..That stupid faker's voice. Why does he have to wake me up?
"Yo! Shadow! You up for a race?"
"No. Go away."
"Aw, come on! You're no fun! Quit being such a grouch!"
Ugh..
Maybe if I indulge him he'll go away. Looks like he won't leave me alone otherwise.
"Fine."
I rouse myself from my slumber beneath a shade tree. No shortage of those, here in the Mystic Ruins. Oh, well. It's not like I've been sleeping well lately, anyway.
Sonic is already pacing, restless, ready once again to live up to his gaudy nickname, "the Blue Blur". He is impatient, prodding me to hurry up and get going. We stoop down into a runner's crouch, our right feet toeing an imaginary line, eager to cross. He, of course, is the first to speak.
"Ready... GO!"
We're off, bolting at breakneck speeds through the trees, twisting and turning, without any real goal in sight. I keep up easily, earning my homage, the "Black blur". It's rather insulting, being brought down to his level, but what can one do? The humans are fickle. They'll forget eventually, their attention being caught by newer, more exciting things.
"Hey, Shadow, I'm barely even breaking a sweat! You're killing me here!" he taunts, sticking his tongue out. How childish. I smirk, increasing my speed. We're coming close to the speed of sound; I can feel it in the way my ears pop, how the ambient noise of the jungle starts to warp.
Woah. I catch myself, imperceptibly, before I stumble. Better be careful. A slip up at these speeds could shatter bones. He continues trying to rile me.
"Nah nah nah nyah nah! Can't catch me! I'm the fastest thing alive!"
...he is really beginning to rub my quills the wrong way. Suddenly, inspiration strikes. I can see it in the way his eyes spark, his ears prick. He smiles, a lopsided grin that says 'I know something you don't know'. He yells, "Hey, Shadow, I'm going to tell Rouge that you're in love with her!"
Oh, hell. I don't really care either way, but if Knuckles hears that, he'll kick my ass. Dammit, I think. What would she think if she heard that? Now, my thoughts are filled with a different girl, not the catty Rouge but.. someone else.
I know he's only said that to anger me, rile me up so I would attempt to catch him. But, he's done a sufficient job of distracting me, also. My mind wanders.
An explosion of pain rips through me, sparking behind my eyelids. I'm skidding across the forest floor? It takes a moment for my mind to catch up with events. I'm dazed, disoriented, very confused. Sonic is still running, for what seems an eternity but in fact is probably only mere moments. Once he realizes I'm no longer following, he stops on a dime, screeching to a stop, carried by his forward momentum. He dashes back to my side.
"Woah." I realize the extent of the damage by his reaction, even though he is trying to keep calm. He actually looks more than slightly ill; his face is turning the barest shade of green. He is also pale and ashen. It's an odd combination. I think all of this in a very detached manner, like none of this is affecting me in the slightest. I'm just a barely interested audience looking through the eyes of a stranger. I think, no, I know I should be feeling some extreme pain, but really, all I feel is numb. Must be the adrenaline.
A determined look now shows on his face. He throws my limp body over his shoulders in what the humans call a fireman's carry. Now I feel pain. God, it's a pain like I've never felt in my life. It is absolutely excruciating. The entire right side of my body is engulfed in flames; I'm mildly surprised Sonic doesn't feel the fire. Well, of course, I realize. There is no blaze. It's only me. I wonder, am I just becoming delusional from the agony?
Nothing feels real.
Sonic is rushing, racing, speeding out of the jungle, every footstep jostling me and sending another wave of fire down my spine. I don't bother telling him that, though. I'm too out of it to care.
"Damn you, faker..." I manage to mumble into his spines before I black out.
*****
"Uh.. Vanilla, we have a problem."
"Oh, hello Sonic!" the cheery rabbit calls. "I'm in the kitchen! Are you hungry?" He can hear pots banging and the stove simmering. There's a delicious aroma floating thick through the air. He is too stressed, too scared, to even notice.
The smile falls from her face as an exhausted and trembling Sonic stumbles in, bearing the weight of a slim, ebony form.
"..oh dear..."
*****
A few minutes later, they have Shadow reclined on the living room futon, Vanilla at his side, working her healing magic. Occasionally, she murmurs sympathetically, hisses softly under her breath. She doesn't even need to say it. It's very bad. After giving him a full look over, cleaning and dressing his wounds, and administering medicine, she sighs sadly.
She murmurs in a shaky voice, "I've done all I can. Now, it's up to him whether he wakes up."
Sonic stumbles over next to his crimson streaked counterpart and exhales softly. He shakes his head wearily.
He whispers, "Shadow, I've never known you to give up without a fight. You can beat this."
Vanilla turns to the azure hero, and softly speaks, "Sonic, at least let me-"
"No, Vanilla, I'm fine. Shadow here is the one that needs your attention."
"Okay, then. Let me do this, at least."
Vanilla gives the blue hedgehog a small dose of sleep syrup and sends him to bed. He barely makes it up the stairs, and collapses into his mattress. He won't admit it, but the ordeal has taken it's toll on him, too. He's fast asleep before the sheets even settle around him.