Hey! DgShadowChocolate here sayin, thanks for being an awesome friend Shadet 4-ever!
Give this fic a chance peoples! R&R and NO FLAMES!

Otherwise, i'll just assume you are a judging idiot.

~*~I can remember clearly how all of this started; how the chaotic ripples spread after one tiny action, what I perceived as weakness on my part. I slipped up, and the days and months following were periods of time I would never have believed possible. I tried to fight; I tried to keep to the small semblance of living I had established after the fall at ARK. And yet...I was pulled into something that I had no control over, any firm footing gone. I hated it, the insecurity, feeling ignorant. I enjoyed it, the way she coaxed me into almost relaxing, letting down my guard. To my utmost mortification, I nearly did. I nearly exposed myself to whatever this harsh world could throw at me. I pulled away. I was horrified. What was wrong with me? Never had I lost the control that I had spent years building up. However, running was yet another mistake.

And here we are, poised on the edge of a knife. The future of both our lives hung in the balance. I knew her decision. I could see it in her eyes. And I knew it was time I faced the music and made mine. ~*~

The street lights creaked and groaned in the wind, swaying ominously as their pasty lights flickered. Snow was flying heavy and fast like missiles, rapidly blanketing everything in the town in white. The city's lights illuminated the thick, unrelenting clouds overhead in a sickly pale yellow. It was the worst blizzard they'd ever had. It was absolute suicide to go out there!

Unfortunately, she had no choice.

Her head was bent down in order to battle the raging wind. A thick brown coat was pulled tight around her thin shoulders, trying to hold in what little warmth she had. Underneath the hood, sky blue bangs whipped against her squinting eyes and her teeth were clenched as if she was challenging Mother Nature herself, displaying a determined defiance as tan boots trudged steadily through the snow.

The she-hog's temper was not improved by this freak weather. Her boss had insisted she take a night shift, her favorite show had been missed, Harry her pet hamster was getting hungry and her bike had been towed all in the same night. This snowstorm just added insult to injury! What next?

A sudden furious burst of wind brought her to her knees, the white fluff soaking into her thin jeans. "Oh snippet, I had to ask!"

Breathing hard, Violet the Hedgehog waited until the wind abated somewhat before continuing. This was ridiculous. Her life was hard enough without this too! 'But then it could be worse,' she thought gripping her coat tighter and slogging her way through a rising snow bank. She wasn't fired from her job for one. And she wasn't dead for another. Her grimace morphed into an optimistic snarl, if such a thing could exist, and she marched forward.

Only...that was ten minutes ago and she still wasn't home. The hopeful little flare in her chest had long been extinguished and replaced by a cold, hard lump of fear. The snow was blinding, flying down to Earth at a furious pace. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was speeding up! Her white teeth pulled at her peach lips as she continued down what she hoped was the sidewalk. Her house wasn't that far away. Why was it taking so long?

In the onslaught on freezing wind, a huge branch was snapped off an oak tree and fell on the electrical wire right above her head. In a shower of sparks and an explosive blast, the wire snapped and Violet screamed, running for her life as the flailing and sparking coils fell towards her. Wood creaked in protest and more wires were severed as the branch became entangled in the metallic rope and pulled the entire power line down.

Diving to a safe spot across the street, Violet watched with horrified eyes as one by one the crucial wires snapped in flashes of blue sparks. Then, with an unearthly moan, everything went black. The power had gone out and the entire thing had happened in little more than ten seconds! The hedgehog stood there in stunned silence. Now how was she supposed to get home?

At that moment, she wanted to do nothing more than sit and cry, or better yet, close her eyes and sleep. She was so tired mentally and physically. With a jerk, she forced herself to stand as straight as possible in the driving wind. Now was not the time to be weak, and definitely not the time for a nap. Some inner instinct told her that if that happened, she wouldn't wake up.

She lost track of time; for time really didn't matter anymore. She was so cold. Her socks were wet and freezing. She couldn't feel her hands, which were still clutching the over coat to her chest. The lashing of the snow against her face felt like super heated knives. She couldn't see anything. There was nothing but black shifting dizzily in front of her azure orbs. Shuffling groggily, her boot caught on something and she fell, the snow soft, yet hard at the same time.

Everything was going fuzzy; her gloved hands growing indistinct. The wind's howling was dieing and feeling slowly left her. 'I'm dying and no...one w-will...find me...'

In the dark recesses of her mind, she thought she heard someone approaching. Someone muttering with a rather profane vocabulary that abruptly stopped. Or did it? She didn't know, didn't think, didn't feel as her head slumped into the snow.

Was she in heaven? Everything was warm and dry. Something soft and fuzzy was draped over her, a comforting pressure holding her head. It was difficult to think, she was so comfortable and relaxed. But then...something made her ears twitch; the haze in her brain slowly lifting.

