Introspection

2 – Faker!? The Entrance of the Dark Stranger!

Notes: Bellwyn Academy is a fictional fusion of American and Japanese high schools. At first, I was going to go primarily Japanese (for the anime cliché) with this, but then decided that since this is mobius, the school could be whatever the hell I wanted. And, since I hail from the United States, I figured I could shove the two together. Hence, this ungodly union wherein I butcher one culture by inserting another. Go 'murica.

I feel that it should be said that I project Sonic as an asexual, possibly aromantic, character. I know this is going against most of the traditions of the fandom – the argument being between who Sonic should be paired with, not whether he should be paired at all – but I myself am an aro ace and my human experience leads me to characterize him thusly. I will write what is comfortable for me, and there is a definite lack of aromantic, asexual characters in all types of media; therefore, we are left creating them for ourselves. I ask that you respect my wishes and refrain from seeing what isn't there in this story. If this bothers you or you do not agree with my reasoning, then please feel free to back out of this story right now. This is not a pairing story; it is a story about friendship and the personal hardship that comes when one's life is turned upside down.

Special thanks: to my best friend, beta reader, kōhai, and keeper of my heart, Yami-Sama42, for texting me (even though I know you hate iPhone keyboards and autocorrect) for hours and helping me fill in countless holes for this story. It would be littered with thousands of potholes and speed bumps without you, and there's no way I would be writing now if it weren't for you. Thank you for always being there and not getting fed up with me when I waffle around a plot point or shoot one of your ideas down. I owe you a thousand favors. (Except not really because I know you'll cash those in.)

Disclaimer: Blue arms Sonic makes me very uncomfortable.

Forward!

They missed the train across the city.

Sonic wasn't one for pointing fingers, but when Tails sent him an apologetic look as they jogged up to the platform and watched the train speed away, he couldn't help but cuff the kid lightly across the back of the skull.

"You're paying for the cab," he said gruffly as he turned on his heel to stalk out of the station. Waving a hand as soon as he emerged from the door, he watched with an uninterested expression as a small taxi pulled up, the driver taking in their school uniforms with a raised an eyebrow.

"Bellwyn?" he asked after Sonic had opened the door, ushered Tails in before him, slid into his own seat, and pulled the door shut with a bit too much force.

"Yeah." Sonic clicked his seatbelt into place and eyed Tails to make sure the fox followed suit before looking up and meeting the cabbie's eyes in the rearview mirror. "If you could hurry, that'd be great."

"You got it. Hold on tight, kids."

Sonic sighed as they pulled out, leaning back into the cracked vinyl of the seat. The swaying of the car soothed his fried nerves, and he probably would've dropped off into a light sleep if Tails hadn't been fidgeting next to him. The fox was perched on the edge bench seat, ramrod straight, fiddling nervously with his gloves.

"Would you chill?" The hedgehog closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. "I'm not mad."

"But if you're late again you're gonna be sent to the principal..."

"Doesn't matter kid. I'm just worried about you; I know you've never been late before."

That much was true. Tails was usually punctual and pushing Sonic out of the door in the morning. But, over the past two weeks or so he had taken to sleeping in, dawdling on the walks to the station, and waiting until the last possible moment to make his way to class, as if he was starting to dread school as much as the hedgehog. It was surreal, to see the small, eager child turn into the perfect image of a sullen teenager. Sonic couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong, but he couldn't, for the life of him, pinpoint what it could be. The two of them spent nearly every moment of the day together, and he would've noticed if anything had changed in the fox's routine.

Cracking his eyes open, he spied Tails glaring through the window, watching as the familiar scenery of their neighborhood blended into the unfamiliar sights of the surrounding areas. They never saw much of the city, always too busy studying or reading on the train, and Sonic couldn't help but wish for a different life – a life where he and Tails were free to travel the world, see everything with wide eyes and experience everything the planet had to offer. Experiences over possessions was his motto, and he knew Tails felt much the same, but even if he was free in less than a year, the kit would be stuck in a classroom, grinding against the boredom and uncreative routine that stunted both of them. He wished he could take Tails with him, wanted to save him from a life of books and equations, but he knew that he couldn't. Not until Tails graduated or hit sixteen, whichever came first.

