8 - My Demons
The blue hedgehog had a hand half covering his face as he stared down at the tree bark he was currently sitting on. He looked so dour, with such a sullen expression. He felt horrible. All he could do was look away from Shadow. The red and black hedgehog stared at Sonic, it was like he could feel all of the shame spreading off of him. This Scourge guy, he was truly evil. Usually someone would use a term like that for Eggman but, no. This guy was levels of evil above Eggman. After all, Eggman never turned Sonic like this before. He never made him feel so depressed. Not like his anti-double did. He kinda felt bad for him. He was about to tell him, that he didn't have to say anymore, but he beat him to it.
The butterflies that scattered around them flew away, while the small bird from earlier continued to sleep onto Shadow's shoulder. The clouds shifted in the sky, covering up some of the sun. Shade loomed over them, and only small bits of sunshine passed through. Sonic sighed very heavily and rested his arms on his thighs.
"He forced me to do stuff that I'm not gonna go into. As long as it wasn't the real deal, if you catch my drift. He wanted to take over everything first, before he'd take me. I'm sure you can figure it out. He made me enjoy it, even though I wanted to hate every second of it. That part in itself, was true torture." He angrily growled. "Of course, I'm not proud of it at all. It's embarrassing, it's killing me to tell you this."
Shadow tried to sympathize with him. "Then just stop, you don't have to-"
"I've already told you everything else, might as well finish it." Sonic replied stubbornly. "After that, he started making his plans. I honestly don't know what, because he didn't have me around when he was forming them. The only thing I know about, is when he started to disguise himself as me. Said somethin' like, 'this is only phase one.'" The hero put a hand on his cheek, with his elbow resting on his thigh. He closed his eyes, as he wished he could forget everything that happened to him. He remembered it all, and it was just so...He couldn't even describe in words how horrible he felt.
Shadow meanwhile, was basically appalled by all of this. How disturbing. It was extremely aggravating that Sonic was taken advantage of. Sure they may not have went 'all the way', but that didn't matter. He was still tortured, mentally and physically abused. He was touched, with the vile hands of that mucus-colored cur...Shadow couldn't even contain his anger. He was trying to stay calm and cool for Sonic's sake, but he couldn't help it. By the time he tried to turn the dial down on his rage, the entire tree they were sitting on was rumbling. The bird on his shoulder was startled.
The blue hedgehog blinked a couple times in shock at Shadow's sudden fury. The little bird fell off of his ebony shoulder, making Sonic yelp in fear for it's safety. He swiftly caught it in the palms of his hands, making sure the small creature wasn't hurt. He sighed in relief, and looked back up at Shadow. "Yo, Shads, calm down!" The leaves were rustling, and falling off of the giant plant like rain water. Animals that were nearby ran away, and Sonic almost dropped the poor thing from all the shaking. "This tree's gonna be bare before winter if you keep this up. Quit it!"
The ultimate life form scoffed and dug his fingers in the bark. He clenched his teeth and looked down. The red chaos energy that was starting to form around disappeared into the air, and his anger was beginning to subside. He silently exhaled and made a permanent frown. "Sorry." Was all he muttered. The blue one chuckled nervously.
"Geez buddy, what was all that about?"
"...Nothing." He mumbled.
Sonic felt that was a lie, he just didn't know what for. Then he figured it out and started to smile a bit. "That's pretty flattering, I gotta say." He said nicely as he placed the bird onto his own shoulder blade. The creature made tiny tweets and made itself comfortable.
"..." Shadow said nothing in return, as his eyes lowered. He seemed a little shy about something. This made Sonic laugh a little. "I just, hate that he did that to you."
The hero smirked. "But why? I thought the Ultimate Life Form didn't care about anybody?" He taunted playfully as he scooted himself over to nudge Shadow's arm. The ebony furred hedgehog sucked his teeth in exasperation and nudged back, harder.
"Shut up." He grumbled. "What he did to you was horrible, friend or not-"
"Aaawww! I'm your friend too, Shads? That's so sweet-"
"Shut your damn mouth!" He turned to Sonic and reached his hand up to his face. He pinched his black nose, making Sonic wince, accompanied with annoying whiny sounds.
"H-Hey! Stop! That's my freakin' nose!"
