Disclaimer: I own nada in this story. Please, no one sue.
1 Aftermath
"I still can't believe he's gone."
Rouge the Bat looked down solemnly at the hastily made memorial, erected in honor of Shadow the Hedgehog by those who knew him; herself, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose Hedgehog, and Knuckles the Echidna. They, with the exception of Amy who had some other arrangements (so she had told the others), had been gathered there for a short time in a sort of remembrance service.
Out of all of them, Tails was the only one who allowed himself to cry openly, sobbing into Sonic's shoulder while Sonic wrapped his skinny arms around him protectively. In all his years of adventuring, Tails had never seen someone die, and the experience was a bit of a shock. This was one of the few times that everyone remembered that, despite his genius and experience, Tails was still a child.
Rouge distanced herself a bit from the others while she grieved. Though the incident on the ARK had broken the barriers between her and the other three, she still was not quite comfortable with them. She was unsure of whether these boys were friends, acquaintances, or still enemies, and decided to distance herself until she figured that out.
Knuckles was, frankly, unsure of how to react. Of everyone there, he probably knew Shadow the least. What he saw, though, reminded him of himself. In Shadow, Knuckles saw the same stony demeanor and determination he knew he possessed. As opposed to Sonic and Tails, who were both free spirits in every sense of the term, Shadow and Knuckles both had a strong sense of direction and duty; Shadow, to Maria and Gerald Robotnick, and Knuckles, to Angel Island and the Master Emerald. It was this connection to the hedgehog that drew Knuckles to the memorial service.
Sonic seemed to be the most deeply affected by the loss of his doppelganger. Perhaps it was seeing someone who, in appearance, was so much like him fall to his death that struck him so deeply. Maybe it was the sudden revelation that all Shadow wanted to do was good. Or perhaps it was the frustration of finding such a valuable ally just hours before his death. Whatever it was, Sonic was beyond tears as he held his young friend, absent-mindedly stroking the back of his head with a couple fingers in a paternal gesture.
"What the…"
Sonic looked up from Tails to look in the direction Knuckles was looking. In the distance, he could just barely make out the silhouette of Dr. Eggman walking toward them. At this sight, Sonic's eye immediately darkened.
"That bastard." he growled at Eggman's approach.
Sonic's stomach turned with Eggman's every advance and a pit of hatred remained there when he finally arrived at the memorial site. The two longtime enemies exchanged brief eye contact before Sonic spoke again, his voice fraught with disgust.
"What are you doing here?"
Eggman's tone was firm and even; "I came to grieve. After all, I've got as much right to be here as any of you."
"Why? It's your fault this happened." Sonic spat.
"Easy blue," Knuckles said cautiously, "he's got a point."
"Stay out of this!" Sonic snapped.
"They're right Sonic." Tails said softly. Sonic looked down to see that his young friend had pulled away from him, stray tears still running down his white fur. At the sight, Sonic's face softened and, aside from throwing one last glare at Eggman, the hedgehog was silent.
************************************************************************
The group remained sullen and silent for a good half-hour or so. The only sign of activity was the occasional shuffling of the feet, Sonic glaring every so often at Eggman, and Tails' soft sobbing, which had begun to diminish at this point.
"Sonic." Eggman grunted suddenly. Sonic looked up sharply at the rotund doctor.
"What?"
"Come with me, I want to talk to you."
Sonic lifted an eyebrow; "I beg your pardon?"
"Oh, just come on." Eggman ordered as he began to walk off. Sonic, with a great deal of reluctance, began to follow. After taking a few steps, though, he looked at Tails, silently beckoning him to follow. Tails nodded, and proceeded to follow the cobalt hedgehog. Eggman looked over his shoulder at Sonic, and gave Tails a brief glare. Sonic, noticing this, spoke up.
"Hey, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Tails, got it?"
Eggman looked at the pair, then shrugged and turned back around, waiting for his longtime enemies to catch up.
************************************************************************
"Well there's a sight I never thought I'd see." Knuckles said with a wry grin as he looked at Eggman and his friends walking off.
Rouge nodded; "Those guys have quite a history, don't they?"
"Are you kidding? Those two have been at it since Sonic knew how to walk."
The two shared an awkward chuckle at this, then downcast their eyes once again. The mood had now changed to a combination of awkwardness and sadness. Knuckles gave a sideways glance to his companion, wondering idly what she was thinking.
