Fading Reminder

Chapter Two: Trust Me

The next day arrived, and the dark hedgehog was still unconscious. Knuckles and Sonic managed to retrieve the bullet from Shadow's shoulder the night before. Oddly enough, his body seemed as if it were rejecting the manmade object, and was already in the process of forcing it out. The echidna and the blue hedgehog figured it had something to do with him supposedly being 'the Ultimate Life Form,' though this still amazed Knuckles. They bandaged up the wound, put him in Tails' workshop in Sonic's backyard, and he has been there all night. Tails had a bed and such in there for those late nights he stayed up working, which was quite often. The small fox wouldn't be too happy when he found a murderer in his work area…but Sonic had nowhere else to put him. And as for those being unhappy, Sonic was one of them.

The blue hedgehog paced around his living room, rubbing his forehead. Knuckles walked out from the kitchen with two hot mugs in his hands, one filled with hot chocolate and one filled with coffee. He handed the hot chocolate to his friend since he thought coffee was disgusting, "I know it's terrible, Sonic, but you can't let this bother you as much as you are letting it."

Sonic took the mug from the echidna, "some hero I am, huh? I'm supposed to be as fast as the speed of light, and I can't get there in time to save all of those people?" He took a sip of the hot chocolate but set it aside on an end table due to its heat.

"We were in the city, helping people out of that other explosion that Shadow caused. You can't be in two places at once." reasoned Knuckles. Sonic ignored his logic though, he was too concentrated on the fact he failed in saving people. This was something that rarely happened to him. He was always the hero.

"A lot more people died at the bridge, Knuckles, a lot more were in danger, and we got there too late." He let out an exasperated sigh, "what kind of hero does that!" He plopped onto his couch, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television.

"-ast night and no one survived this horrible incident. Our main bridge of 50 years, destroyed, and 23 people, dead. Where was our hero, Sonic?"

Knuckles began choking on his coffee when he heard the newscast. What timing Sonic had to turn the television on at that moment. He quickly put his mug on the end table beside the couch, and looked over at Sonic, trying to control his coughing.

Sonic stared blankly at the screen, taking in what the reporter had said. He sighed and cast his head down, staring at his ungloved fingers. He tried to think logically. As Knuckles said before…you can't be in two places at once, right?

Knuckles' coughing ceased and he put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Sonic," he cleared his throat, "it's not your fault. You did help people last night. You were helping them out of that burning building in the city. You didn't know that all of this at the bridge was going to happen, you're not a psychic, even though you think you are sometimes." He managed to get the hero to crack a small smile. "You couldn't have possibly saved people from both areas, they practically happened at the same time. It was a win lose situation."

Sonic stood up, "Yeah, I know. It just…really sucks."

Knuckles nodded.

"There is no footage of our assailant but the description we have from witnesses matches that of a black hedgehog. If you see this animal, please contact authorities immedi-"

Click.

Sonic turned off the television, "I don't feel like hearing about how we have a felon in my backyard."

Knuckles laughed lightly, "I picked a great two weeks to stay at your house, didn't I?"

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Meanwhile, out in Tails' workshop, the black hedgehog began to slowly awake.

His eyes fluttered lightly and he let out a quiet yawn. As his eyes opened, they met with a steel ceiling. He jerked his entire body up into a sitting position, not recognizing the place he was exactly. He rubbed his eyes and examined his surroundings, ignoring the pounding headache that was tearing at his skull.

It wasn't a very big room, or it may have just seemed like that due to all of the gadgets scattered around. There was a large table with countless amounts of tools not too far from the foot of the bed he was on, and there were random inventions on the floor, all seemed to be half finished. There were a few lights on, hanging above him, throughout the room. No windows, and if there were, they were covered by the piles of machinery, so he couldn't tell if it was night or day.

He moved his body to his left as soon as he noticed the door, but the amazing sensation of pain shooting through his arm stopped him immediately, accompanied by a small yelp and his hand grabbing his shoulder. He looked down, noticing it was neatly bandaged with some dry blood staining it. He remembered that those humans had shot him. His eyes narrowed in anger at the thought.