"I'll rip it the hell off if you don't zip your lips." He threatened with an agitated expression. "When someone's trying to give you sympathy, you take it, faker." He scolded. He snatched his hand away from Sonic's nose, and looked away with his normal stoic attitude. While Sonic rubbed his nose with a silly frown, he made a more serious tone. "I don't care what you think. I don't like what he did." He stared from afar, watching the animals below cautiously return to the area. "I'll make him pay, I can promise you that." With how quiet his voice was, it was like he was talking to himself.
Sonic made a bigger smile. "That's...really nice of you." He said with slightly rosy cheeks. "Thank you, Shadow." Right as he said that, his leg moved closer, and it rubbed against Shadow's. They both flinched and looked down at Sonic's limbs. The blue one began apologizing for invading his personal space. "Sorry, sorry. I'll move back over."
"No." Shadow glared at the wound on his legs, and looked to the side. "It's fine."
"Y..You sure? You usually hate when I'm too close."
"Well I don't mind anymore." He sounded more standoffish this time. Yet, his intentions were clearly the opposite. Sonic felt a little happy from this. So he moved himself just a little closer, his leg lying against Shadow's. Sitting close to each other, they watched as the clouds in the sky were banished away from the sun's rays. It appeared again, shining brightly over them both. "You tried your absolute best not to give in. If it wasn't for his threat, you would've died with that persistent attitude of yours." Shadow suddenly said. "Do not blame yourself for giving up. You had no choice but to give in. You wanted to do what you always do, protect everyone. Because of the kind of person you are, making that choice was second nature to you. If it's to save lives, you don't hesitate to make a big decision. You're too good not to. So, don't beat yourself up over it."
Sonic's lime eyes looked over at Shadow with an emotion he couldn't describe. He was familiar with it, but he couldn't name it. It was an old emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time.
After a few more minutes of talking about nothing while sitting in that tree together, they decided it was time to return to Tails. Sonic climbed up the tree a bit further to find the nest his little bird friend fell out of. He put the baby back in it's home, and jumped down along with Shadow to return home. It took them no time to run there, and before they knew it, they were opening and walking right through the door of Tails' house. When Sonic walked in, he was instantly annoyed. The place was a damn pig sty. Again. Shadow on the other hand couldn't believe his eyes. The house wasn't a mess when he first came here. How did the kitsune destroy the house in under twenty minutes?
Sonic face palmed and sighed to himself. "Of course." He glanced at Shadow with a friendlier face. "Hey, you wanna stay for a bit? I'm sure you're hungry, I could make some lunch for ya." Sonic made a fist and cracked his knuckles threateningly, still with that smile that was starting to seem less genuine and more creepy. "Then you can eat while I beat the crap outta Tails for not keeping his house clean, for the thousandth God damn time." The last part, he said rather heatedly. His face was obviously trying to hide his parent-like persona. Shadow blinked once and darted his eyes some place else.
"Err, sure. You got coffee?" He asked as he strolled over to Tails' sofa.
"Sure do! I'll make you some since you're a guest. Just lemme go downstairs for a sec, okay?" He walked backwards away from Shadow before bolting deeper into the house that led to the basement. Shadow's ear twitched at the sound of stomping. Then some startled gasps, and an anxious voice. Probably Tails. Then, he heard Sonic's. He sounded pretty peeved. He heard some excuses spewing from Tails, until he heard some grunts and yelling. The ebony hedgehog just sat there and crossed his legs as he listened. Then he heard a 'NO! Wait! I'm almost done with the-' He heard Sonic cut him off. 'Oh no you don't! You're taking a bath right now!' Then, more refusals from Tails. He heard more stomping, then the sounds of dragging.
Then, he watched before his eyes as Sonic dragged Tails by his...tails, to the stairs. The kid was digging his fingers in the floor, making marks in his carpet. He was filthy. Oil and dirt all over his fur. Shadow just looked with squinted eyes, not sure how he should feel about this. "S-Sonic! Come on! Just a few more minutes and I'll be done with the-OUCH! Quit pulling me!"
"Then get your ass up here!"
"Never! Not until I'm done with-W-Woaahh! Sonic, h-hold on!" The orange vulpine cried as he was lifted up over Sonic's shoulder. He reached his hand out to the heavens, hoping for someone to rescue him. "Nooooo!" He wailed as his older brother carried him upstairs.
