shadow; I'm not going to tell you everything that happened unless he wants me to."

Knuckles watched Sonic in the eyes, the he sighed and flopped on the back of the couch. "I'm not sure he will talk to me of that, Sonic. How did you managed to make him talk?"

Sonic looked down, seeming to think about it. "I'm not sure...I guess it was because I let him know I still trust him and accept him...something like that..." Sonic blinked, pondering, and pulled his feet up onto the couch. "It's...kinda complicated....... not sure really what happened..."

The echidna smirked, "I should have known it.." He muttered getting up and going into the kitchen, "Ah, after Shadow is done, it's your turn to get a shower." He said before disappearing into the other room.

"Yes, mother...." Sonic stuck his tongue out after the Guardian, and wrapped his arms around his legs, curling so that he could bury his muzzle into the 'cushion.' With a loud sigh, he closed his eyes, muttering about how Knuckles wasn't the boss of him.

It took Shadow more than a half a hour to get all the blood out of his fur, but when he was done he was back at being his usual black and red self, and the white tuft of fur was spotless like it had never seen a drop of red substance.

His shoes and gloves, however, were another story; he was carrying them in his hands, the shoes in his left, the gloves in his right, and both pairs were still covered in it.

Sonic's ears pricked when he heard the water stop running, not even noticing he'd been listening until it wasn't there anymore. He lifted his head, trying to see down as far as the bathroom.

The black hedgehog appeared in the living room, his fur slightly matted down by the water that he couldn't get off with the towels; he sat on the couch next to Sonic.

"I see that the little nuisance is gone."

"Amy? Yeah, she left as soon as you were out of earshot. I think she's scared of you." He gave Shadow a reproving look, "Not that you were helping the situation...."

Shadow smirked evilly, "She asked for it. And I'm pleased that she's scared of me. I don't like her at all."

"You only just met her," Sonic blinked at the dark hedgehog in disbelief. "I mean, you haven't even really done that, either...." He tried to think of why Shadow would dislike her already.

The black one hummed a little, "Well, I heard of how she clings to you and asks you out on 'dates' you don't want. She doesn't understand that and continues pestering you. That behavior makes me sick. Especially if you add the whining."

"Heh, yeah she does whine and talk a lot...but Amy has her good points, under all that pink. She's a sweet kid, I would like her better if she didn't ask me to marry her every other day..." He sighed. "She's a little starstruck over the whole hero thing; when she grows up a little, she'll probably find herself a really nice guy."

"Until then, she's more the bratty little sister you really want to kick half the time." He massaged his temples, another sigh escaping.

"Then keep her out of my sight. I don't know what will happen if I hear her whining again. Really Sonic, I'm not the type of guy that would kill for something like this, but her whining really annoy me, and the last time I got annoyed with someone, that someone got hurt pretty badly."

"I don't think you have to worry, she'll keep her distance. I'm just hoping she won't take the exploiting thing too far..." Sonic groaned softly. "She's convinced you're a demon spawn and such. It usually fades in a day or two though."

Shadow smiled again his dark smirk, "Hmm... I'd like to see if, once in front of me, she can take me on without cowering for fear." He said with a little amusement.

"Oh, c'mon Shadow, be nice." Sonic rolled his eyes. "At least you won't have to worry about being the one she cowers behind. She's already thinking I like her more than I really do since I kept you from collecting her skull earlier."

The black hedgehog moved and in less than a second he was face to face with Sonic, their noses almost touching, "You want me tell her to leave you be? I just need persuade her with a little threat here and there, and I'm sure that she'll leave you alone as long as I'm around. And maybe more." He whispered, locking ruby eyes with emerald ones.

Sonic had to fight to keep the blood from rushing to his face. "I don't think that's the best of plans, Shads. I think she'll grow out of it, same as Knuckles grew out of using me as a punching ba--no, wait, he still does that..." Sonic put a finger to his mouth in thought.

Shadow advanced a little more so their noses were touching, "Are you sure of that? She's pretty stubborn with you. I'd be glad to help." With a hint of a sweet smile and wishing eyes.

The sapphire hedgehog didn't answer, he was too busy trying to remember how the whole breathing thing went, for his lungs were suddenly devoid of all air, and he felt more than a little woozy. He worked his mouth, trying to force his voice out.

The black hedgehog went a little further, "So? What do you say? It's not a big deal, she will steer clear of you for the next ten years or so, and when she's finally out of her fear, she will be all grown up and she will probably have forgotten that she was so obsessed with you."

"You...think that's really healthy for her...?" Sonic squeaked, sinking back into the couch. "I mean.... I don't want her to end up with.. you know, permanent damage or trauma...or something those lines...." Shadow moved to the blue hedgehog's side and folded his arms on his shoulder, leaning his head a little on them, and thought about what Sonic had asked.

Sonic turned his face downward and to a slight angle, so that Shadow wouldn't notice the blood rushing to his face. Maybe he could scoot away enough so that Shadow would move automatically? He made an attempt, but instead of moving over to the side, he slid off the back of the couch and onto the actual seat cushions, ending up on his back.

Shadow, sensing that the blue hedgehog was moving, lifted himself from the shoulder he was leaning on and watched as Sonic fell on the couch on his back; a thought crossed his mind, and he smirked devilish before realizing it.

With a quick move, he laid down over the blue one and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his head on them and looking at Sonic in the eyes, "Let's do it like this. I won't scare her too much so a psychoanalyst won't have too much trouble getting her back to normal. Is that acceptable?" He asked trying to sound as little evil as he could.

Sonic's ears folded back as Shadow leaned in close, and he gave a small noise of slight discomfort and surprise, debating whether or not he should try squirming, or tell Shadow to get off of him. Perhaps it was Shadow's weight on his chest, but Sonic seemed to have been cut off from his air supply, and was aware that his face was slowly beginning to burn.

