Disclaimer: I don't own them, any of them, and if you sue me you'll probably only get my sister, her boyfriend irl, and maybe a magazine with the Sonic Heroes ad on the back. Technically, that's all I have. *nod nod*

I'm sorry it took me so dang long to get back here. My sister dear insisted on giving me a late X-Mas present, and it seems keyboards aren't made for PAWS!!!!!! |

ChaosHavoc: GEEZ! I SAID I WAS SORRY!!

Uh-huh...but as my present, she gave me the chance to appear as my favorite animal....by DOWSING ME IN CURSED SPRING WATER, NO LESS!!!!!

ChaosHavoc: I'VE SAID SORRY ALREADY!! WHAD'YA WANT FROM ME!?!

Shadow: *trots in, soaking wet* Stupid Sonic...pushing me...cold... *shakes himself dry*

*gets all wet; turns into a white rat* ............

Shadow: ............. o.o

ChaosHavoc: ..................... o.o

Viewers: ........................... o.o

All: BUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! XD

meh...0.0

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Chapter One - Watching Over You

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The night seemed to rise up from the ground in a gentle mist, enveloping the world in a chilling blanket of what appeared to most as an infinite veil of darkness and fear. And yet, the setting sun's final light, long gone, was reflected off the farthest away clouds in the distance to give the optical illusion that the world still had light and hope in it.

He shivered slightly in the crisp autumn night air. It was surprisingly chilly for that time of year, and most the days had been filled with threatening gray clouds that told the world rain was inevitable. Not that he minded the rain, he just didn't enjoy being soaking wet in the freezing cold. It got a little uncomfortable after a while.

He sighed and crouched against the branch outside of the workshop. He had to stay hidden in the darkness of the shadows to keep the many inhabitants of the house from seeing him. He didn't feel like being acknowledged until he could sort through everything.

Which meant he'd probably be out here forever, if not longer.

Though the downstairs windows had a sharp, yet flickering, glare to them from within, that of a TV left running, since all but two inhabitants of the house had fallen in sleep in front of it.

The echidna, scarlet in color, was leaned against the white, drunken bat, both nuzzling each other in their sleep, having become a couple after the incident. The small rabbit child was curled with the pink hedgehog, both pulled into a huddle for warmth as the little Chao creature rested atop the rabbit's head.

One of the only two not by the TV was also asleep, the two-tailed fox child, having poured his energy over a blueprinting of some new invention or formula, impossible for even his eyes to tell from that distance.

The last one, however was still awake, seated on his beside, face buried in his hands again as he sobbed quietly, hoping his friends wouldn't wake up and see him again, like they did that one time...

He leaned forward on his branch, watching as the crying figure wiped his eyes and walked to the open window before looking out upon the dismal universe beyond his softly lit room. His eyes, once bright and gorgeous, no longer shone as they once did, before the accident.

Before the life of his rival slipped through his fingers for the second time.

The figure sighed again, his sapphire fur glinting in the darkness. It was well-brushed, but only because he knew that if his appearance faltered in the slightest, they would notice and never leave him alone, for fear that he'd completely lose touch with reality again, like he did when the other died.

He leaned onto the sill and the one hiding in the darkness made sure he is still well hidden.

"Shadow..." The figure whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He stiffened in the tree, ready to bolt if he had been seen, but the hedgehog in the window simply wiped away the tear and looked up at the sky.

"I know you're out there somewhere...and I'm going to find you..." The figure clenched his hands into fists, head bowed almost in prayer, fighting the tears that threatened to overwhelm him again.

"I will find you again, Shadow..." Sonic choked, barely able to control himself. "And this time, I'll protect you..."

He left the window and turned the light out, sounds of him shuffling to his bed reached the ears of the hidden watcher.

***

Shadow moved stealthily into the room when the sounds had settled and Sonic's breathing had evened out. He crept to the bed, staying close to the cover of the shadows in case his cobalt counterpart woke up. Being seen would mean questions, and none of which he knew would be asked did he have the answers for.

He just didn't want to go through it.

At least not until he was sure of what was happening to him, why he felt the need to comfort his counterpart and console him when he saw him cry, why he wanted to hold him and be there for him, and why everytime he tried to leave them all behind, he felt his heart wrench and he couldn't bring himself do so.

He stood at Sonic's beside and knelt down, putting a hand over Sonic's sleeping one. The blue hedgehog murmured something in his sleep and rolled his head to face Shadow, still hung in the depths of sleep.

'You still cry for me...' Shadow wondered, letting a gloved hand stroke his look-alike's cheek gently, eyeing the dried trails of the recently shed tears. He knew Sonic would wash them away in the morning and to all around him he would be the hero Sonic again.

They thought he was untouchable, carefree. He had thought the same until he started to fall. Sonic had grabbed him, tried so very hard to save him...and had been unsuccessful.

Sonic was nowhere near untouchable. If anything he felt twice the sorrow of the others every other day.

'And the minute you're alone...it's like everything catches up with you at once...'

Shadow had saved himself at the last moment. He'd fulfilled his promise to Maria, if she'd even ever existed, so why not find out something for himself?

So he used Chaos Control again, drawing from the power of the fake Emerald he'd pocketed off of Sonic. He'd barely managed a good landing, and since he couldn't get all the way to the Earth's surface, he'd gone past the atmosphere.

He would've broken every bone in his body if that island hadn't been there.

So he'd survived, barely managing to keep away from them all since they like to pop up at random times. Every once in a while he had to jump behind a tree or into a hedge, or pretend to be a doll to keep them from recognizing him.

When they found out about that, they were probably never going to let him live it down.

He heaved a sigh and looked out the window at the dark, knowing he could only stay so long. The kit stayed up late, but always woke amazingly early, and he couldn't risk being seen when he was supposed to be deceased.

He doubted dead people just got up and walked around.

A small cooing sound brought him out of his trance, and he looked down to see Sonic cuddling his hand against his cheek as he slept. The black and crimson hedgehog hid his laughter, and gently pulled Sonic off.

As a final farewell for the night, he swooped down and kissed his double lightly on the cheek, before disappearing back to his perch on the tree branch outside.

"Goodnight Sonikku..." He whispered, sitting back down in the tree to await the morning, when he would have to hide much better than this.

"Sweet dreams..."

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*still a rat; holds up sign*

Shadow: *reads sign aloud* I hate you all...O.o

-.- *nod nod*

Sonic: *walks in with a kettle of boiling water* Is this hot enough?

O.O SQUEAK!!! *runs away*

ChaosHavoc: CATCH THAT RODENT!!!!

Amy: . *watches them chase the NM rat everywhere* And they said I was weird... *shakes her head*

*holds up sign as she runs, reading, 'Please review!!!'*