He went to stand up again, this time aware of the movement with his left arm. As he lifted his feet from beneath the blanket, and to the floor, he noticed his gloves and shoes just at the foot of the bed. He moved his hand from the pain on his shoulder and grabbed them, putting them on. As he was doing that, it hit him. He didn't have his chaos emerald anymore. "Damn it!" He yelled in frustration, knowing that if that door was locked, he wasn't going anywhere. After all, he needed an emerald to warp his way out.

He jumped up with one shoe on to see if it was or not. He reached the door and just as he thought, it was locked. He turned around. His back leaned against the door, and he slid down it. Shadow sighed, sitting on the cold cement floor, "Where am I?" He asked himself quietly.

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"Sonic, I am not letting you cook me breakfast. You burn toast." said Knuckles, as he moved to get Sonic out of the way of the refrigerator.

"Come on, Reds!" Sonic turned to the echidna, his right hand holding open the refrigerator door, "you're the guest. I'll make you…Scrambled eggs a-la King!"

"Yeah, okay, you attempt to make me scrambled eggs, and I'll get a baby chic on my plate." He pushed himself in front of Sonic, forcing the hedgehog to let go of the door, "thanks for the thought, but you go check on Shadow, I'll make the food."

"Oh yeah," he began walking towards his backdoor, "good idea." He brought two fingers to his forehead and saluted Knuckles casually on his way out.

Shadow's ears twitched lightly as he faintly heard someone on the other side of the door approaching. He quickly stood up, and went back over to the bed to put on his other shoe and his gloves. He had them on in seconds, just before…

"Shadow?" Sonic knocked, "are you awake yet?"

He recognized the voice; it was that blue hedgehog from last night. He grew angered and yelled, "let me out of here!" He ran to the door, "your head is going to meet these walls that you trapped me in."

Sonic folded his arms to his chest and leaned against the door with his shoulder, "so you're giving me more reason to not let you out?"

Shadow threw his fists once against the door, pounding into it with immense force, bruising his hands almost, but he didn't care. "Let me out!"

"Not until you calm down, geeze. I do need to talk to you though."

His voice started out quiet as his two now stagnant fists laid against his exit, "why do you need to talk to me, blue hedgehog? I don't know of you and I have no business with you." but began to rise once again, "Which is why…you should let me the hell out of here!"

"If you're going to keep acting like this, I'm not letting you out for a week!" Sonic smirked, realizing he began to sound like a parent, trying to calm down an angry child.

Shadow let out an aggravated sigh, and hit the door again with a fist one more time. He slid down to sit on the floor. He curled his knees up to his chest, tapping one foot repeatedly, trying desperately to hold in his anger. He didn't need this distraction. He had a mission to fulfill, and he knew those humans weren't going to murder themselves. He folded his arms over the top of his knees and took a deep breath. His voice was at his normal speaking tone, "what do you want with me?"

Sonic noticed that the voice wasn't coming from the same level as it was before, and it had moved down as if the opposite was now lower. He mimicked this, sitting on the ground at the foot of the door. He leaned his head against so he could hear well. "What did you say, Shadow?"

Shadow raised his voice slightly, but wasn't yelling, realizing after all, he was talking through a door, "I said…what do you want with me?"

"I want to help you remember."

"Remember what? How they murdered Maria?" There was bitterness in his words.

"Well…no, since you obviously remember that. You need to remember that you fulfilled your promise to her a year ago already. You helped me save all of the people on earth, not murder them."

Shadows eyes widened and he turned his head to the door, leaning as close to it as possible, "what do you mean, hedgehog?"

Sonic smiled lightly, "will you just call me, Sonic?"

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. A blue hedgehog named Sonic? It didn't seem all that out of the ordinary and unfamiliar, and he searched through his mind to find some recollection of it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it…

"Shadow?" asked Sonic, after the few moments of silence.

He realized he was being spoken to and brought himself out of his deep thinking, "oh, sorry, hedge–I mean, Sonic. I was trying to comprehend what you are talking about." He clenched his fists together, still attempting to keep his guard up, "but why should I believe you?"

"Well…You just need to trust me."

"Hmph, I just met you yesterday and you expect me to trust you?" He said in a sort of disbelieving tone.