"Wouldn't...getting her back to normal...make her whiny and obsessive all over again?" He inquired, still breathless.

Shadow, sensing that the hedgehog had trouble breathing, unfolded his arms and placed them to either side of Sonic's head and slightly supported his own weight, "Well, " He said, sounding thoughtful, "The first months, perhaps a year or two, she will be scared and crying a lot, but I assure you that as soon as she surpass it, she will be back to normal, minus that annoying whining."

He paused and neared his face to the other's so their noses were almost touching again, "What you say, is that ok? Or do you want to keep the annoying brat as she is now?"

Sonic's mind went on lockup, and he searched wildly for an answer to the question. He felt the blush forming beneath his fur already. "You're sure it wouldn't hurt her...?"

The dark one raised an eyebrow, "Depends on what you mean by 'hurt'."

Sonic made an attempt to shrug, but his shoulders were slightly pinned, since his arms were weighed down. "Well, Amy's.... a pest, but you know, I do still care about her as a friend.... maybe not the most tolerable friend, but a friend...I don't want to force her to make changes until I know for sure she can handle them, or it might not be Amy I'm talking to anymore.... am I making any sense here?"

Shadow smiled, "You have a pure golden heart, Sonic." He said getting up and sitting properly.

He leaned his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes, "No wonder that you managed to stop my madness." He whispered loud enough for himself and Sonic to hear.

"I WISH I had a golden heart," Sonic muttered. "It'd be a killer chest pain, and a hell of a weight, but it'd make paying the rent so much easier."

"I thought heroes didn't had to pay rents..."

"Again, I wish." He heaved a loud sigh. "Although we don't have to pay as much as we should, with the low income we get with the world saving, and what Tails make for the transportation corporations, the little guy refuses to charge what he should, we usually end up making a few late payments here and there. They don't get as rude as they would with some people though, cause we're walking ads."

Shadow looked at Sonic with a raised eyebrow, "Walking... ads?"

"Advertisements. When you become really popular with the public, you get a lot of random people mimicking what you do and how you act. And me and Tails choosing a particular site to live or food to eat makes it seem like we prefer a certain companies' merchandise to another's."

Sonic 'shrugged' again. "It sounds weird I know, but they use us living here to promote the homes and stuff they sell and rent."

"I wouldn't be too happy with that..."

"Yeah, but it could be worse, so it doesn't really matter much. Plus, I doubt people with lousy pay like me really want these houses for the scenery. Tails and I picked this spot because it's secluded enough where if one of his little experiments goes wrong you won't have to deal with neighbors." Sonic smiled. "And that's a serious blessing..."

Shadow chuckles a little, "I wonder if I will ever be able to live under the sun and not always hiding to keep myself away. But I guess... that it'll be just an unreachable dream for me as seeing how my mind was ruined and distorted during that incident... If back then I was just emotionally closed to everyone but Maria, now I'm psychologically unstable..."

Sonic's ears pricked. This was new. "Maria? Sister or something?" The incident Shadow spoke of was probably the ARK Incident, Shadow's key focus for all his hate and sadness, which classed 'Maria' as one of the murdered family.

Shadow mumbled out something before looking up at the ceiling, "Like I said before, I was created, not born. My DNA was so heavily manipulated that I can't consider the hedgehog that Gerald took the blood from, my parent. I am the only one in the line as Gerald wasn't on the weapon thing, but more on a cure for his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik.

Since birth, Maria suffered of an illness called 'Immunodeficiency Syndrome'. At that time, it was incurable, so he brought her to the colony to keep her safe from virus.

After several years, he came to the conclusion that maybe the Chaos Emeralds held the key to a cure, and thus he created me. But since he didn't like the fact that I could be used against mankind, Gerald made his granddaughter teach me everything, so I would be able to follow my own path.

When GUN came to know this, they raided the ARK, killing everyone. Maria was killed in front of my eyes while I was trapped inside an escape capsule. I saw her die a painful death, and I was unable to save her."

The black hedgehog closed his eyes as the tears fell, "I was created to save her, and all I could do was watch her die in front of me while she spent her last moments to send me to the planet. And in the end it was a futile attempt to save as GUN found me still trapped inside the capsule..."

Sonic looked to the side, silence his only answer to the tale Shadow had relived. He felt horrible, knowing what the other was going through, wishing he knew of some way he could've helped...

Shadow took a deep breath, "Then I was captured and brought to one of their bases, where they tried to force into doing their dirty works, but as I refused, they imprisoned me into a cryogenic capsule, and there, they left me for fifty years...

"...until the grandson of Gerald released me and asked the same thing GUN wanted. To be a weapon of mass destruction." He finished lowering his head and hunching over and folding his arms on his legs.

"Now, do you understand why I'm so unstable?"

Sonic closed his eyes and sighed, then pushed himself upright onto the sofa. "I think so.... but I don't know.... if there'd be enough left of me to go unstable...if everyone was killed...." Sonic kept his eyes trained on the ground, "I would've dead inside, I think...I mean, I hardly know you, and I almost went crazy when you disappeared the other night."

"If it was Knuckles...Tails...dying in front of me....." He let the sentence hang.

"Sorry if I made you preoccupied..." He said regretfully.

"No. I suppose it's a good thing." Sonic mumbled. "I mean, just a little while ago, Knuckles was telling me I'm not careful enough...and these kinda things.... they make you realize just how strong a person is.....I would've ended up becoming Robotnik's weapon on the spot, if it meant getting back at GUN...."

His brow furrowed. "But I know what Robotnik's like, so if it was me right now.... I don't know..."

Shadow looked at him, "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that you've been stronger than I would've been...." Sonic looked at him with respect well shown.

Shadow sighed and slightly shook his head, "No Sonic, if I was really strong, I wouldn't have killed all those humans..."