I've got other things on my mind besides jewels
For some reason, those words came popping back into Knuckles' head. 'She couldn't mean…us…' Though his head said no, something in his gut told him it was entirely possible. 'Well, so what if it is?' he asked himself, 'I'm not attracted to her, and even if I was I've got more important things to worry about. Still…' Despite his hesitant thoughts, Knuckles couldn't ignore how fluttery his stomach suddenly got. 'What if it could happen?'
"We don't have to stay here all day." Rouge suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm? Oh, well…I want to make sure Sonic and Eggman don't kill each other."
"That's what Tails is for." Rouge replied with a smirk.
"Yeah, well…" Knuckles chuckled awkwardly, then decided to get down to business. 'It's now or never…'
"Um…look, Rouge."
"Yes?"
"Uh, about what you said on the ARK," Knuckles started, wringing his hands, "about having more on your mind then jewels?"
"Go on."
"Well, I was wondering what that was. I mean…well, whether it had anything to do with me."
Rouge gave the Echidna a cockeyed look, not quite sure how to react. After a few minutes, though, the expression slowly turned into that of a glare.
"You, Knuckles the Echidna, have quite a nerve!"
"Wha-What?!"
"What, do you think that every girl is either fawning over you or beating you up? Or both, in some cases?"
"N-No, I just thought-"
"Maybe you're not my type, hmm? Maybe I like guys who are a little…well, taller, or who aren't already wrapped up in some sacred duty. Ever think of that possibility?"
"Well, kinda…"
"Good, because you shouldn't immediately make assumptions like that. You could end up getting very hurt!"
Knuckles nodded and looked at his feet, utterly humiliated. Rouge cocked her head at the guardian as a smirk made it's way across her face. She took a couple steps toward him.
"I said 'could'. I didn't say you 'would' get hurt." She said softly, her voice possessing a tint of seduction. Knuckles lifted his head to look at her and furrowed his brow.
"Wait a minute, than what was-"
"Let's just say you got lucky this time, buddy." Rouge continued to grin as she reached down and gave Knuckles' hand a light squeeze.
************************************************************************
"Look, Eggman, all offense meant, I really don't want to talk to you any longer than I have to, so can we just get down to business?"
Eggman inhaled sharply and looked down at Sonic; "Give me a moment, hedgehog, this is a delicate matter."
"Just say it already! What, are you afraid you're going to offend me?"
Eggman couldn't help but shrug, as Sonic did have a point there.
"Fine then. I was thinking about what happened on the ARK."
"You and everyone else." Sonic muttered and rolled his eyes.
Eggman grumbled in displeasure at being interrupted, then continued:
"I believe this is the first time we've ever fought side by side. The first time we've ever fought for the same goal."
"Yeah, what are you getting at?" Sonic was growing increasingly impatient with the large scientist.
"That was the first time we had ever stood in a room together…as friends."
Sonic stopped dead and looked at Eggman, his expression holding something between surprise and hate. Tails stopped after a couple steps and looked at Sonic cautiously.
" 'Friends' is stretching it a bit, Eggman. A very, VERY, large bit." Sonic said firmly.
"Oh, I don't know," Eggman stopped and turned to the hedgehog, looking slightly satisfied with getting his quills a little ruffled. "Tails and I were actually having a very nice conversation on the ARK before we went home." The doctor looked down at the young fox, "Weren't we, Tails?"
"Tails…" Sonic looked down at Tails, like a parent about to discipline their child. Tails' eyes darted back and forth between Eggman's self-assured grin and Sonic's scowl of disbelief and shock. The fox began to tremble under the twin gazes.
"I…I…well, kinda." He concluded with a small shrug and looked down ashamedly at his feet.
"This is of little consequence, though." Eggman spoke up, "Here is the basic point: We're both after the same thing, Sonic: the preservation of Earth and the creatures on it. Or else what would've stopped me from fulfilling my grandfather's wishes?"
"Besides me?" Sonic growled.
"Will you stop interrupting me, you infuriating rodent!" Eggman snapped then went back to his calm tone. "Anyway… since we both ultimately want the same things, Sonic, what's to stop us from joining forces again?"
Sonic looked at Eggman in utter disbelief of what he was hearing. Tails had a similar expression on his face as he looked at Eggman, then to Sonic for a cue. The blue hedgehog surprised both Tails and Eggman by suddenly bursting into laughter.