"You've been working nonstop since you healed, and you've got some serious B.O. You're taking a bath, Tails."
Huh. So that's what it was like having a sibling. Seemed rather stressful. Then again, he could remember Maria getting annoyed with him whenever he would act difficult as well. Probably wasn't that different of a relationship.
He noticed, Sonic's been working his ass off since he got back home. He's been put through the ringer. He was put through true hell. He almost died from complete depletion of chaos energy. He fought off a deadly fever that made his body as hot as the inside of a burning oven, while also being plagued by countless realistic nightmares. And now he was acting like a parent, taking care of Tails. He wouldn't be surprised if he came back downstairs just to talk with Shadow about getting back at Scourge. He just, couldn't get a break. He never thought he'd pity him so much before. His stamina was almost endless.
Shadow closed his eyes. Might as well meditate a little while he waited for his coffee. He would make it himself but, he didn't want to be rude. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn. But this was his little brother's house, and he didn't want to be a bad guest. Now about Scourge...What could they do? Let's say Tails did some how produce a way for them to get over to his world. Then what? The only reason why Shadow had the upper hand, was because Scourge was tired. If he was well rested, he would have been slaughtered. Sonic was obviously no match for him either. If they both went up against him together, it still wouldn't matter. Plus, he had the brainwashing power. What if he caught one of them in his clutches? Like Sonic said, he had a large sum of people working for him like minions. They'd have to tear through them first, which would definitely decrease their odds of confronting Scourge at full strength.
But, if they perhaps had the chaos emeralds-
-That was it. Yes, that was the only solution available. Get the emeralds, travel to his world, go super and annihilate that son of a bitch in cold blood. There was no way he could take on two super forms at once. That brainwashing might still be a problem, considering Dark Sonic was still able to be influenced despite his power. But, if they could just some how avoid that, maybe they really did have a chance! Yes, that was perfect. And it'd be no problem gathering the emeralds thanks to Tails and Sonic finding them all the time like clockwork. Shadow already had one on him, Rouge had one, the plan was flawless.
The hell with meditation. He needed to talk to Sonic right now.
Shadow shot up from his seat and sped walked to the stairs. He traveled to the second level of the house and looked around for Sonic. Ah, he should be in their bathroom. He walked over to their bathroom door and was about to knock, until he realized it was already cracked open. He tilted his head to the right to see through, and saw that Tails was getting his bath. Boy did he look miserable. Sonic was giving him a real scrubbing. He saw that both their shoes and gloves were by the tub. Wait, they were both in there? Oh, Sonic probably had to join him to make sure he'd stay in there. Understandable.
"Sonic, this is humiliating." The vulpine whined.
Sonic rolled his eyes. "Like I care. You were so grimy, you left footprints in the damn house."
"Oh please. Mister, 'I wanna run in the rain through mud and grime!'" Tails slapped the wash cloth from his ungloved hand.
"Oho yeah? But guess who cleans it up? Oh wait that's right, not you!" He grabbed the fox boy again with a tighter hold and looked in the water to find the cloth. Once he found what he was looking for, he began cleaning Tails once again. Bubbles formed from how hard he was washing.
"You're washing me too hard! I can do it myself!"
"I wouldn't have to wash you at all if you'd actually stay clean for a change, ya slob!"
The fox made a grunt of discomfort from all the cleaning. "This coming from the guy who has greasy chili dog wrappers all over his room!"
"And again, I'm also the same guy who cleans after himself, and the guy who's gonna help you clean your house. Again." He retorted right back. "Now hold still before I dig my knuckles into your puny skull!"
"Like you're one to talk!"
"Tails, I swear to Chaos I will dunk you in this bath water like a friggin' basketball!"
"Since when do you like water anyway!?"
"I can still bathe you idiot!"