"You stopped though." Sonic pointed out. "You didn't become what they wanted you to be, a weapon, even if it was against them. You got close, you said you didn't care if innocents got in your way.....but you stopped in time..."

He closed his eyes and lowered his head, "I might not be able to do it next time..."

"If you keep thinking you won't, you won't. Don't worry about next time for now, I'll be there to help you stop. Maybe we'll find a way to keep you from even starting." Sonic stretched, and sighed. "Ugh Knux was right, I need a shower...."

Shadow nodded slightly and curled up on the couch and looked at Sonic, "Why you're trying to help me so much?"

"Um...." Sonic slumped a little, thinking of how best to answer. "Well, you needed help when you were in the fire...and obviously, you still need my help. Some old proverb says when you save someone, you're from then on responsible for that person, and they owe you a debt of life. Half of that applies here I guess, though I'm not really obligated to help you..."

"Though you being my friend justifies all of the above, doesn't it?"

Shadow looked away, "Friend... a word that I haven't heard since fifty years ago..." He whispered sadly.

"Well, you've heard it now, and you'll probably hear it a lot more while you're living here. Part of the vocabulary like any other word, so it gets used quite a bit."

The black hedgehog looked back at Sonic in the eyes with deep gratitude for having rescued him from his own madness and having given him something else than just hate and sorrow.

Sonic smiled back, scooting to the edge of the couch slowly. "You gonna be alright out here? The shower calls to me, and the hot water will be a nice relaxing change. I feel like my arms and legs are dying here..."

Shadow nodded, "Yeah, you can go. You'll find me here when you're back. Unless something happens that force me to move."

"If said something is Knuckles, ignore him, he's a hotheaded idiot and he does it to start fights. I'd advise not sparring with him, it really hurts when he gets you in the jaw." Sonic stood up and nearly fell backwards. "Whoa!!"

The dark hedgehog raised an eyebrow at that, "What's up, Sonic? Want me to carry you to the bathroom?" He asked in the same voice he used before when he was taunting him about scaring Amy and he was under him.

Sonic flushed. "Um, no...I'm good, I lost the circulation to my legs is all...sat down too long." He kept a hand on the coffee table until he was sure he could stand on his own. He made it halfway to the hall before his legs crumpled under him again, and cursed from the floor.

Shadow shook his head and stood up; he walked to Sonic and crouched next to him, smiling somewhat devilish. With a quick move, he cradled the blue hedgehog in his arms and took him to the bathroom, "Want me to assist you in showering?" He asked in hushed tone into the ear of the other hedgehog.

It was strange, but he enjoyed taunting Sonic like that; it made him... feel warm inside and somewhat happy.

Red would never begin to define the color Sonic's face went. He couldn't even answer, he was so shocked and embarrassed. The sapphire hedgehog kept his eyes on the floor, hoping Shadow couldn't see his face.

Shadow placed the blue hedgehog down and kept him upright by rounding his waist with his right arm meanwhile his left hand went under his chin and raised his head so he could see Sonic's face.

"What's up, Sonic?" He asked looking directly into green emerald eyes.

Sonic gave a half-silent squeak in reply to the arm sliding around his waist and tried to unhook himself from Shadow's grip so he could hide his flushed muzzle. Of course, the dark hedgehog had been locked up for fifty years...maybe there was the slight hope that he didn't know what the blush meant?

Shadow tilted his head a little to the side and raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Sonic?" He asked timidly, "Are... you ok? You're all red under your fur. You sure you haven't a flu?" He asked placing his hand on Sonic's brow to try to somewhat get an approximation of his temperature.

Sonic ducked under the hand, relieved. "It's...nothing, just a little embarrassed. I'm not sick, feeling fine..." His voice sounded a little light regardless, but Sonic had to say something before Shadow made his face catch fire.

Shadow tilted his head to the other side, "Embarrassed? Why?" He asked like a confused child.

"Well.... I’m the one taking care of you.... so you shouldn't really have to help me walk....." Sonic averted his eyes since he couldn't turn his head away. At least the blush seemed to be receding now...

Shadow smiled gently, "But I want to repay you, Sonic. And this is the only way I know of...." He turned his head away and released the blue hedgehog's chin, "Besides the killing..." He whispered softly.

Sonic smiled back, fighting the urge to duck down into a quilled ball. "Yeah.... thanks..." He was silently thanking whatever force hadn't let Shadow keep holding onto him like that...

Shadow looked back and managed to lock his eyes with Sonic's, "So... you want me to help or I should get out?" He asked unconsciously bringing the other hedgehog a little closer.

Okay, never mind, the blood was rushing back into his and the air was once again steamrolled from his lungs. He had to bite his tongue to keep from yelping in surprise.

"I can.....I can manage......" He stuttered.

Shadow nodded somewhat sadly as he slowly made Sonic sat on the edge of the bathtub, "If you need me, you just have to shout. ok?" He said turning around and starting to walk away.

"Okay..." Sonic whispered, his voice trying to give out. Man, what was wrong with him today? Shadow was doing this on purpose, he knew how Sonic would react. Knuckles probably gave him the idea.....well, then again, Knuckles wasn't much for this sort of practical joke, and Shadow more than likely wouldn't have gone along with it.

So did that mean that Shadow had been doing all this by accident, or was it on purpose without a set objective? Sonic shook his head, deciding he was thinking on it too much, then turned around on the tub's side and began filling the tub full of water.

If he couldn't stand a take a shower, he'd just have to settle for a bath...

Shadow left the bathroom and closed the door; when he was back in the living room, he saw Knuckles looking at him with a small grin.

The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow, "What?" He asked.

The tan muzzle lifted to show the ivory fangs of the scarlet being, as Knuckles' knowing smirk grew. He looked rather evil when smiling this way, he'd more than once been told, but Knuckles couldn't help it this time.