"You…" Sonic said between giggles, "You are SO joking. C'mon, what's next? Are you going to say you're my father and ask me to join the 'dark side'?"
"This is no laughing matter, hedgehog. This could make all our lives much easier-"
"-and of course, that's what I want." Sonic's demeanor suddenly turned serious; "To live the easy life as your number 2 while the rest of the world suffers. Please, if that was all I cared about, I would've taken that approach years ago. Thanks, but no thanks. I really enjoy being able to look at myself in the mirror without getting sick." With that, Sonic turned to walk off.
"But what about-" Eggman started.
"What?" Sonic spun back around sharply, "Look, I have no doubt about your 'real intentions' being the same as mine. But what isn't the same is how we go about fulfilling those intentions. Your way is to enslave and oppress everyone, and my way is to keep things the way they are. That will never change.
So the next time the world's about to end, and desperate times call for desperate measures, beep me. Until then, I'll just do my job; pissing off creeps like you."
With a satisfied grin, Sonic turned to walk back the way they came. Tails ran up to keep in step with his hedgehog friend, followed by a humbled and angry Eggman.
************************************************************************
"So what did he want?" Knuckles asked Sonic once he and Tails returned.
"Eggman? Oh, he just wanted to share some jokes."
At Knuckles' questioning glance, Sonic elaborated.
"I'll explain later. For now, explain that." Sonic pointed to Knuckles and Rouge's joined hands.
"Oh, this?" Knuckles asked as he raised the clasped hands
"Yeah that."
Knuckles shrugged and grinned at Rouge. "Well, you're a smart hedgehog, figure it out."
Sonic grinned mischievously, while Tails cocked his head in slight confusion.
"You'll understand when you're older, kid." Knuckles said with a wry grin.
"Yeah," Sonic agreed, "for now, let's get some food. Unless…is everyone ready to go?"
"Sure." Knuckles shrugged, then looked at Rouge, "You?"
Rouge looked at Knuckles, then back at the memorial. "Yeah, I'm ready."
"What about you Tails?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, anytime."
"Ok…you guys go up ahead." Sonic ordered, "I'm going to stay for another minute or two."
2 Everyone muttered various agreements and left the hedgehog, taking a few more minutes to say good-bye to his "faker".
1 Aftermath
"I still can't believe he's gone."
Rouge the Bat looked down solemnly at the hastily made memorial, erected in honor of Shadow the Hedgehog by those who knew him; herself, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose Hedgehog, and Knuckles the Echidna. They, with the exception of Amy who had some other arrangements (so she had told the others), had been gathered there for a short time in a sort of remembrance service.
Out of all of them, Tails was the only one who allowed himself to cry openly, sobbing into Sonic's shoulder while Sonic wrapped his skinny arms around him protectively. In all his years of adventuring, Tails had never seen someone die, and the experience was a bit of a shock. This was one of the few times that everyone remembered that, despite his genius and experience, Tails was still a child.
Rouge distanced herself a bit from the others while she grieved. Though the incident on the ARK had broken the barriers between her and the other three, she still was not quite comfortable with them. She was unsure of whether these boys were friends, acquaintances, or still enemies, and decided to distance herself until she figured that out.
Knuckles was, frankly, unsure of how to react. Of everyone there, he probably knew Shadow the least. What he saw, though, reminded him of himself. In Shadow, Knuckles saw the same stony demeanor and determination he knew he possessed. As opposed to Sonic and Tails, who were both free spirits in every sense of the term, Shadow and Knuckles both had a strong sense of direction and duty; Shadow, to Maria and Gerald Robotnick, and Knuckles, to Angel Island and the Master Emerald. It was this connection to the hedgehog that drew Knuckles to the memorial service.
Sonic seemed to be the most deeply affected by the loss of his doppelganger. Perhaps it was seeing someone who, in appearance, was so much like him fall to his death that struck him so deeply. Maybe it was the sudden revelation that all Shadow wanted to do was good. Or perhaps it was the frustration of finding such a valuable ally just hours before his death. Whatever it was, Sonic was beyond tears as he held his young friend, absent-mindedly stroking the back of his head with a couple fingers in a paternal gesture.
"What the…"
Sonic looked up from Tails to look in the direction Knuckles was looking. In the distance, he could just barely make out the silhouette of Dr. Eggman walking toward them. At this sight, Sonic's eye immediately darkened.
"That bastard." he growled at Eggman's approach.