"Hmph, just what was she thinking? It's madness to try and go through a snowstorm of that magnitude."

It was a frustrated, angry mutter, deep and smooth; obviously male, very intelligent too with that vocabulary. Mustering up her strength, Violet opened her eyes and squinted curiously towards the direction of the voice. A blurry black and red shape was standing at a window a ways away, facing away from her. Violet's eyes combed through her surroundings. It was a simple apartment, white carpet and minimal furniture. Nothing decorated the walls except for the occasional light switch. A table doubling as a desk was pushed against a wall, a blank TV standing next to it. A small fireplace crackled in the far wall, filling the room with warmth. Along with the flames brilliance, pudgy candles were lit and randomly place about the room, bathing everything in a subtle golden glow.

The female blinked several times and her vision sharpened. The blur resolved itself into a tall ebony hedgehog with sweeping, upturned quills blazing with crimson stripes. Even with his back turned upon her, even though he was at a distance, he held an intimidating air of superiority, his arms crossed over his chest. Violet stayed silent, drinking in what had just happened. This stranger had saved her! She was alive! Without thinking, she sat up, only to have a weight come crashing down in her head and a rapid sneeze session following after.

"Don't strain yourself. You're still recovering from hypothermia. Your body's systems need time to rebuild and strengthen."

His voice was something completely different from anything Violet had ever heard in her life. It was smooth, yet rough; an angry undercurrent in every syllable. It was the voice she'd expect from...that creepy human terminator guy she'd watched on TV a few weeks ago. The deep cadence however contradicted everything else. A voice like that would get any girl to melt, especially with the knowledgeable words he chose to speak.

What was odd was that he did not turn to look at her as he spoke. He continued to stare out the window, lost in the swirling snow. Wiping her nose on her hand, noticing that her gloves were missing, Violet moved a little more carefully.

"Who (sniff), who are you?"

At her question he turned, and the female barely held back her gasp. His eyes were a red more vivid than blood and just as frightening. For a split second, she was afraid. Every inch of him screamed dangerous as his lurid eyes bored into hers with dominant power. Then, he blinked, releasing her.

"No one of consequence." His answer was gruff as he walked past without even looking at her. Violet turned her head to follow him in confusion as he strode into a small kitchenette and started opening cupboards.

So he was one of the anti-social types huh? Violet's eyes narrowed as she watched the ebony hedgehog working in the kitchen. Well, she deserved an answer right? By golly, she was going to get one! As long as she didn't look into his eyes again...

The blue female blinked when a steaming mug suddenly appeared in front of her nose. Her savior's expression was stern and slightly irritated when, relieved of the mug, he sat in a chair across from her.

"Drink." He ordered, glaring.

Violet quickly drank, slowing down when the heat trickled down her throat. "Mmmm, hot chocolate, my favorite! Thank you."

He nodded.

That was the last thing she saw before the sleeping pills dissolved in the hot drink took over. The hedgehog's eyes were unfathomable as he watched her slowly sink into oblivion.

"And that was when I first met him."

Violet halted her story long enough to take a quick drink. Well, talking for the past ten minutes really dried up your mouth. Gratefully pouring fruit juice down her throat, Violet looked back at the tan and brown rabbit staring with wide chocolate eyes as the thrilling tale concluded.

"Wow! To think that mister Shadow saved you and everything!" Cream exclaimed with glowing wonderment. Violet grinned. She loved it when Cream got excited, it was so cute! The two were sitting at a table outside a small caf, the summer sun beating down on them pleasantly in between wandering clouds.

"Yeah, though I'm still a little mad at him for knocking me out. It wasn't necessary."

"I beg to differ."

It took a lot of control for Violet to not scream. Hand flying to her heart, she whirled around and stifled another outburst. There, right behind her, pulling off a complicated combination of indifference and irritation on his face, was none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. His arms were loose at his sides, the crimson stripes highlighting his fur in the sun. Violet's pulse jackknifed both at the surprise and...well, the really hot guy standing right in front of her; At least, hot if she stayed far away from his eyes. She was going to let Cream have it for not telling her he was there...

"Good morning Mr. Shadow!" Cream trilled, ever polite, leaning around a still shell-shocked Violet and smiling. "We were just talking about you!"

The ebony hedgehog turned his burning coal eyes upon her. "Yes, I figured that for myself. I'm glad to know I'm still a source of gossip among females."

The sarcasm and slight ego-stroking were enough to wake up Violet. Tossing aside her cobalt bangs she rolled her eyes. "Still a source? I didn't know you were one in the first place. Well, now I know what to Google next time."

She became just slightly uncomfortable when the red eyes flicked back at her sass. Oh boy, they were just a potent as the first time. He continued to stare at her and sweat slid down the back of her neck. Mercifully, Cream broke the nerve-racking silence, forcing Shadow to release the blue shehog from his gaze.