Shadow's eyes narrowed dangerously as he turned to face directly the Guardian, "Are you trying to make fun of me, Red One?"

Knuckles own brow raised, but the smile remained. "I'm simply amused, is all...." He gestured toward the bathroom from his seat on the couch. "The effect you have on Sonic is strange; I have never seen him so awkward with anyone before..."

The black hedgehog's eyes relaxed and he raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, "Uh?"

"He is nervous around you, which for Sonic, is odd." The fighter rested his chin on his namesakes, careful of the spikes. "He is usually very straightforward in all things, but when around you, he becomes quite reserved.... it is interesting to me...."

Shadow shrugged, "I admit that I'm confusing myself too, I have never been so straightforward with anyone. It... intrigues me... I mean, I quickly became to like his presence around me." He said sitting on the couch.

"Maybe it's because he's the key to my sanity."

"Sonic keeps quite a few people from going mad, but the actions towards them and those towards you are different, very much so. He becomes.... calmer with you, more thoughtful." Knuckles tilted his muzzle upward, studying the ceiling. "I would say as though he were talking to a child, but he speaks to Tails in another manner unlike the one he uses for you...."

"Why would he talk to me like I was a child?" He asked crossing his arms.

"I am saying he doesn't, Shadow, but the tone he uses with you makes me think of that which you hear a caretaker using. And yet they are not the same." He closed his eyes. "Sonic has often confused me in the past with his whimful actions, but this is more planned than those. Which is why I wonder the reasoning behind it."

He grinned again, his eyes remaining shut. "Though it is rather entertaining to hear him stutter over his words like that..."

Shadow grinned too, "Yes, indeed. But sometimes he confuses me more than normal. Back in the bathroom he was red in the face, but he had no flu... he said that he was embarrassed, but I couldn't understand why..."

Knuckles' grin grew wider. "Sonic is a prideful person, he enjoys others thinking him to be stronger than he truly is. It most likely made him feel silly when his legs decided they didn't want him to get to the bathroom on his own...."

"Of course, it could be other things, but that's the only explanation I can give you without seeing what happened myself."

Shadow tilted his head a little to the side, "Oh." He said understanding. Then he let a small devilish smirk cross his face, "I guess that I like to taunt him too much..." He confessed to the Guardian.

He opened his eyes and returned the grin. "Don't we all? Let's face it, for a hero, Sonic doesn't do so well under pressure. I've used it more than once to force him into telling me things he refused to."

Shadow's grin widened, "I guess that I'll be taunting him around so much that he wont do anything else than be embarrassed and stutter around."

The Echidna chuckled under his breath. "I wouldn't overdo it, Shadow, or he might try to avoid you all together simply to save himself the blushes." He smiled to himself. "Though, I don't think he will. The hedgehog is rather.... attached to you."

Shadow looked up at the echidna, "Blushes? What are those?" He asked confused.

Knuckles stared at Shadow in surprise. "Do you remember when you spoke of Sonic being embarrassed? When he was all red?"

Shadow nodded quickly like he was a child learning from his mother; his eyes were slightly wide as he straightened a little and he directed his ears towards the red echidna in full attention.

"That is called blushing. It usually happens when you're embarrassed and blood rushes to your face." Knuckles waved his hand slightly. "It also happens in intimate moments, but I doubt we need to worry about that...."

Shadow slightly lowered his head and brought a hand to his mouth, "So, that's what happened in there..." He whispered to himself.

"More than likely, unless he really is sick and was lying. Sonic hates being confined to one area, and as fast as he is, he's prone to having an extended period of time with colds when he does catch them, rare as that is."

The black hedgehog looked towards the bathroom, then back at the echidna, "Have you ever tried to tying him to a bed?"

"Once, when Robotnik managed to inject him with a poison of sorts. The little monster down right refused to be treated, so Tails and I resulted to less than kind maneuvers." Knuckles shrugged. "He regards the whole thing as one of the worst of insults. He won't even buy himself a proper bed now in case I get ideas; prefers that hammock of his."

Shadow chuckled, "Then I guess that next time I'll be pinning him down for you to cure him. It appears... that I won't need strength..."

"So you'll be staying with us then?" Knuckles grinned. "Sonic will be pleased, I'm sure."

Shadow sighed heavily, "Yes, I owe him too much to disappear again. Besides, like I said before, he's the key to my sanity. If I leave, I might end up killing again."

Knuckles nodded. "Well, I am glad to here it. Sonic was distraught enough the first time.... speaking of Sonic..." He looked toward the bathroom. "For him taking a shower, it's oddly quiet. I don't hear any water running...."

Shadow stood up, "I'm going to see what's he's doing. I don't want to find him drowned." He said, walking towards the bathroom.

"Perhaps that is a good idea....." Knuckles murmured after him.

Sonic meanwhile, had already gotten into his bath water a while ago, rather peeved that it wasn't as warm as he would've wanted, but he didn't feel like waiting until there was more hot water. At that exact time, he was holding his breath underwater, counting the seconds, not for any real reason, it was just something to do.

He'd hit a full minute and was still struggling on, when his ears, to his displeasure, unfolded, detecting a water-muddled sound outside of the room, and filling with the clear liquid as well. He ignored the discomfort, deciding that he might as well keep counting, since he'd gotten so far.

Shadow knocked on the door, "Sonic? Sonic, you ok in there?" He asked a little louder than usual to be heard even from behind the door.

Sonic snapped above the water to answer when he made out Shadow's voice through the somewhat deafening effects of the bath water. The sudden wall of air shocked his respiratory system and threw him into a loud coughing fit before he could reply to the other's question.

The black hedgehog, hearing the coughs was relieved, yet he was preoccupied that Sonic was not well at all, "Sonic. Sonic, are you alright in there? Are you feeling well?"

