A/N: This is my first fanfic ever, so reviews are appreciated, especially by fans of the Sonic series.
Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all other characters in this story belong to SEGA, not me.
Blood dripped from a gaping hole within the chest of a hedgehog with ebony fur as he lay on the ground, staring up at his blue counterpart. "And here I thought that you were too much of a goodie-two-shoes to ever be able to take a life. Guess I was wrong, huh, Faker?" "Sh-Shadow.." Those emerald eyes of his were filling up with tears and the irony of the situation made Shadow smile ever so slightly. He had lost- not only that simple fight with the Faker, but everything. The memories within his mind, were they real or not? It did not matter anymore. He had become so blinded with finding the truth that he had lost sight of who and what he really was. He didn't need his memories to tell him that what he was doing was wrong. Rouge had been right... His ambition was the cause of his downfall. Ah, Rouge... He silently wondered if she hated him. He had hurt her, though perhaps not physically, he knew he had hurt her by siding against her. Sonic inched closer to Shadow, who merely smiled thinly. "Don't tell me you're feeling guilty, Faker." "I-I never... I just had to... But now..." Sonic was unable to find words for how he felt at that moment. A few moments ago, he had been set on destroying the Ultimate Lifeform for all the damage and pain he had caused, but the moment he had landed that final blow, he had felt his heart sink. His hatred had ebbed away slowly and when he saw the blood coating his gloves, he knew that he had gone too far. Yes, the ebony hedgehog deserved to pay for his crimes, but did he really deserve to die? Sonic was torn... And his ebony counterpart could see. Normally, Shadow would have mocked the Faker for his indecisiveness and pure heart, but now was not one of those times. By now, tears had begun to run down Sonic's cheeks. He extended his hand and rested it on the blue hero's cheek. "Why are you crying, Faker?" Sonic supported Shadow with his right hand and placed his left hand on the gaping hole within his chest. "D-Don't worry, Shadow. I'll get you outta here and the doctors will make sure you recover, alright? And even if G.U.N puts you in prison, I'll come by just to laugh in your face, you Faker..." Shadow merely smiled weakly. "After all I did to you, you still care about me. Why is that, Sonic?" "What are you talking about, Shadow? We're friends!" "Friends, huh?" Shadow let his hand slip from Sonic's cheek, causing blood to smudge on the blue hero's face. Sonic didn't seem to mind and he held Shadow's hand tightly. "Yeah, we're friends." "You're a strange one, Faker." Shadow coughed up blood, causing Sonic to panic. "Take it easy, man. C'mon, let's get going!" He lifted the ebony hedgehog up slowly and began to carry him through the crumbling remains of the ARK
Shadow was shocked, to say the least, at the blue hero's determination. Despite having injuries of his own, he was carrying Shadow through the ARK. Shadow wanted to speak but was too weak to do so. All those times of transfroming and fighting, it had taken its toll on his body. He tried to speak, but no words came out of his blood-filled mouth. What are you doing, Faker? Don't be stupid... You can barely walk on your own two feet, you won't be able to carry me out of here before this place collapses on us both... He thought to himself, wishing Sonic would just let him go and leave him to his fate. However, Sonic merely struggled on and Shadow watched on helplessly as the blue hero exhausted himself by dodging falling debris. A large boulder fell upon them and Shadow's eyes widened as Sonic shoved him out of the way, causing him to get hit by the boulder. Shadow crawled weakly over to the blue hero and saw that Sonic's head was bleeding. "Sonic!" The ebony hedgehog yelled and the blue hero merely smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up. "That was a close one, huh, Shadow? But it looks like we might be stuck in here for a while." "Sonic, listen... You need to leave me here. You are wounded as well and there is no way you will be able to run out of here at full speed with me weighing you down. Just go, and leave me here. I don't think... I'll make it anyway." At this response, Sonic became quite upset. "What the hell are you talking about, Shadow! I aint the type to leave a man behind! I mean, maybe you'd turn tail to save yourself if the situation was reversed, but I aint gonna do that!" Shadow closed his eyes and a melancholy expression covered his face. Sonic cursed himself under his breath and gently touched Shadow's shoulder, to which the ebony hedgehog slowly opened his eyes. "Shadow, I didn't mean-" "No, you aren't wrong, Faker. I probably would have let you die if I were in your shoes right now... But I wouldn't have left you here to die. I would've killed you myself. That way, you would not need to suffer..." Sonic's eyes widened as he realized what Shadow wanted him to do. "You want me to kill you?" "Yes, Sonic. This way, you would've defeated the enemy of the Earth... This way, you can get out of here without worrying about my fate and without me weighing you down." "No!" Sonic yelled. "N o, I won't do it!" Shadow glared at the blue hero. "Why are you so reluctant to end my life? I have caused nothing but pain! At least this way, I will not have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life- which will be for eternity if you do not end it now!" Shadow was nearly begging Sonic, who could see the desperation within those red eyes. He could not imagine how Shadow felt at that