Chapter One: First Fight

By

LordHelen

It had been close to three months since Sonic beat Marianna. All was quiet, nothing destroying the peace. Cream had been missing for two weeks, having gone home to take care of her friend, and today she was returning. Rouge had been Rouge, fussing over beauty and jewels, sleeping in a hammock. Knuckles had been sick for a few days with a common cold, Tails having just caught it. And Sonic and Shadow…well, they were dating. They hung out together and had several classes together, and, right now, were researching together.

"This is so impossible! Our assignment is going to take forever! Bounty hunters were both respected and feared: discuss." Sonic flipped through a book entitled Early Bounty Hunters.

"Well, we could ask Tails." Shadow suggested, running his finger across books, attempting to find one. He settled on a particularly dusty book called Historical Knights and the Less Honorable. When he opened it a huge puff of dust floated up.

"No, he's sick. Maybe if we just read faster…" Sonic didn't even bother finishing. She paused above a particularly interesting paragraph that read:

In the early years of the century a large mutant by the name Hogura was believed to have stolen a priceless artifact, a gemstone that could create long life. In fact, it was supposed to immortalize a person. When Hogura's boss (at the time) was tracked down, he swore he had never received the stone, and a search of his quarters revealed he was correct in that aspect.

"That would be a reason to fear bounty hunters." Sonic muttered, scribbling it down on her notepad. She flipped the page, forgetting about the paragraph almost as soon as she had read the next one.

Not two hours later, they had given up for the day and headed to Shadow's room to watch TV. Shadow and Silver had bought it and were one of the few on campus that had one. Sonic sat on the floor and Shadow lay on the bed, fiddling with her quills absentmindedly.

"And so, the complications of Seater Hospital Morgue were solved. Now to Lanis with the weather." An elderly bat was replaced with a fat cat, who stumbled as he accidently destroyed the green screen

"Is this all that the news has? Morgue complications and an obese klutz?" Sonic asked, flipping off the TV in disgust.

"Well, not every day can be an adventure." Shadow reminded her, dropping her quills. Sonic turned to look at him, her eyes shining with spirit and ferocity.

"In my life it can." Shadow laughed and got up to brush his teeth. He had noticed that recently Sonic had been staying later and later, sometimes almost not going to her own room.

In the main room, Sonic flipped to a cartoon of a dog chasing a bear, not really paying attention. She was busy thinking of when she killed Marianna, also committing suicide. When she had been brought back, it was an odd sensation, like being pulled out of a thick liquid and into a sudden, cold air. She pulled herself on the bed, listening as Shadow turned on the water. Suddenly, there was a loud and startling thump, like Shadow hit something.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Sonic called, sitting up. There was a shuffle and a loud bang. "Shadow? Shadow!" Sonic shoved the door open, gasping. Shadow was bleeding freely from a large wound in the side of his head, knocked out on the white tiles of the floor. A large beast, grotesque and evil, stood over him. He was black, with fur that jutted out at odd angles. His eyes were small and beady, completely red. His hands were more like huge paws, five claws jutting out from both, each three feet long. His feet/paws had four three foot long claws, and at the edge of all the claws was a dark, almost black, purple color, like poison. He clutched in his paws a large gun, but yellow with a dial and no trigger.

"Sonic," the thing said, "Sonic, the Light Wanderer. I've heard tales. I must be going now, but expect to see me soon."

"Not with Shadow you aren't!" Sonic answered as it picked up the unconscious hedgehog. Sonic started to imagine the future Queen Amen had shown her of Shadow, tried to draw out her power. She began to sparkle, started to glow, when something made hard contact with her face. The beast had punched her, sending her into the now broken door.

"Stay out of it, for now." Sonic forced her eyes open, black clouding her vision. "I have yet to kill you." Sonic felt a stabbing pain around her right eye as it dragged its poisonous claws down her face, and then she drifted into blissful emptiness, all pain and thought gone.