"That's the thing, you didn't–"

"Oh yes, I supposedly met you a year ago and we saved the world, correct? How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Oh yeah, smart guy? Why don't you tell me what you were doing a year ago?"

Silence.

Sonic grinned, "Exactly my point. Let me go get you some food, alright?"

He got no response as he walked back into the house. The black hedgehog sat there on the floor confused. He couldn't remember anything of his past, just that his beloved Maria was murdered by the humans at GUN, and he promised her revenge. The most recent thing he remembered is that strange doctor from a few days ago…

Sonic walked back into the kitchen, bowing repeatedly, "thank you, thank you. Please, people, hold your applause." He smiled and waved to no one in particular as he sat at a table nearby.

Knuckles turned around and just looked at him, shaking his head, "I see you're in a better mood, but dare I ask?" He grabbed a large plate of eggs and bacon, and put it in the center of the table.

"Our dark, furry friend out there has opened a door for me. I think I can get him to let me help him get his memory back since he just basically admitted he can't remember anything from a year ago. We can probably let him out soon too, once I get him to listen to me." He sniffed the food, "mmm, but first," he went to grab some food and Knuckles slapped his hand away.

"Ow! What was that for? You put food in front of me and expect me not to eat it?"

"Keep your paws off it for now. How are we giving this to Shadow without his hands around your throat again?"

"I have an idea." Sonic hopped up from his chair, and grabbed a plate off of the counter top; he grabbed some eggs and a few slices of bacon, placing them on the plate. "How about, we not think about it, and just go do it?" He said, as he began walking towards the backdoor.

Knuckles sighed heavily, "Wow, what a genius plan." He remarked sarcastically, grabbed the key to Tails' workshop from a hook beside him attached to the wall, and followed behind Sonic.

The blue hedgehog looked at him as he approached the door. "I'll open the door, you hold him down, I put the food…somewhere, and we're out. No prob!"

Knuckles looked at him, "you seem to think everything is so simple, don't you?"

"Yes." Sonic grabbed the keys from Knuckles with his free hand, and tapped on the door, the keys jingling in his palm. "Shadow?"

The black hedgehog stood up abruptly from the foot of the door, practically jumping out of his train of thought again. "Yes?"

"Yeah, we got some food for you, now don't try to kill us or anything, or uh…you'll just be in there longer."

Shadow pressed his ear against the door, listening to the two, confused at what is happening.

Knuckles rolled his eyes and whispered to the blue hedgehog, "real smooth."

"Shut up." Sonic put the keys in the door, "now I'm depending on you. As soon as I open this, hold him."

Knuckles nodded and Sonic turned the key, moving over before he pushed it open, letting Knuckles in front of him to go first.

"Now!" shouted Sonic as he swung the door open causing Shadow to jump back. Knuckles ran in first towards the confused black hedgehog. He grabbed both of Shadow's arms, and held them behind him in a firm, tight grip, making sure the black creature wasn't going anywhere. Shadow gave no sign of struggle but rather just watched with a cocked eyebrow.

Sonic spoke to himself as he went in, "okay we're in, putting the food down," he turned in a circle, not finding a clear surface to place it upon, "Okay, putting the food down on the floor," and moved back towards the entrance. "Moving back, moving back, at the door…Come on Knuckles!"

Knuckles let go of Shadow quickly and raced for the door. The black hedgehog did not budge. He stood there with a confused look, staring at the two leaving.

Sonic quickly shut the door, "okay, locking the door, and…done!" He locked it, looked up at Knuckles and then towards the door. "Shadow?" he asked.

"What are these things you left in here?"

"It's food, just eat it."

"You're not trying to poison me, are you?" He immediately wished he hadn't asked that as it was a stupid question. If someone was trying to poison him, they wouldn't tell him they were.

Sonic shook his head, "no! Will you just trust me and eat it?"

Shadow eyed the food curiously. He hadn't remembered seeing anything like it, but all he knew was that it smelled delicious. He knelt down on the floor and grabbed a piece of bacon. He held it in front of his eyes, examining it thoroughly. He turned it around every way possible, leaving not an angle uncovered by his inspecting eyes. He was awfully hungry…

"Shadow?" asked Knuckles.