While they were arguing, Shadow wasn't even paying attention. No, he was paying attention to something else. He never saw Sonic...wet, before. It was um, quite a sight to see, that was for sure. Like when he was in bed, sweating everywhere. To watch something drip down from his body like that. From in between his legs, off his tail, down his arms and torso. And, his arse. It made him shiny, perfectly shiny. His body was more attractive than he realized. He was fit and, yet he saw a few curves. All in the perfect places. Sonic had pulled Tails in between his legs so he could keep him still between his thighs. Anytime he'd try to move, Sonic would painfully squeeze him. Tails just pouted as his older brother washed him. Looking between his legs earlier when he was showing his scar, it was- Oh, he got up. Sonic stepped from out of the tub, fully bare, and went to the towel rack. His ruby eyes widened at his backside. Wow, that really looked good-
Holy shit, he was doing it again. Damn it, he had to stop that. While mentally slapping himself to wake the hell up from staring at eye candy, he concluded to himself that he'd just talk to Sonic when he was ready to come down. He quietly went back downstairs and returned to the sofa to wait.
"Sorry for the wait Shadow. Tails was bein' difficult as always." Sonic said as he walked over with a mug of coffee. A sleek black cup. Shadow liked it. With a ghost of a smile, he held it up to his lips and did a little taste test. Ah, perfect. Just the way he liked it. Plain black coffee. He didn't mind sweets, but the cream and sugar took away the natural flavor. He quickly thanked Sonic, and continued to sip the hot beverage. The blue hedgehog sat next to Shadow and got comfortable with his arms behind his head. "I had a feeling you of all people liked regular coffee. After all, it tastes like bitter, angry medicine-"
"If you're going to insult me, make it direct."
"Kidding, kidding.." Sonic chuckled. "What did you wanna talk about?"
"You're anti-self. We need to eradicate him."
The hero made an unreadable expression. "Isn't killing a bit, I dunno, extreme?"
"Whatever. As long as he's neutralized, it doesn't matter if he's dead or alive. And I have a plan." Shadow placed the cup down and licked his lips for a brief moment before continuing. As he did this, he caught Sonic staring at them. Now why was that? He smirked to himself. "Did you ask Tails to make something that could help us get to Anti-Mobius?"
Sonic nodded. "Yeah. That's actually what he was working on not too long ago. That's why he didn't want to stop, he was almost done." He made a small sigh and scratched the top of his head. "Guess I slowed down the progress, huh?"
"Nevermind that, it's fine. Now, do you have any idea where the chaos emeralds are?" He asked.
"Actually, we got five of 'em, but we don't have the other two. I know you have one."
"Indeed I do. Rouge has the last one. Borrowing it from her won't be an issue."
"Wait a minute," Sonic sat up from his lazy position and raised a brow at Shadow. "Are you suggesting we go over there and go super?"
Shadow crossed his arms and nodded. "That's precisely what I'm suggesting."
"..." Sonic didn't really like that plan. In fact, he didn't like any of this. "I, I mean that's a good idea but," He shook his head. No, why is this starting to sound too easy? In fact, if he knew any better, Scourge would have probably already came up with a plan to negate their super forms. That was far too simple of an idea. "No, it couldn't work."
"Why not..?" The ultimate life form became with perplexed with Sonic's uncertainty. He seemed distressed about something.
"It's too simple." He made a harsh thinking expression, trying to figure something else out as he spoke. "Think about it. I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes, but I know all too well that asshole's got somethin' up his sleeve to counteract our super forms. I mean, that's the same way I beat him last time." Sonic furrowed his brows with worry. "But he's a lot smarter than last time, he knows better than that. He knows that'd be the first thing we turn to, is our world's chaos emeralds. For him, that'd be far too predictable."
Shadow didn't respond, he just listened. He was absolutely right. He felt like an idiot for assuming that'd be the way to defeat him. But, wasn't that the only way?
"This ain't Eggman we're dealing with. Egghead's smart to a point, but Scourge..He's a whole different ballpark, I told you."
"You are correct." Shadow replied in a rather glum tone. In Sonic's opinion, he sounded rather salty. "I was foolish to think it'd be that easy."
"N-Nah nah!" Sonic tried to say with a more cheerful tone. "I mean, don't get me wrong, that is a good idea! I barely defeated Scourge thanks to my super form, but, if both of us were fighting him," The blue hedgehog fidgeted around. "He would see that coming but, we'd still be really powerful together. And, I don't think he knows that you have a super form, Shadow. We could catch him off guard with that. I'm just, worried somethin' is gonna go wrong. I got this feeling nagging in my head that it's not gonna turn out the way we want."