Sonic's stomach turned with Eggman's every advance and a pit of hatred remained there when he finally arrived at the memorial site. The two longtime enemies exchanged brief eye contact before Sonic spoke again, his voice fraught with disgust.
"What are you doing here?"
Eggman's tone was firm and even; "I came to grieve. After all, I've got as much right to be here as any of you."
"Why? It's your fault this happened." Sonic spat.
"Easy blue," Knuckles said cautiously, "he's got a point."
"Stay out of this!" Sonic snapped.
"They're right Sonic." Tails said softly. Sonic looked down to see that his young friend had pulled away from him, stray tears still running down his white fur. At the sight, Sonic's face softened and, aside from throwing one last glare at Eggman, the hedgehog was silent.
************************************************************************
The group remained sullen and silent for a good half-hour or so. The only sign of activity was the occasional shuffling of the feet, Sonic glaring every so often at Eggman, and Tails' soft sobbing, which had begun to diminish at this point.
"Sonic." Eggman grunted suddenly. Sonic looked up sharply at the rotund doctor.
"What?"
"Come with me, I want to talk to you."
Sonic lifted an eyebrow; "I beg your pardon?"
"Oh, just come on." Eggman ordered as he began to walk off. Sonic, with a great deal of reluctance, began to follow. After taking a few steps, though, he looked at Tails, silently beckoning him to follow. Tails nodded, and proceeded to follow the cobalt hedgehog. Eggman looked over his shoulder at Sonic, and gave Tails a brief glare. Sonic, noticing this, spoke up.
"Hey, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Tails, got it?"
Eggman looked at the pair, then shrugged and turned back around, waiting for his longtime enemies to catch up.
************************************************************************
"Well there's a sight I never thought I'd see." Knuckles said with a wry grin as he looked at Eggman and his friends walking off.
Rouge nodded; "Those guys have quite a history, don't they?"
"Are you kidding? Those two have been at it since Sonic knew how to walk."
The two shared an awkward chuckle at this, then downcast their eyes once again. The mood had now changed to a combination of awkwardness and sadness. Knuckles gave a sideways glance to his companion, wondering idly what she was thinking.
I've got other things on my mind besides jewels
For some reason, those words came popping back into Knuckles' head. 'She couldn't mean…us…' Though his head said no, something in his gut told him it was entirely possible. 'Well, so what if it is?' he asked himself, 'I'm not attracted to her, and even if I was I've got more important things to worry about. Still…' Despite his hesitant thoughts, Knuckles couldn't ignore how fluttery his stomach suddenly got. 'What if it could happen?'
"We don't have to stay here all day." Rouge suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm? Oh, well…I want to make sure Sonic and Eggman don't kill each other."
"That's what Tails is for." Rouge replied with a smirk.
"Yeah, well…" Knuckles chuckled awkwardly, then decided to get down to business. 'It's now or never…'
"Um…look, Rouge."
"Yes?"
"Uh, about what you said on the ARK," Knuckles started, wringing his hands, "about having more on your mind then jewels?"
"Go on."
"Well, I was wondering what that was. I mean…well, whether it had anything to do with me."
Rouge gave the Echidna a cockeyed look, not quite sure how to react. After a few minutes, though, the expression slowly turned into that of a glare.
"You, Knuckles the Echidna, have quite a nerve!"
"Wha-What?!"
"What, do you think that every girl is either fawning over you or beating you up? Or both, in some cases?"
"N-No, I just thought-"
"Maybe you're not my type, hmm? Maybe I like guys who are a little…well, taller, or who aren't already wrapped up in some sacred duty. Ever think of that possibility?"
"Well, kinda…"
"Good, because you shouldn't immediately make assumptions like that. You could end up getting very hurt!"
Knuckles nodded and looked at his feet, utterly humiliated. Rouge cocked her head at the guardian as a smirk made it's way across her face. She took a couple steps toward him.
"I said 'could'. I didn't say you 'would' get hurt." She said softly, her voice possessing a tint of seduction. Knuckles lifted his head to look at her and furrowed his brow.
"Wait a minute, than what was-"
"Let's just say you got lucky this time, buddy." Rouge continued to grin as she reached down and gave Knuckles' hand a light squeeze.
************************************************************************
"Look, Eggman, all offense meant, I really don't want to talk to you any longer than I have to, so can we just get down to business?"