"Do you think we could get ice cream after school?" Tails' voice came quietly, unassuming and apprehensive, and Sonic wasn't sure if he had heard him until the fox turned to look at him.

Sonic sighed, swiveling in his seat so he was facing his friend. "I've got gymnastics practice after school, but I can ask Knuckles to take you."

The kit's blue eyes fell and he sighed. "Nah, I need to stay after to research in the library anyway."

Sonic smiled sadly, reminded of just how young Tails was. He should be in elementary school, preparing for recess and multiplication, not worrying about a massive research paper due in a few weeks. "Tell you what, we can make the trip back home together. I was gonna get Knuckles to bring you, but since you're staying after, I can wait until you're done. We can get ice cream from that small place across the street from the station if it's not too late. How about it?"

Tails grinned at him. "Sounds great."

They sat in silence after that, and Tails leaned forward to root around in his backpack. He pulled out a text book Sonic didn't recognize and the hedgehog scowled. The school liked to pile extra work on Tails to make sure he wasn't bored, but it only served to distract him for an extra thirty minutes at best. He soaked up everything he read, and even though his strengths were in mathematics and applied sciences, he still did reasonably well in languages; history was the simple act of memorizing facts, which Sonic himself excelled at, so Tails was easily the most successful student that had ever walked Bellwyn's halls. However, this did not stop him from studying nonstop, and Sonic hoped they would let up soon.

They pulled up to the school fifteen minutes later and Sonic dragged their backpacks out of the car while Tails leaned forward to pay the driver. He blinked at the fox, obviously just now realizing how young he was, before shrugging and accepting the mobiums. After Tails had climbed out and the car had sped away, he looked up at Sonic with the same expression as earlier on the driveway and the hedgehog felt a chill ripple up his spine.

"Sonic—"

"Are you gonna join one of the academic teams?" Sonic cut across before Tails could start. "Silver was talking about how they needed more people on the math team."

Tails squinted at him, easily seeing his feint, but seemed to decide that he need a break because he shrugged. "I dunno. Depends on how much homework I have in the next few weeks. What about you? You gonna go out for track?"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "What do you take me for? Of course I'm gonna try out. Maybe I can get these lazy a—" The blue one cut himself off as he spied a flash of green heading in their direction, and he dropped Tails' backpack at their feet. "Actually, maybe we shouldn't talk about this." The hedgehog moved to stand in front of his adopted brother, quills rising a bit in defense as the green weaving through the crowd was joined by gray and purple. "Get to class Tails. I have something to take care of."

Tails leaned around Sonic and his face fell into an angry scowl at the sight of the three mobians making their way toward them. "C'mon Sonic, don't fight. School hasn't even started yet."

"Jet knows better than to start something physical here," Sonic hissed back as a trio of birds sauntered up, their leader obviously the green one standing in front. "Go Tails. I don't want you getting pulled into this."

"But Sonic—"

"Go."

The fox sighed and pulled his backpack onto his shoulders. "Don't be late," he commanded ominously before disappearing into the crowd in front of the school.

Sonic watched him go, eyes lingering on his small form until he scaled the steps and vanished through the front doors. Then, he turned to the birds, face morphing from worried to disgusted in seconds.

"Sonic Hedgehog," the green one greeted as he came to a stop a few feet in front of the hedgehog. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Oh yeah, fancy that – running into someone you go to school with everyday. What's next? You're gonna blow my mind about the coincidental way the ground gets kinda slippery when it rains?"

Jet scowled and the large gray mobian behind him growled and clenched his fists. "Now now Storm," Jet said soothingly, patting the air in what Sonic supposed was supposed to be a calming gesture, "I'm sure Sonic here knows better than to sass the Babylon Rogues. We'll give him a chance to apologize."

Sonic grinned threateningly, barring small hedgehog incisors. "Last I checked, the Babylon Rogues didn't allow children into their ranks. Or did they make an exception because you finally learned how to tie your shoes?" He glanced down at Jet's footwear, spying the buckled boots that always adorned the hawk's feet. "Well..." he laughed, "maybe not."