He let out a low sigh, and shoved it in his mouth, taking a bite. He let the taste register and smiled widely. He had never eaten anything like this before. It was different…and it was delicious. "Thank you." He muttered through the chewed bacon.

Sonic smiled, knowing that the black hedgehog was eating. He spoke to the door again, "I'll be back in about fifteen minutes. I want to talk to you again."

Shadow waved his hand, acknowledging the blue one as if he could see him, shoving more food in his mouth like it would disappear if he went any slower.

Sonic made his way back to his house, Knuckles behind him.

"See? He likes my cooking; now if it were yours…he'd be throwing up." smirked the echidna.

"Shut your face." He opened the door, practically lunging at the food impatiently.

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About twenty minutes had passed and Sonic decided to head back to Tails' workshop. "Knuckles…go check on Tails. Give him some food, and put it by the bed. Hopefully he'll be awake soon. It's almost noon."

Knuckles nodded and began making a platter as Sonic was already headed outside.

"Shadow…" He plopped on the ground next to the door like he had positioned himself earlier. He heard movement, and then he heard the movement slide down the door, just opposite where he was sitting.

"Can you let me out of here?" asked the 'prisoner,' picking at his teeth with a once again ungloved hand, trying to get particles of food out from between them.

"Well, hold on, let me talk to you." Sonic looked down, "I guess we'll just start here…how much do you remember exactly?"

Shadow lifted his eyes towards the door, "why do I need to tell you that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because I am telling you things that involved you a year ago, and you don't know what you were doing then. I think…I can help you get your memory back."

"What makes you think I lost my memory?" asked the hardheaded hedgehog, trying to keep his guard up, despite his curiosity.

"Stop being so stubborn!" Sonic's eyes widened after he said that. The countless amounts of times Knuckles has said that to him…He wouldn't hear the end of it if he was just heard.

"It's rather difficult talking behind a door, don't you think?"

"Well…yeah, but if I open it, you'll either try to kill me again, or you will–"

"I'm not going to kill you, Sonic." His voice was a lot calmer than before.

"…run away. I want to help you remember. You became my friend then…just before," he looked down, "you died…Or I mean, we thought you did."

Sonic's words triggered something in Shadow's mind. He died? He thought hard and an image popped slowly became clear. Falling...Searing pain from fire. And "a gold hedgehog…"

Sonic's head jerked up, "what?"

His brow furrowed, trying desperately to hold onto this image in his head, his eyes closed. "A gold hedgehog. I remember falling from a gold being…feeling immense pain, and there is darkness everywhere."

"Shadow! That gold hedgehog is me, in my super form, can you remember any further? Do you remember the monster? Saving earth?"

Shadow shook his head, snapping out of his concentration, "what? Monster, saving earth? And how are you the gold hedgehog? I'm not colorblind. You're clearly blue."

"I know that. But you and I turned into our Super Forms with the seven Chaos Emeralds, and I was like a goldish yellow. Shadow, if you just would give me a chance, I think I can really help you."

Shadow's guard began to falter, "But…why do you want to help me?"

Sonic felt some hope within him at the sound of Shadow's voice, "because that's what I do. I help people." He remembered the incident from last night. He sighed deeply, "or at least…I try to." He shook it off, trying to not let that get him down at the moment while trying to gain the black hedgehog's trust. "Besides, like I said, you became my friend, and friends are something I don't like to lose."

Shadow cast his head downward, thinking about whether or not to trust this blue hedgehog. He hasn't come across anyone else that has been able to tell him about his past. That doctor didn't seem to want to help him.

"Listen, I'll make a deal with you." Sonic began again. "I'll try my best to help you regain your memory if you stay here a few weeks. I'll give you back your Chaos Emerald as well after I've helped you. You just can't come out here, ya know, and try to kill me again…" Sonic paused, "Don't you want to know how you already fulfilled your promise to Maria?"

Shadow hesitated a moment, he was never quick to trust people, but he thought in this case he had no other choice. He wanted to find out about his past. He sighed, "...Alright."