Sonic gripped the edge of the tub until the coughing subsided, and tried to slow down his breathing so he wouldn't wheeze. As he recovered, he attempted to find his voice, which seemed to have been swallowed at one point in the attack.

"I'm...okay...fine, fine..." He manage to rasp out, holding his throat, since it had begun to burn.

Shadow looked at the echidna with preoccupied eyes, "Do I have to believe him?"

"He always says he's fine when he's sick....." Knuckles stood and began making his way to the door. "There's nothing more meaningless than Sonic saying he's fine, believe me."

"I...heard that, mutt..." Sonic growled, despite his aching throat. "You wait till I get out there...I'll rip your.... dreads off..." Sonic was pushing himself out of tub, but slid on the wet side of the tub and tumbled to the floor with a loud thudding sound. "Ow...."

Shadow definitively didn't like that sound; he grabbed the handle of the door and opened it, seeing the blue hedgehog on the ground. He walked next to him and crouched, "No one that is fine lays on the floor." He muttered helping him into a sitting position, "Now, tell me. Are you ok or not? And I want the truth."

"I slipped out of the tub. I'm fine, just wet and peeved." Sonic pouted, glaring, but not really at anyone. If the gaze did have a recipient, it was probably the open door.

The black hedgehog stood up, bringing with him Sonic, "And how the hell did you slip?" He asked letting go of the hedgehog to see if he could stand up on his own.

Knuckles looked at the blue hedgehog and leaned on the doorway with crossed arms, "It's not like you to slip on the tub, Sonic." He confirmed.

Sonic raised an eyebrow, but looked away and down, teetering on the heels of his feet just barely, yet keeping his height. They were ganging up on him. Typical of Knuckles, but Shadow helping him was an unseen disadvantage. "I wasn't paying attention..." He growled.

Shadow nodded, and seeing that the blue hedgehog wasn't falling, he walked away, "Dry up, Sonic. You don't want to get a cold, do you?" He said before disappearing from the room.

Knuckles looked at him and smirked, then he followed Shadow to the living room.

Sonic glared after the two, until they vanished out of the door, then sighed shakily. Another close call. Really, Sonic was beginning to think Knuckles just knew when the best time to accuse Sonic about lying about his health was. He did, Sonic was sure, because he enjoyed torturing the blue hero. Medical work was the Guardian's payback.

Shadow sat back on the couch, "I swear, I have never been so preoccupied about someone so often..." He confessed to the echidna.

"Sonic is easy to worry about. He is far too kind, too giving for his own good, and where in some cases, such as yours and mine, that is quite a trait to find in anyone." He looked as though he wasn't standing in the room with Shadow, but was somewhere else.

"However, not everyone he meets will be a friend to Sonic, and I think he is rather foolish to believe otherwise. Giving someone a chance.... that is all right. Taking risks that could end with a separate head and body is not."

The black hedgehog nodded, "You still have to protect him from me," He said looking down at his gloveless hands, "In the woods he was able to stop me, but I don't know if he can do it next time... I... don't want to hurt him..."

"I'm sure you don't, but I don't believe it's yours, or my, decision. Not anymore. Sonic will feel hurt no matter what happens, if you leave or if you stay. In your leaving he would become as he did become, worried and fasting; he did not even speak until I told him I'd track you."

"And if through staying, you do come to attack him and harm him..." Knuckles left that sentence hang. "I find myself less sure than I was before that if you do try to murder Sonic, you will succeed. Whatever he used to bring you back is obviously anchoring you down, right now, is it not?"

Shadow remained silent for some seconds, then he folded his arms on his knees and looked at the ground, "Yes... there's something in him that keeps me and my sanity anchored together... yet... if I go mad again, there's no guarantee that he'll be able to successfully stop me. When I was in that state, I just wanted to kill, kill and kill again. I couldn't stop..."

"Yet I distinctly remember you telling both of us that you would not harm us unless we interfered." Knuckles said, pointedly. "Which tells us that while you are not fully in control of your actions, something is fighting to give the innocent parties a chance to run."

"Knowing Sonic, he would try to stop you anyway but since there's at least some part of your conscious mind present, perhaps that is what Sonic grasped hold of to bring you back."

The black hedgehog looked at him, "I remember entering the base, the killing, the run to the forest, but not exactly how I did it. It was like a bad shaped dream. All rushed and poor of details. That is until I met with you. There, my mind started to clear, but just barely to not kill you straight away. Then Sonic spoke to me, and everything just fell into place."

Knuckles smiled. "Then Sonic has found something about you, or himself maybe, to hold you from whatever it is that compels your madness. After all, no one is born insane, something happens to make us that way."

Shadow looked in the purple eyes of the echidna before sighing and flopping on the back of the couch, "The fact is... that I was not born, but created. I was never five years old, nor a teen for I was brought to this world directly with this body.

That is another reason that I'm this unstable. I never had an infancy where you learned how to live. They gave me a body of a weapon of mass destruction and just threw me into the world. If it wasn't for the granddaughter of my creator I would be totally clueless and GUN would use me for their dirty works, telling me that it was the right thing to do."

Knuckles gave him a sympathetic look. "Then Sonic has helped us both in similar ways."

"I guess you're right." He said closing his eyes.

"Right about what?" Sonic stepped into the living room, vigorously rubbing his head quills with a towel, trying hard to get out the remaining moisture. His fur, still somewhat wet, and a strange glisten to it, making it seem more silver than blue. "What's Knuckles right about?"

The black hedgehog opened his eyes and looked at Sonic, "We were just talking about my moment of madness yesterday and how you managed to stop me."

Sonic frowned. "That again? You two are like a broken record." He flopped down on the floor in front of the couch, since there was no real room for him. "I mean, you all keep talking about how horrible it was and stuff. Relax, it's over." He sneezed as he finished.