"You're gonna pay for that," Storm growled, moving forward in a lumbering move that almost knocked Jet to the ground.

"Hold on Storm," Jet called once he regained his balance. The giant bird halted before he could take another step. "Don't let him goad you. That's just what he wants."

"The question here isn't what I want, Jet." Sonic tapped his foot, glancing at the clock above the doors of the school. He only had ten minutes to get away from these idiots, stop by his locker, and get to class before the class president took roll. "I've got places to be, so if you could tell me why you're wasting my life, that'd be great."

"You know why, hedgehog. You've got quite a collection of friends these days. Word on the street is that you're forming your own gang to take out the Rogues."

Sonic stared at him for a few seconds, trying to decide if he was being serious. Jet's expression was stony, determination clear on his features, and Sonic decided that yes, he was.

He snorted.

That was the wrong move. Storm lunged forward again, even as Jet and their other companion – Wave, Sonic thought her name was – yelled at him to stop. The next thing Sonic knew, he was on the ground, breath knocked out of his lungs, a huge gray mass above him. He could feel a hand on his head, grounding his quills into the ground, and could vaguely sense Storm's other fist rise to punch him in the stomach. He was ready to kick his legs up into the bigger mobian's stomach when something red barreled in out of nowhere and yanked Storm away from him. The red form spun Storm away, sending him to the ground at Jet and Wave's feet, grunting a bit at the effort.

"Knuckles," Sonic croaked, struggling to sit. The red form coalesced into the shape of one of his best friends, and Sonic grinned at the stormy expression on the echidna's face.

"Get up, you idiot." A large, fingerless glove was held out in front of him and Sonic happily accepted the help. Knuckles yanked him up with enough force that Sonic had to bounce to keep from overbalancing and he grinned.

"Thanks for the help, but I had it covered."

"Clearly," Knuckles deadpanned as he rotated his right arm, the opposite hand clutching his shoulder. "It's too early for this. I haven't stretched yet."

Sonic rolled his eyes. Knuckles was of a small frame, shoulders barely broader than Sonic's, but he possessed considerable strength – enough to dead lift at least three normal sized mobians. "You know my track record – be ready for a fight at any time."

Knuckles looked ready to reply, but Jet's squawking voice cut him off. "You'll pay for that, hedgehog! You better watch your back!"

Sonic glanced back appraisingly at his quills before turning back to Jet with a raised eyebrow. "I think my back's covered. You might want to watch yours."

"C'mon Jet," Wave urged, glancing at the doors of the school, where the commotion had been noticed by a few teachers. "We need to get outta here."

"We'll be seeing you again, Sonic Hedgehog!" With those parting words, Jet and Wave hurried off, Storm struggling to his feet to follow. Sonic sighed.

"Thus begins the uneventful Tuesday."

Knuckles grunted, stalking back to where he had dropped his backpack. "Don't say things like that," he ordered as he stooped down to grab Sonic's bag as well. "You'll jinx it." He shoved the pack into the hedgehog's hands with a bit more force than necessary, sending him rocking back a few feet. "Let's get to class."

o0o

Sonic slid into his chair right as Reese started taking roll, calling the name of one Mighty Armadillo, and Tails swiveled in his seat to give Sonic the stink eye. He opened his mouth to begin what was obviously a scathing remark, but a gloved hand clapped itself on Sonic's shoulder, distracting them both, as its owner waded around the hedgehog's desk to get to his own, late as usual.

"Heard you roughed up the Rogues, Sonic! Way to go, man."

"Silver," Sonic sighed, resisting the urge to bang his head into his desk when Tails' eyes narrowed dangerously. Distantly, Sonic wondered just when Tails had become the older brother. "Shut up."

"You took on Storm! You're the talk of the school!"

"Knuckles pulled Storm off me before he could punch me in the face. Can't exactly say I won that round."

Tails made a distressed sound, which Silver ignored. "You survived though! That's more than most people can say."

Sonic rolled his eyes for what was probably the thirty-second time that day and sent a silent prayer to chaos for the strength to get through the day.

"Silver," a smooth female voice sounded from behind Sonic, "leave Sonic alone. You know he doesn't like it when you fanboy around him."