"What are you doing in town Mr. Shadow?"

His expression didn't flicker from his blank, cold look as he returned to the irrepressible rabbit. "Nothing of consequence." And he turned to leave.

All of Violet's courage---not to mention temper---came rushing back into her system. That was almost exactly what he'd said to her just before he drugged her! (It was only after waking up in Cream's house the day after that when she learned Shadow's name and began her friendship with Cream.)

"Hey, she asked a question and it's common courtesy to give an answer! Especially since you didn't with me."

And to her very intense irritation, he didn't answer. He...didn't even turn around...or stop. 'Okay, THAT'S it!'

"I'll catch up with you later ok?" Violet asked Cream, grabbing her purse and jumping up. Cream looked up nervously at the murderous expression on her friend's face but nodded. "Alright, I'll wait for Cheese to get back and then we'll go home. What are you going to do Violet?"

"Give someone a piece of my mind." The incensed hedgehog muttered, already striding after Shadow, practically a storm cloud raging above her head. Stomping around a corner, she barely caught a glimpse of his uplifted quills vanish through a byway. Cutting across the street she ran after him.

"Hey! Hold up a minute!"

Whether or not he heard her, she didn't know. All Violet did know was that he didn't stop and it was driving her nuts. Especially the way he walked...

She shook her head and kept going, following Shadow deeper and deeper into Station Square's alleyways until at one point, she lost sight of him altogether.

"Shadow!" The shehog screamed in one last effort to garner his attention. No such luck. The only thing that answered Violet was the echo of her own voice, sounding tinny and weak as it faded away. A light breeze raised goose-bumps on her skin as the sun disappeared behind looming storm clouds. Rubbing her arms, Violet let her azure eyes comb her surroundings. Stone, graffiti, and garbage lay around her in heaps.

"Ok, so maybe this wasn't worth it." She muttered to herself, going in what she hoped was the opposite way she had come. "Besides, what was I really going to say to him? He makes me freeze up all the ti---"

It is decidedly an unpleasant experience when something unexpectedly grabs you around the waist.

"Give me the purse, girlie." A scratchy voice rasped in her ear as thick arms held her fast. "Hand it ov---"

This was as far as he got before a sneaker-clad foot slammed into his groin with brutal accuracy. The thief bent over, but had no time to even groan as Violet whirled and delivered him a roundhouse kick to the head. The mugger was out before he even hit the ground.

Violet breathed hard, adjusting her shirt. Thank goodness Vanilla had gotten her into those martial arts lessons!

"Hmph."

Violet jumped and saw a certain black hedgehog leaning against a brick wall, watching her with impassive red eyes. Blood rushed to Violet's face at being caught in a situation like this, but stared defiantly back. 'This time, I'm holding my own against you!'

"Hmph, what?"

Shadow cocked an eyebrow, the movement tugging at Violet's resolve to stay angry with him. "And here I thought you would learn from last time to stay out of dangerous predicaments. However, it seems to be second nature with you."

Violet's eye twitched.

"Alright, look. I didn't follow you out here to get criticized on my life. I had somebody else for that..." Her voice trailed off as an unbidden memory was brought to the surface and she subconsciously rubbed at a jagged scar on her neck.

Unbeknownst to her, Shadow's eyes followed her actions, lingering on the scar before turning shrewd. "So you admit to stalking me?"

"Stalking you? I was trying to talk to you!" Violet's hand dropped to form a fist at her side.

"The way out is through there."

Violet blinked as he pointed down an alleyway, in the opposite direction she was going to go. "Wha? Oh...ok, but---hey!" She took a step forward as Shadow turned to leave again.

"I'm not finished!"

"I am."

"What is your problem? I just want to talk!"

His angry red eyes suddenly in her face instantly made her regret saying anything.

"And why is it you are so keen to talk to me?" His velvet voice was a snapping whip, his canines flashed in a snarl.

Miraculously, Violet managed to answer. "Because I...want to."

"..."

All he did was stare; stare into her eyes with as much intensity as a supernova. The scarlet orbs barely deviated a centimeter from her sapphire eyes, boring deeply into them, as if...he were searching for something.

Violet didn't move. She couldn't move. His gaze alone held her in place. The silence deepened as his eyes narrowed, focusing on something in her eyes. Her heart sped up, her breathing became erratic. Just what...what was he...doing?

The moment between them was shattered as a groan floated up from the ground.

"Aaaaaaaawwww...my head..."

With a blink, Shadow turned...

...and was gone.

Violet stood there, completely in shock as the man she'd knocked out rose shakily to his feet behind her.

"What just hap---"

A furious rabbit-punch from a clenched, blue fist dropped him once more.