The striped one curiously looked over at Sonic's concerned face. He was a little impressed, once again at Sonic's actions. Even though he sounded more like a worry-wort, he was still thinking strategically. He really did grow up. "I underestimated your thinking abilities, faker. I have to apologize."
"Wait, huh?"
"Anyway," Shadow picked up the mug and took another swig of coffee. "If what you're saying is true, then we may still have a chance regardless. Besides, what else could we even do?"
"Yeah, you're right. Might be our only choice." The hero finally said. "Okay then," He turned to Shadow with a full-on self-assured smile. That's what he liked to see. "Let's do it!" Shadow made a smaller smile back and set down his coffee. "All we gotta do is get that emerald from Rouge, wait for Tails to finish up, and we're all set!"
Hours went by, at least by five.
Shadow had ran over to Rouge's to retrieve the last emerald they needed. When he briefly explained their plan to her, she just tossed the gem over to him. She said that sounded way too complicated to ignore, so she easily gave it to him. She said it would be tough parting with her precious treasure that came from her even more precious Knuckles. But if it was to beat that green asshole, she'd gladly give Shadow all the emeralds in the world to get rid of him. She told him good luck, and made him remember what she said to him about Sonic. She bid him farewell, and made him promise to return to her in one piece. With that, he gave her a simple, yet warm goodbye as well and ran back to Tails' place.
When he returned, he saw Sonic was absolutely dreading the wait time on Tails' progress. He almost regretted making him take a bath. He was on the sofa, sprawled with a tired expression. When he saw Shadow walk in, his face cheered right up. He sat up straight and smiled. "Hey! You're back already." He greeted. Shadow walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Sonic. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"I didn't take much to get it from her. She literally tossed it at me once I mentioned Scourge's name."
"Can't blame her. He's serious bad news." Sonic leaned back in the seat and stared up at the ceiling.
"I wonder," Shadow suddenly thought out loud. "Is Scourge interested in the emeralds?"
"Nope." Sonic simply replied. "He couldn't care less about 'em. The only emerald he'd be into is the Master Emerald. That's how he turned green in the first place, and it'd turn him super real easily. But other than that, he's got no reason to care since he's got his own version of 'em."
"What's the opposite version of chaos emeralds in his world?"
"Anarchy beryl. They're super tiny versions of chaos emeralds, and they come in large amounts. Almost like bags of candy." The blue hedgehog glanced over at Shadow. "They're actually more powerful than our emeralds, and they make transformations last longer too."
"Sounds almost better than ours." The ultimate life form made a flat line with his mouth, looking unimpressed. "Too perfect. What's the downside?"
"Heh. Welp, let's say one of us went super with 'em. After you power down, it'll drain all of your energy and basically turn you into a dried up prune."
"Hmph." Shadow shrugged. "I knew it was too good to be true."
"In fact, that's the only reason why I beat Scourge." The hero confessed. "He had transformed and he...was way too powerful. I tricked him into powering down, and he fell for it thanks to his stupid ego. So once he did, he looked so confused. You shoulda seen the look on his face, ha!" Sonic grinned. "The dumbass passed out on me after I explained to him that powering down in his world pays a pretty hefty price."
"Interesting..." Shadow said to himself. "So then," He opened his eyes and turned to Sonic, who blinked twice.
"What?"
"You have several forms. What about him?"
"O-Oh. Well, if we're both really opposites, he should only have one. Actually, I think that's why he got the power to steal others, since he lacks what I have."
"I see..." He muttered. Sonic didn't like the way he kept trailing off like that. Meanwhile, Shadow kept eyeing him. His posture, his entire demeanor seemed off. What was he so anxious about? "When Tails' done, are you positive that you want to go after him?" He asked considerably.
"Of course I'm up for it!" The hero declared. "Besides, I don't have time to keep resting in bed while that maniac's out doing whatever he damn well pleases. We have to stop him before he does something even more crazy."
"I'm just making sure. I don't need you dragging us down, faker."
Sonic made a scowl. "As if! I'm more than prepared to-"
"What I mean is," Shadow cut him off while slightly rolling his eyes. "I want to make sure you're both physically and mentally prepared to confront him. Every time he's brought up, your focus depletes instantly. You're way too easily intimidated by him."