Silver made an offended noise, head turning to give the owner of the voice a sad look. "Blaze, don't say things like that. Sonic adores me."

"Only when you let him copy your homework," Blaze replied lazily, one ear perked to listen for her name. "The rest of the time, he barely tolerates you." Then, as if on cue, she offered a gentle "present" when Reese called for her. "Face it, you can be annoying."

Silver placed his hand over the white tuft of fur on his chest, once again wearing only his uniform jacket with no shirt. "You wound me, Blaze. Next thing I know, you're gonna tell me you don't love me."

"She doesn't," Sonic and Tails offered at the same time, tones equally blank.

"Yet," Silver pointed at them, eyebrows raised, "she doesn't love me yet."

"You're delusional," Sonic commented as he turned back around to root around in his backpack. "Speaking of copying homework... How 'bout it Silver? Did you do the math homework?"

"A delusional man never does homework."

"Did I call you delusional? I meant creatively crazy."

"Sonic," Tails cut in before Silver could reply, voice carrying a touch of warning. "What happened outside?"

"Nothing, bud. Jet and I had a very... interesting conversation. Luckily, Knuckles was there to keep it from getting too exciting."

"Yeah, but—"

"Silver Hedgehog," Reese voice called over Tails' objection.

"Here!"

"Sonic Hedge—"

"Regrettably, here," Sonic began, eliciting a few chuckles from their fellow students, "and, of course, denying relation to Silver as always."

"You wish you could be in the same gene pool as me."

"That much stupid would probably reverse the gravity field around the planet," Sonic shot back digging into his backpack for a pencil. "Homework?"

Silver sighed. "Fine." He reached into his bag and extracted a rumpled piece of paper. "Don't come crying to me if it's wrong."

"You're here on a math scholarship."

"Doesn't change the fact that I possess half of the stupid required to potentially end the world."

"Miles Prower," Reese's voice came again, and the smile that had crawled its way across Tails' face was kidnapped by a dark scowl.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You really hate it, don't you kid?" Sonic asked as he scratched down answers.

The fox sighed and leaned his cheek into his palm. "It's annoying, I guess."

Sonic paused and turned to look at him. "We can talk to Chuck about changing it if you want."

Tails sighed. "Nah, it's fine. I can live with it. It's better than being named after my fur color..."

Silver made another offended noise and Tails smiled deviously at him. "I'll have you know, my grandfather was named Silver."

"Your grandfather's name is Roy," Blaze cut in blandly, straightening the papers on her desk.

"Shots fired," Sonic commented in a mirroring monotone voice.

"Bla-aze," Silver whined, "why have you forsaken me?"

Blaze ignored him and focused on Reese, ears perked as she finished roll and started on class announcements. Sonic quickly returned to his copying, trying to get some of Silver's scratch work down as well.

Silver and Blaze were an odd pair. Silver was loud, expressive, and excitable, while Blaze was stoic, sarcastic, and caring, but they brought out the best in each other. Sonic remembered the first time he saw them, huddled together on their first day at Bellwyn, best friends from the beginning. Blaze had parents that were very popular politicians on South Island, earning her a spot in the prestigious school, while Silver was gifted in advanced math, specifically algorithms. Yet, they had known each other even before they moved to Station Square for school, and despite how much they bickered, one could tell that they were inseparable.

"How's life in the dorms?" Sonic directed the question at Blaze. Bellwyn's dorms were reserved for students who came from out of town for school, and they were herald as some of the best on the continent. But, Sonic had heard rumors that there were some problems, mainly with certain individuals.

"Fine. My room assignment was changed last week when Reese's roommate dropped out." Blaze shrugged.

"What about you?" Sonic turned to Silver, ignoring the dark look the metallic hedgehog was still sending the purple cat sitting behind him.

"Espio and Knuckles got into scuffle with some of the middle school boys. They were picking on Amy and Cream." He grimaced. "Wasn't pretty for the kids, and Knuckles was complaining about the lack of challenge, but other than that, it's been quiet."

Sonic nodded firmly. "Good. Keep your eyes out. Jet and Storm are on the hunt for—" Tails sent him an alarmed look and Sonic quickly cut himself off. "Just, watch your backs."