Eggman inhaled sharply and looked down at Sonic; "Give me a moment, hedgehog, this is a delicate matter."
"Just say it already! What, are you afraid you're going to offend me?"
Eggman couldn't help but shrug, as Sonic did have a point there.
"Fine then. I was thinking about what happened on the ARK."
"You and everyone else." Sonic muttered and rolled his eyes.
Eggman grumbled in displeasure at being interrupted, then continued:
"I believe this is the first time we've ever fought side by side. The first time we've ever fought for the same goal."
"Yeah, what are you getting at?" Sonic was growing increasingly impatient with the large scientist.
"That was the first time we had ever stood in a room together…as friends."
Sonic stopped dead and looked at Eggman, his expression holding something between surprise and hate. Tails stopped after a couple steps and looked at Sonic cautiously.
" 'Friends' is stretching it a bit, Eggman. A very, VERY, large bit." Sonic said firmly.
"Oh, I don't know," Eggman stopped and turned to the hedgehog, looking slightly satisfied with getting his quills a little ruffled. "Tails and I were actually having a very nice conversation on the ARK before we went home." The doctor looked down at the young fox, "Weren't we, Tails?"
"Tails…" Sonic looked down at Tails, like a parent about to discipline their child. Tails' eyes darted back and forth between Eggman's self-assured grin and Sonic's scowl of disbelief and shock. The fox began to tremble under the twin gazes.
"I…I…well, kinda." He concluded with a small shrug and looked down ashamedly at his feet.
"This is of little consequence, though." Eggman spoke up, "Here is the basic point: We're both after the same thing, Sonic: the preservation of Earth and the creatures on it. Or else what would've stopped me from fulfilling my grandfather's wishes?"
"Besides me?" Sonic growled.
"Will you stop interrupting me, you infuriating rodent!" Eggman snapped then went back to his calm tone. "Anyway… since we both ultimately want the same things, Sonic, what's to stop us from joining forces again?"
Sonic looked at Eggman in utter disbelief of what he was hearing. Tails had a similar expression on his face as he looked at Eggman, then to Sonic for a cue. The blue hedgehog surprised both Tails and Eggman by suddenly bursting into laughter.
"You…" Sonic said between giggles, "You are SO joking. C'mon, what's next? Are you going to say you're my father and ask me to join the 'dark side'?"
"This is no laughing matter, hedgehog. This could make all our lives much easier-"
"-and of course, that's what I want." Sonic's demeanor suddenly turned serious; "To live the easy life as your number 2 while the rest of the world suffers. Please, if that was all I cared about, I would've taken that approach years ago. Thanks, but no thanks. I really enjoy being able to look at myself in the mirror without getting sick." With that, Sonic turned to walk off.
"But what about-" Eggman started.
"What?" Sonic spun back around sharply, "Look, I have no doubt about your 'real intentions' being the same as mine. But what isn't the same is how we go about fulfilling those intentions. Your way is to enslave and oppress everyone, and my way is to keep things the way they are. That will never change.
So the next time the world's about to end, and desperate times call for desperate measures, beep me. Until then, I'll just do my job; pissing off creeps like you."
With a satisfied grin, Sonic turned to walk back the way they came. Tails ran up to keep in step with his hedgehog friend, followed by a humbled and angry Eggman.
************************************************************************
"So what did he want?" Knuckles asked Sonic once he and Tails returned.
"Eggman? Oh, he just wanted to share some jokes."
At Knuckles' questioning glance, Sonic elaborated.
"I'll explain later. For now, explain that." Sonic pointed to Knuckles and Rouge's joined hands.
"Oh, this?" Knuckles asked as he raised the clasped hands
"Yeah that."
Knuckles shrugged and grinned at Rouge. "Well, you're a smart hedgehog, figure it out."
Sonic grinned mischievously, while Tails cocked his head in slight confusion.
"You'll understand when you're older, kid." Knuckles said with a wry grin.
"Yeah," Sonic agreed, "for now, let's get some food. Unless…is everyone ready to go?"
"Sure." Knuckles shrugged, then looked at Rouge, "You?"
Rouge looked at Knuckles, then back at the memorial. "Yeah, I'm ready."
"What about you Tails?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, anytime."
"Ok…you guys go up ahead." Sonic ordered, "I'm going to stay for another minute or two."
2 Everyone muttered various agreements and left the hedgehog, taking a few more minutes to say good-bye to his "faker".