"Wha-!?" Sonic furrowed his brows, his expression turning sour. "Excuse you, no I'm not a girl, Shadow."
"Yes, you do." His dark rival dismissed his remark with own retort. "While you may not be as strong as him, you being daunted by him definitely increases your chances of losing to him. I've never seen you get so tense before." He crossed his legs and continued. "You're not just angry, you're afraid as well." He was about to say something else, until Sonic shot up from his seat and stood right in front of him.
"I'm not a coward, and I'm sure as hell not afraid of that bastard." His tone was low, and he didn't look very pleased. Shadow must have touched a nerve.
"Look, faker-"
"Yeah, I think that's pretty much the dumbest thing you've ever said to me." He growled. "He's been harassing me and my friends for a long time. I thought we'd never have to see him again, and now he comes outta no where kidnapping me on my own home island! I wanted a small break from it all, and I figured going back to my old home would make things all better. But no, I can't even get a break for once!" He yelled. His tone angrily grew louder with every word. "Every time I want to do something for myself, something always goes to shit! Eggman ruins it, or something else crazy happens and it falls all on me! Even with Eggman gone, I still can't sleep at night without someone knockin' on my door screamin' at me for help!" He harshly pointed to himself. "And now the worst of the very worst of my problems comes crawling back, even more powerful than before and he beats the crap outta me three times in a row! He humiliated me, took advantage of me, nearly kills my best friend and now I have to be the one to put him down all over again! I'm far from scared, but you've totally got one thing right." His eyes flared in fury. "I'm pissed the hell off! How would you feel!?"
His words, his rage...It all sounded very familiar to Shadow. He was starting to become what he became after Maria passed. Just harsh, and angry. And it wasn't even just Scourge, it all just sounded like extreme stress. That's why he kept second guessing their plan. He's stressed that something will go wrong. He's stressed that Scourge will one up them once again. He's scared that his enemy might be too tough to handle, and he's scared that he might not beat him this time.
He's scared that he'll be forced to give up again.
"Sonic," Shadow used his actual name in a gentle voice. He stood up as well and looked Sonic directly in the eyes to show that he was sincere. "What did you tell me when I met you on Mobius some time after I fell from the Ark?"
The blue one didn't reply, he only glared.
"You told me that I was afraid of something. You said I was more than just bitter, and you said something had frightened me the day that I fought the Biolizard."
He remembered it like it was yesterday. Sonic was happy that Shadow was alright. He was confused as to how he survived, but Shadow was just as confused as he was. When Sonic tried to make small talk, Shadow wasn't having it. This was a time where Shadow wasn't too close to him, not at all. He still despised him because of his annoying nature, and didn't like conversing with him, until he brought up a good point. Sonic told him that he was scared of something.
"I denied it immediately, until you went into detail."
"Ahh, yeah I think I get it now." Sonic said cheerfully.
"I'm surprised you get anything at all with your slow brain capacity-" Shadow was going to insult, until he was interrupted.
"You were scared. And, I think you still are." The sapphire Mobian smiled. The other just scoffed at him.
"Ha, the only thing frightful in this world is your ignorance, faker. You know nothing about me."
"Um," Sonic made a thinking expression, looking up at the sky as if he was searching for answers in the clouds. He just innocently kept pointing things out. "Nah, I think I know enough."
"..!? You..I suggest you leave before I do something to you." Shadow growled, a nasty insult was waiting to be spouted right at the hero. But, he didn't care. He kept on talking.
"I mean, sure I don't know you as well as my friends. But I think I can figure out why you're such a grump. I mean yeah, you had a pretty screwed up past and all, but, you're worried. You're worried that something really bad is gonna happen, and take everything you care about away from you again. You think history is gonna repeat itself, and that's why you're kind of an ass. Sure you like solitude, who doesn't? But you take isolation to another level 'cause you think that's the only thing you can be. Alone."
Shadow didn't utter a word, he only glowered.
"You think you're not gonna hold up your promise to her. Maria, right? You were scared of that when you fought that big ugly thing. You were afraid that you might not be able to go through with it, and fail everyone, because you think you failed your creator and her. Um, Dr. Gerald, I think." Sonic crossed his arms and tilted his head while looking at the ground. "Now that I think about it, that's a pretty good reason to be crabby all the time. But, you really shouldn't." He put one hand on his hip and made a big smile. "You're totally stressed all the time because of all that! I know you probably hate me, but you still got Rouge waitin' for ya. I can guarantee you, no one's goin' anywhere. Not on my watch. So don't be so down all the time, alright?" He confidently assured him.