Shadow smirked, "No, Sonic. We talked more deeply about it, and I told him what was happening in my mind while I was in that status."

"Ah. So he knows about that girl? And everything?" Sonic seemed on the verge of relief, teetering, happiness depending on Shadow's answer.

"Although I told him of my origins, I have not said names or dwelled into it too much. It is still painful to remember."

"Okay then! That's a start at least." Sonic grinned, and sneezed again. "Crap." He grumbled, then resumed drying his quills.

The black hedgehog chuckled at that sneeze, "Told you to dry off before you could get a cold."

"Would've been dried sooner if I wasn't being interrogated..." The blue hedgehog muttered, trying to reach one of the still dripping quills at the back of his head. "You two just want me to get sick so Knux can have you hold me down and force-feed me Therma-Flu."

The black hedgehog smirked, "It's you that started the interrogating by coming here instead of drying off, so it's not my fault." The echidna, sitting next to him, found himself grinning a little and nodding slightly.

"So it's my fault you two came into the bathroom, acting like you thought I was dying?" Sonic grumbled, almost succeeding in reaching the stubborn quill with the towel, though his arms were starting to ache. "And I am dry. As dry as I'll get, technically..."

The black hedgehog's eyes glinted devilish once again, "Want me to help you dry off, Sonic?" He asked showing his white teeth in a half devil half-sweet smile.

Sonic froze and blinked at Shadow. "Um.....no.. I'm okay..." He mumbled, feeling like he was being stared at by every eye in the world. 'I should smack him with the towel for this. He's REALLY doing it on purpose now...'

The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure of that, Sonic?" He asked as his smile never faded.

"...yeah....." He was slowing losing the frozen feeling and he started to dry his quills again, much slower this time. "I'm good..." Another abrupt sneeze.

Shadow stood up and crouched in front of the blue hedgehog, their noses almost touching once again as ruby locked with emerald, "Are you really, really sure, Sonic?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Sonic made a low murmuring noise, which sounded like a slew of gibberish, as he tried to sort out his voice and keep from heating up again. He looked down, hiding his eyes from the other hedgehog now, since Shadow's were sucking him in.

There was a chuckle, followed soon by laughs as the Guardian saw the even unfold; this was too much even for him. To see Sonic literally lose his voice in embarrassment was truly something.

The black hedgehog turned his head to face him, then he crawled behind the blue furry and took a hold of the towel, "Let me help you here. Quills are difficult to dry, and I don't want to pin you to the floor so the Red One can give you that medicine."

"Not now, at least." He added at last.

Attempting to protest Shadow's help, Sonic mumbled wordlessly, and felt the towel slipping out of his hand, and at first held on. In the end however, he let it slide from his grasp with a loud sighing grumble.

The echidna stood up and walked to the kitchen, "You guys want something to eat?" He asked poking his head into the living room.

Shadow stopped his rubbing and looked at him, "Yes. Everything will do fine." He said resuming his small task.

Knuckles looked at Sonic, "You want something? Perhaps a chili dog like usual?"

Sonic shook his head slowly, eyes flicking back towards Shadow, trying to see what the hedgehog was doing; the rubbing was obvious, but he was being paranoid at the moment. "...not hungry."

Knuckles shrugged and returned into the kitchen. Shadow, instead, took a hold of a strand of quills and started drying them, "What's up, Sonic? You decline a chili dog offer?"

"Not hungry, s'all..." Sonic shrugged, leaning his head back slightly so Shadow wasn't pulling at his quills. "I think of more than food, you know...." he grinned to himself. "Every once in a while."

The black hedgehog took another strand of quills and worked on them, "Listening to Tails, you're too obsessed with that type of food to decline an offer like that."

"Well, why eat if I'm not hungry? It's kinda...pointless, isn't it? Unless I'm bored or it's ice cream. Ice cream can never be turned down." Sonic was grinning wildly now. "Besides...Knuckles makes...REALLY bad chilidogs..."

"I heard that, hedgehog!" Came the bellowed comment of the echidna from the kitchen. Shadow smiled and shook his head, moving on with his drying task and careful to not pull the blue hedgehog's quill too much.

"Oh crap..." Sonic's head sunk down between his shoulders. "I forgot that just because I can't see his ears, doesn't mean I get away with telling the truth...." He was still beaming though, even if the smile had shrunk.

It took Shadow just a few minutes to dry all the quills on Sonic's head, and when he was done he stood up, "Done." He announced looking down at the hedgehog.

"Already?" Sonic blinked, looking confused. "It usually takes an hour to dry them when I do it...."

The dark hedgehog chuckled, "I guess that you don't know how to do that, right?"

Sonic stuck his tongue out at the other furry, mocking anger. "Well, if I could see the back of my head, I could probably do it in a few minutes too. I noticed you didn't have your quills perfectly dry when you first came out of the shower."

Shadow crouched again, "You forget what I am, Sonic. I was labeled by my creator as 'the ultimate life form'. A perfect being unable to get a cold or a flu or any other illness that that weak." He whispered into his ear.

"Oh...right..." Sonic gave a sheepish smile. «.... comes in handy I'll bet though. No Therma-Flu. Man, that stuff is nasty..." The hedgehog shuddered in disgust.

The black creature tilted his head to the side, "I'm not sure of that, Sonic. Albeit I'm immune to most of the diseases, I suffer badly from Chaos Drainages. They could even kill me."

"Chaos.... drainages...?" Sonic leaned back against Shadow to look up at him better. "What's that?"

Shadow placed his arms around the blue figure, "It's... a complicated theory, but in short it says that to live, you use Chaos Energy meddled with your own energy. When you deplete your source of Chaos Energy, you feel pretty tired and you usually end up sleeping a lot to recuperate that energy.

