The winter season was about done, which meant spring would be coming to the city soon. This also meant that crowds would be pouring in to see the what the beautiful city had to offer. The shopping center was already busy crowded, made it hard for the blue hedgehog to get through. Not used to moving at a slow pace.

Truth be told, it has been a rough three years here in the Westopolis Area and expanding through station square. After the Black Arms invasion, not much tourism had been seen in the vicinities. Construction and rebuild have been taken place non-stop, being sure that all bridges and roads were first priority in the rebuild.

It was awesome really that rebuild in the areas was actually rushed and tourism was coming back, the economy would sure to reboots and maybe, in some years' time, the entire tragedy of the alien invasion would be forgotten, only a horror story to most.

When the invasion ended, a certain hedgehog just disappeared, without a trace, only to pop up a few months later. Rouge, gave only the notion that he was alive, but due to government employment, she wasn't allowed to say. But that left everyone with the same unanswered question;

Where IS Shadow The hedgehog?

Lost in thought, Sonic wasn't paying attention and ended up tripping over a little boy in his path. He ended up trying to evade the kid and fell back into someone else, both ending on the concreate ground of the open market shopping center. A new form of buying and selling since not many shopping buildings were rebuilt yet.

Sonic stands and brushes himself off. "Look, Buddy. Sorry about that. Wasn't watching where I was- " When he turned to look at the collateral damage he did, he couldn't believe his luck. "Shadow?"

Shadow brushes himself off, looking at the hedgehog from the corner of his eye but doesn't say anything.

Sonic shakes his head. The hedgehog just disappeared for three years, no one knew where he was, where he went, only that he was alive. And now, here he stood. No bandages, just him as he remembered the mysterious hedgehog three years ago. How he escaped that entire catastrophe unscathed was beyond him. Sonic smirks, looking the back hedgehog up and down. "Talk about being stujbborn and full of surprises."

Shadow smirks back, "Somethings never change do they, hedgehog."

No. no they really don't.

"You have no idea what a relief it is to see you alive, and well." Sonic looks around, then back at Shadow. "Tell you what? Its way to crowded here for my taste. Why don't you and I race to the beach from here, for old time's sake?"

Shadow smirks. "I would like that."

~XxX~

As old times, they were tied when they made it to the beach, both equal in speed, stamina and abilities. In those mere minutes of that race, it was like before. Before everything changed. Before Shadow left. Sonic missed that, testing his strength with his friendly rival. When Shadow just vanished, it became tiresome to race alone, against a clock and not another being.

Their race ended and it became a relax slow walk along the beach, with the water. The sun setting into the later evening sky. It was truly wonderful day.

"You were living on the ark this whole time!?"

"Only up until a few months ago when I got hired by G.U.N. Promised me a clean slate to start over. Wipe all my past mistakes and let me start anew." Shadow continues. "That's when I got my apartment in Westopolis. Less damage was done in upper city. Most homes were spared from the chaos there."

"Do you remember our friends, Shadow?" Sonic asked curiously. "Rouge, Knuckles, Tails, The Chaotic Team?"

"You know? If you wanted to ask about the amnesia thing, you just had to ask. Yes I remember everyone and everything." Shadow nodded. "That's why I spent so much time there, reading databases and documents from fifty years ago to today, to jog some of my memory, in hopes I would recollect something. Anything.

I knew something was up we got into that battle, in Froggy Forest. Tails said something about you were my friends, and that you all knew me. Then Black Doom trying to deceive me, I knew something needed to be done. I couldn't live my life with only knowing my name… and another image I would much rather not talk about."

"I get it Shadow, I do. That didn't mean you had to leave. You could have come to us. We would have helped you." Sonic smiles. "We are your friends. We are here for you."

"I appreciate that, but this was something I had to do on my own." Shadow shakes his head. "I knew there were hard feelings between me and the citizens here. I knew most blamed me for what happened. Don't really care of they did or didn't, but I felt it would ease the tension if I left while the cities rebuilt."

"I'm sorry, Shadow. I wish things didn't turn out like they did. But you came through for us in the end. If anything, we are all grateful." Sonic smiles.

Shadow nodded. "There was…one other reason I came back."

"What was that, Shadow?"

"For you."

Sonic stops a few feet form the hedgehog behind him, wide eyed. He turns to him, confused. "Why?"

"It's complicated." Shadow steps closer to the blue hedgehog in front of him. "I don't when it started or how, but every time I saw you or heard your name I would feel my chest tighten. It was easy to ignore through all the chaos of The Doctor trying to take over and with the Alien invasion thing going on. When everything settled down, it just became hard to ignore. I felt I had to see you."

Sonic smirks as he looks at the hedgehog standing before him. "Nothing complicated about it Shadow. You got a crush. On me no less."

Shadow sighed. "Hoping I was just sick."

"You're the ultimate life form you can't get sick." Sonic shakes his head. "Come on. Don't be like that. If it means anything. I've had feeling for you as well. Really hurt when you left."

Shadow nods. "I won't leave again."

Sonic smiles and nods in approval. "You promise you won't just up and vanish again, I suppose we can give us a try."

Shadow, for the first time is caught off guard at the hedgehog in front of him. Never thinking the hedgehog would actually ever actually date, never mind himself.

"I see us going places." Sonic smiles as he slips a piece of paper into Shadow hand, before running off. He calls off into the distance. "This was an amazing first date, Shadow! Keep in touch!"

"First date!?"

"Nice race and a long romantic walk on the beach at sunset! Very smooth, Shadow!"

Shadow watches at the blue blur vanishes into the distance. He looks at the seven-digit number written on the back of a receipt he got from…a chili dog stand? Shadow shakes his head. Hoping to have more dates with him. He wasn't going to lie. This was fun.

"You're a piece of work hedgehog." He smiles at the setting sun. "I can actually see us working out."