moment... Angry, tired, sad, guilty... Still unable to really understand who he was... Would he want to live if he were Shadow? Probably not... Buit there was still no way he would be able to bring himself to kill his ebony counterpart. He just didn't have it in his heart to do so. Shadow frowned as he realized that there was no way the blue hero would be able to kill him. Looking around, Shadow saw the remains of one of the dead aliens and he picked up its weapon. Sonic saw this and ran to him. Shadow pointed the gun at his head and squeezed the trigger. However, Sonic grabbed the gun and threw it aside before his ebony counterpart was able to pull the trigger. Shadow looked shocked, then his expression became angry. "Faker!" He screamed and Sonic backed away as Shadow's fur began to glow red. There was no way he'd be able to survive a Chaos Blast... Sonic braced himself for the end, but it never came. Instead, he saw Shadow drop to his knees and he gasped as he saw the ebony hedgeohg clutch his head in frustration. He walked over to Shadow and extended his hand to touch him, but Shadow hit his hand away and backed into a corner like a frightened child. Sonic saw the streams of tears flowing down his face and he frowned. "Don't look at me like that, Faker! I don't need your pity!" "Shadow..." The blue hero gave him a soft smile. "It's okay to cry..." Memories flashed through Shadow's head as he sat there. In his memories, he saw a blonde girl with a blue dress, her arms open and her smile soft. "It's okay to cry, Shadow." She whispered and he felt her warm embrace. His memory ended and he stared at Sonic, before getting up unsteadily. "Let's go, Faker." Sonic looked up at him, surprised, before grinning. "Yeah!" He yelled excitedly and supported the ebony hedgeohg. Sonic ran as fast as his legs were able to carry him. They eventually reached what was left of the escape pods. "Alright, let's go home!" Sonic smiled and Shadow nodded. However, before either of them were able to enter the pod, they heard some rumbling and debris scattered everywhwere, hitting the terminal of the escape pod, causing it to malfunction. The two hedgehogs fought with the alien that emerged from the rubble, but both were exhausted and the pod was going to launch soon. The computer began its countdown and Shadow looked at Sonic, who was clutching his arm that had been hurt by the alien. "Five, four..." The computer counted and that's when Shadow made his decision. He grabbed Sonic and threw him into the pod, causing the doors to lock instantly. Sonic punched against the doors. "Shadow, what the hell are you doing? Hurry up and get in!" "I'm sorry, Faker. This is the end for me." He smiled. "Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog." The pod was ejected towards the Earth and before Sonic's lost sight of the ARK, he heard two words: "Chaos Blast!"
A week later, everyone stood worriedly by the bedside of Sonic, who slowly opened his eyes.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sonic sat up and looked around, his mind hazy. The last thing he remembered... "Shadow!" He yelled out loud, causing his companions to frown. "Shadow wasn't with you in the pod when we found you..." Knuckled said and Vector looked slightly sadder. "They said that there was no trace of life in the ARK after some explosion... All they found was this." He handed Sonic a torn bracelet and the blue hero's eyes widened. This was all that was left of Shadow? Sonic couldn't believe it- no, he refused to believe it! He got up, ignoring the pain that shot through his body as well as the comments of his friends. "This isn't funny, Faker! Where are you? I know you're here! Come out already!" Sonic yelled desperately, waiting for Shadow to appear and smirk at him for being worried. But he did not appear. Tears fell down Sonic's face as he crumpled to the floor, clutching the bracelet. He felt Amy's arms around him, but he didn't care. Shadow was really dead... Shadow died to save him... He did not deserve to be called a hero... He stared at the bracelet and frowned. There was still something he had to do...
Three days after Sonic was released from hospital, he found himself standing outside Club Rouge. He knocked on the door and frowned as Rouge opened it. There were black circles underneath her eyes and her eyes were bloodshot. "Rouge..." "He didn't make it, did he?" She asked sadly and Sonic nodded, his throat pulling tight. "Rouge, I'm sorry, it's all my fault... I wasn't strong enough to get him into the pod in time..." "Don't blame yourself, Sonic." She replied and smiled sadly. "Shadow chose to save you. You know, he may never have said it, but deep down I think he considered you one of the few people he cared for. So, I think by saving you, it was his way of letting you know he cared..." Tears welled up within the blue hero's eyes and he nodded. "I cared about him too." "I know you did, Sonic." "Oh, by the way, this is all that was left...after the explosion..." Sonic handed the bracelet to her. "I'm sure he would've wanted you to have it." She held the bracelet tightly and smiled, a bit of the pain within her heart fading away. "Thank you, Sonic." "Oh, Rouge... we're having a memorial for him later in the week... I was hoping..." "Of course I will be there. Omega too." She smiled and Sonic nodded before running off. As he ran through the city, the wind within his quiils, he could picture Shadow running next to him. Sonic smiled and looked towards the sky when he stopped. "I think I finally understand you, Shadow..." He stretched his hand to the sky and imagined Shadow floating next to him, giving him a high-five. "Rest in peace, Shadow the hedgehog."