While you are devoid of this energy, you rely exclusively on your own to survive. It's not a big deal. You'll have your supply of Chaos Energy back in a few days, depends on how much of it you can store in your body. But for me it's another story. I told you that I was created with the Chaos Emeralds, right?"

Sonic blinked a few times, trying to process all of the new information, and at the same time, ignore Shadow's arms around him. He found he could pretend they were not present more effectively if he focused fully on Shadow's words. At the other's question he nodded, "So that Gerald guy could cure Maria..."

The black one nodded, "Exactly. You see, Sonic, when I was created, Gerald created me exclusively with Chaos Energy. This means that, if I was depleted of all the Chaos Energy I have in my body, I won’t survive. Luckily, I have plenty of it, so the possibility of that happening is pretty remote."

Sonic nodded again, understanding. "That's good. Even if you do run out though, Knuckles and I can always help." Sonic smiled. "I mean, if you came into contact with a source for Chaos Energy or something, that would help, wouldn't it?"

Shadow shrugged and stood up, "I don't know about that. It never happened and I don't know if my system will start collecting Chaos Energy once it has stopped for lack of it."

"Hmm..." Sonic thought about that. "Well, does that mean you have a fixed supply at all times, or are you constantly remaking it, like the Emeralds do?"

"I truly don't know about that. Gerald never dwelled into it. Maybe I just produce it until I reach the maximum and then stop."

Sonic shifted, making himself more comfortable. "Maybe. I know Knuckles is full of the junk. He can find the Emeralds if he's close enough. Really comes in handy when we're looking for 'Botnik's latest lair and all, though I think he must turn the whole thing off at some point, or he'd know when I'm sneaking up behind him."

The dark hedgehog walked away from Sonic's back and sat on the couch, "Back in the woods he told me that he could sense Chaos Energy, but how can he do that?"

"Well, he grew up around the stuff, and it's technically his job to be able to keep the whole Chaos Energy thing in check." Sonic waved his hands to emphasize. "It's weird, but I guess that's half of him being Guardian and all."

Shadow was going to say something else, but the door slammed open to reveal a pink hedgehog with a hammer in her hands; the dark one's eyes narrowed dangerously on seeing her.

"Unhand my Sonikku, you horrible monster!" The hedgehogette demanded, eyes burning with determination. She stomped into the room, weapon held high over her head. "I know what you're up to, and I won't let you take advantage of him anymore!" She looked like she meant it too.

"Amy...just calm down," Sonic warned, holding his hands up.

"No, Sonic! Don't defend him! I know what's going on, and he's going to let you go and walk out of here!" Amy's voice was full of malice. "Trying to hurt my Sonic to get to me!?! I'll never stand for it! I love my Sonikku and no one else!"

Shadow's ears folded back as his head lowered a little and his quills raised; his eyes narrowed dangerously and he let out a deep guttural growl as a warning.

"Amy, you've got the wrong idea...put the hammer down, okay? Everything's fine--"

"No! He's obviously controlling you!" Amy yelled, swinging her hammer as she came forward. "I won't stand for it another second!" She redirected her attention to Shadow's dark form. "You leave him alone! You can't force him to stop loving me, and I'll never desert my Sonic! Our bond is eternal!" As she ranted, Sonic looked like he was going to laugh and throw up at the same time.

The black hedgehog stood up, "Are you saying... that you want to fight me?" He asked giving her the same crazy grin that he had in the woods, "Do you know... that your life will end here? Is that ok with you?" He asked tilting his head a little to the side as he started to channel Chaos Energy in his right hand.

Amy faltered noticeably, but regained her pluck seconds later. "I'm not afraid of you, monster! I won't let you take my Sonic away!" She grimaced, and tightened her hold on the hammer.

Sonic was grasping Shadow's charged hand. "Don't do it, Shadow." He whispered, trying to bring the hedgehog back before a fight broke out. "It's alright, don't get worked up over her..."

Shadow had difficulties in hearing what Sonic was saying to him; however, his eyes widened a little on hearing his voice for a fraction of a second before resuming a death glare and charging up more Chaos Energy.

"Such a 'courageous' little brat, you are pink nuisance. I wonder, will you be as courageous as you are now once I start tearing you limb from limb?" He asked in his half-crazed state.

"I may not be as strong as you, but Sonic's love is on my side!" Amy countered, and began her advancement again, much slowly and more caustiously.

"Amy, stay back. He means it." Sonic told the girl warningly, but she paid him no mind.

"I'm going to free you, Sonic. Stay out of this!"

Shadow's right hand clenched, and the Chaos Energy brust to life and quickly shaped into a sword of sizzling light; he brought his left hand over his eyes and looked at Amy through his fingers. His crazy grin now full visible on his face.

"So be it, brat. So be it."

"Prepare to die!" Amy yelled, and charged head on, her battle cry accompanied by a shout from Sonic, who was holding onto Shadow by his waist, in futile attempt to keep him there.

Shadow didn't need to move as with a quick move of his left arm he moved the Chaos sword to cut Amy's hammer and make her fall backwards; once he saw her on the ground, he pointed the energy weapon to her forehead.

"Are you ready to die?"

Amy squealed in shock as her only means of defense was sliced in two, and she tumbled backward in surprise, and thanks to Shadow. She gave another squeak of pure terror when the sparking weapon loomed in front of her face.

Sonic reached out and grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the Chaos-made sword, trying to keep Shadow from hurting the obviously defeated female. "Shadow stop, you don't want to do this!"

"It doesn't matter what he does!" Amy blurted, glaring at the dark hedgehog. "I wouldn't come over here if I didn't have something I could use against him even if he does hurt me!"

"Amy, will you shut up?!"

Shadow crouched in front of the pink hedgehog, and even if the blue furry was holding his wrist, he easily planted his Chaos Sword between the fingers of the girl's left hand.