Silver and Blaze shared worried looks but nodded nonetheless, and Sonic went back to his copying. The small group of four faded into silence after that, Tails delving into one of his text books, Blaze comparing her history notes with Silver's, and Silver folding paper airplanes. Class president Reese finished the announcements, calling for questions, and, as the room dropped into quiet while she waited, the door opened.

Thirty-one heads swiveled toward the door, including Sonic's. Every person in the room watched as a dark form appeared in the room, dressed impeccably in the school uniform. Black and red quills swooped up and back from his head, and bright crimson eyes blinked in surprise when their owner realized he was the center of attention.

"Oh, ahem," Reese began, pink hands fluttering up in surprise, "you must be our new classmate. Everyone, this is Shadow... erm... What's your last name?"

The new student coughed, hesitating on his name as if he wasn't sure. "...Hedgehog. Shadow Hedgehog."

Sonic's vision tunneled and his world lurched. Suddenly, he was no longer in the classroom; he was floating in a black space, twinkling spots of light surrounding him. He could feel power curling under his skin, writhing in his stomach, and surrounding his heart, and he realized distantly that he was glowing. He was golden, a color so pure that it hurt to look at his own hands and he focused instead on the black around him.

Space, he was in space, he realized with a jolt. Suddenly, the urge to scream rippled up his throat, but that was squashed back by the more logical thought of how am I alive I'm not breathing there's no air here I should be frozen what is going on. Then, the more pressing issue of how did I get here, pushed the panic attack away as quickly as it had come.

"Sonic!" he heard Tails' voice in his ears, except it wasn't his Tails. This Tails was different, it was terrified and relieved in the same breath. However, that voice yanked his attention away from the space around him and his focus instead moved to the dark blur plummeting toward the planet, the form painfully familiar to him.

"Hedgehog, huh?" He came back to himself as Reese spoke and he shook his head, hoping to dislodge whatever brain cells were malfunctioning and pulling him into crazyland. "Any relation to Sonic or Silver?"

Red eyes turned in the direction that Reese waved her hands and narrowed as they swept over Sonic, Tails to his left, and Silver to his right.

"No," all three hedgehogs replied at the same time, one voice hostile, one monotone, and the last with a touch of contempt.

"Well..." Reese floundered for a few seconds before clapping her hands. "Take a seat, Shadow. The teacher will be here any minute and we can get started with class."

The new hedgehog moved toward their small pocket in the center of the room and Sonic glanced around as inconspicuously as possible. The class was full, and there were only a few empty seats: one at the back of the room, one in front of Sonic, and the other next to the door. Eyeing the desk in front of him, Sonic carelessly tossed his backpack into the chair and propped his feet up on the back legs, blocking it from use.

Shadow didn't glance at the empty seat and passed it without pause. His eyes were glued on the desk in the back of the room, and, as he brushed past Sonic, the blue hedgehog's senses blinked out again, replaced with the sight of trees, smells of the jungle, and the sound of his own thudding heart.

"Faker," he hissed without realizing, and then blinked a millisecond later as the classroom came back into focus. Shadow was frozen next to him, jaw clenched and hands large fists at his sides. Sonic scrambled back a few mental steps, wondering where the hell that had come from and trying to figure out how it could have possibly offended the new student. "Look man, I'm sorry. I don't know why I—"

But then, Shadow bit back in a blank, calculating voice, as if he were testing something, "You're not good enough to be my fake."

"I'll make you eat those words!" Sonic barked back, overlapping Shadow before he could finish. "Wait, what the hell..."

"Sonic...?" Tails' voice came timidly and Sonic ignored him in favor of watching as a satisfied look spread across Shadow's face. The dark hedgehog continued forward as if nothing had happened and Sonic fell back into his seat, wondering just when he had lurched upward. "Are you okay?"

Sonic buried his face in his tan arms, burrowing into the relative safety of his limbs. "I don't know..." he whispered so quietly he could barely hear himself.

But, Tails heard, and, judging from the alarmed look Sonic could sense on his back, he was just as confused as Sonic was.

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