"What DID you do? Be nice and I might... kill you without causing you pain."

"You think I'm dumb enough to come here and attack someone who's hurting the greatest, strongest, and bravest hero in the world, thinking I could win by myself?" Amy laughed breathlessly, her fear still showing through. "No such luck, I'm not that stupid."

"Amy..." Sonic started, but the pink girl continued.

"I told the police where you were, what you were doing!" She was grinning in triumph, for now sirens, though faint, could be heard. "And in a few seconds, you're going to get what you deserve!"

Shadow's eyes opened in shock and his fur stood on end; if she had warned the police that he was there, then GUN surely knew it.

The black hedgehog stood up and closed his eyes; a few seconds later he started chuckling evilly, "You're forgetting, little brat, that I DECIMATED a whole base in a single night. It won’t be hard for me to go out there and kill again."

Knuckles ran into the living room and widened his eyes as he saw what was happening and heard the sirens in the background. His eyes fell on Shadow, and he came to a sudden stop. This was bad. The hedgehog was back into his madness, and Amy was his current target.

The dark one opened his eyes and he looked at her with hate and madness, "But you won’t be there to see it. No... you will be here..." He left the sentence hang for a few seconds, "You will be here with your little pink throat sliced in half. A perfect death for you." He said preparing to deliver the fatal blow, "You will feel your own life slip away from you."

Amy eyes widened, and she looked as though she was about to start screaming.

"Shadow, stop it!" Sonic grabbed the hedgehog and jerked him backwards, throwing off the hedgehog's aim for the girl. "That'll just give them another reason to view you as the bad guy here!"

The dark hedgehog quickly regained his balance and looked at Sonic in the eyes, "Why do you care? The world would be better without people like her. YOU would be better without her annoying presence around."

"Maybe, but this is definitely not the time to be debating on different ways to gut her." Sonic looked over towards the Guardian and nodded in Amy's direction. "Do me a favor and make her go to sleep or something. Gently though." Knuckles nodded solemnly and crouched beside Amy, thumping the girl lightly on the side of her head. She was out cold in a second.

"Much obliged, now she can't tell them where we're going. Any idea where Tails is?"

Shadow clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in an effort to stop himself from just tearing the unconscious girl apart; he shakily brought his left hand over his eyes as his right one refused to let the energy sword dissipate.

"He went out early this morning. We can get a message to him from Angel Island, I'm sure."

"Good." Sonic nodded slowly. "Shadow, you remember when you did that flashy thing? Where we were one place then another? Does that work only with places you've been, or what?"

Hearing Sonic's voice asking him something, the black hedgehog snapped out of his distressed status and looked at him confused, "Sorry?"

"That.... Chaos Control, wasn't it? Do you think you can get us somewhere you've never seen?"

"I don't know... I can only Chaos Control to places that I have seen, but I never tried to do it with a place I have never seen. I can try if you describe me that place."

"Knuckles?" Sonic looked toward the scarlet creature, receiving a nod. As the Echidna began describing where they wanted to go, Sonic picked up the unconscious Amy and laid her on the couch.

Shadow nodded slightly, "I can try, but I might end up in a total different place." He said morphing the sword back to a simple charge and waiting for Sonic to finish with the pink nuisance.

"As long as it's not in jail, or in front of a cop car, I think we'll be just fine, no matter where you end up." Sonic readjusted Amy so that she at least looked somewhat comfortable. "Or over water.... that wouldn't be good..."

The black hedgehog and nodded before he snapped the fingers of his free hand together, "Oh, yeah! How could I forget about that?" He asked to himself, then he looked at Sonic, "Were are my shoes and gloves? You said to me that you were going to wash them. I don't see them here in the living room."

Sonic blinked for a minute, before Knuckles intruded. "They're in the workshop, though they're still stained. There hasn't been time for us to wash them yet. Your gloves are down there too, Sonic."

"Open up! We know that you're in there Project: Shadow!" There was a loud banging on the door, before, in a low whisper, "Laser cut through it, I want it this house now!"

The black repressed his rage as he ran down in the workshop, searching frantically for his belongings, terrified that they could get him back and somewhat scared of going berserk once again.

Sonic followed the dark hedgehog, keeping pace with him as the other became more and more frantic. Knuckles was right behind them coming down the stairs, but he did not rush. He was watching the door slowly be burned away.

"Calm down Shadow, let's just hurry out of here." He looked back up toward the main floor. "Knuckles?! Let's go, already!" The Guardian gave a curt nod and hurried after them, locking the workshop door behind him.

Shadow turned around and gave the blue hedgehog a somewhat scared look, "You don't understand! Those shoes were made especially for me to channel Chaos Energy through them to be able to run as fast as I am able!" He half screamed

"All right, all right." Sonic whispered soothingly. "We'll find them. Knuckles usually leaves things in open areas." He looked back toward the stairs, and Knuckles gestured in an almost random direction.

"They're on Tails desk, over in the corner."

The black hedgehog looked at one of the corners and saw his belongings; with great relief, he rushed to the table and grabbed them in his left hand, "Ok, now I'm ready to Chaos Control." He said walking in the center of the room.

"Good, all set then----" Sonic grinned, then jerked is head upward, ears pushed forward at the crash that suddenly resounded through the house. The door had finally been cut through it sounded like, and the intruders were pouring into the living room above.

"Spread out! Find the Project, and use all necessary force to reobtain it! I don't care who we have to kill, I want that weapon at gunpoint NOW!!!"

The hero went slightly pale, and snatched his own bloody gloves, jumping into the middle of the room with Shadow, and Knuckles who had already reached them.

"I say it's time to leave, yes?"

Shadow nodded and slightly raised his right hand, which was charged with Chaos Energy, then, with two silent words, they were gone from the workshop and the house.

GUN would find nothing but a faint trace of dissipating Chaos Energy.