Meanwhile, as Shadow listened to his words, he realized that he wasn't that far from the truth. He just wouldn't for the life of him admit it.
"Besides," Sonic's cheerfulness, calmed down with a more compassionate voice. "I'm pretty sure they're both proud of you. Even though Dr. Gerald was angry for what happened to that poor girl, I think he regretted turning you into the complete opposite of what you were meant for. But I also think he'd be happy to know that you turned it around and did some good. And I'm sure Maria would be happy too." He held out his hand to Shadow, his palm open and welcoming. "You don't have to stress about that anymore. I'm sure you won't come to me, but still. If you need someone to vent to or race, I'm always here." He nodded his head over to his open hand. "Truce?"
"...Why?" Was all Shadow whispered. "Why are you like this?"
"Hm? Like what?"
"Why are you being kind towards me? I couldn't care less for it." He grumbled. Though, the last part was a lie.
Sonic just shrugged. "I'd rather have you as a friend than an enemy. Even though you'd probably be a sweet sparring partner, I don't wanna fight you anymore. And," He added. "You're not a bad person. I hope you realize that. You were created, but nobody comes out the womb evil. Not even Egghead. Well, maybe, but you get my point."
His overwhelming ability to show kindness, even after everything that's happened, was inspiring. From that conversation alone, he realized that perhaps his view on life really wasn't accurate. That perhaps he should let people in. And if it really didn't work out, it wouldn't be a big deal. He didn't have to be so angry about it, or anything for that matter. Maybe, he was right. About everything. Maybe he should just, let it all go.
"Aw come on man, my arm's dyin' over here!" Sonic whined as his arm stayed craned in the same place, waiting for Shadow's hand to shake it. The black hedgehog glazed his eyes over his gloved hand, and slowly held out his own. Fine. He'd let his guard down just this once. He'd put his trust in him. He firmly grasped Sonic's hand with his own, and shook it once.
"..Truce."
"You're doing the same thing I did. You're overly stressing yourself about something that may or may not happen, and you're letting that freak get the better of you just because he's the main cause of your problems." Shadow concluded. "You're afraid of failing, and giving into him again. But you don't know for sure if that will actually happen. Frankly, I don't think it will. But even if it does, you can't turn out the way I did, the way Gerald did." Shadow stepped closer to Sonic, and put one hand on his peach shoulder. By now, Sonic was looking away from him. And he looked ashamed of himself once again. "When you turned into Dark, that form embodied the way you are now perfectly. Frightened, and furious."
This, made Sonic squeeze his eyes shut with his teeth clenched together. He didn't want to hear that, he didn't want to hear the truth.
"Perhaps you are more irritable because you recently reverted out of that form. Who knows? You still can't let that overcome you. Because if we fight against Scourge with the way you are now, you won't just drag me down, you'll drag us both down. And your negativity will be what dooms us both." He dragged his hand down, and gently tightened his grip on Sonic's forearm. "The things he did to you were unspeakable, I understand that. And believe me when I say I completely understand your rage. But personally, I don't think you're ready. I think you should continue to rest, and take a few days to yourself. It's not like you don't deserve it, and you don't have to prove anything to anyone." His ruby eyes watched his body language carefully, trying to see if he was actually taking what he said into consideration. "Do you understand?" He asked quietly.
"...I-I," Sonic crossed his arms below his chest, as if he was hugging himself. His ears slightly flattened, and his anger disappeared entirely. Now, melancholy painted itself well known all over his face. His bright green eyes looked down at the floor miserably, and frowned. "I'm sorry." He murmured. "I'm really, really sorry for that. I didn't mean any of it."
"Yes you did." Shadow blankly stated. "You meant every word of what you said because that's obviously how you felt all this time. Don't lie."
"I didn't mean to act that way towards you, though." Sonic said as he went to rub his own arm for self comfort, until he realized he put his hand right on top of Shadow's. He flinched and looked over at it, Shadow was still holding him. He looked back up at his rival and blinked once. He didn't say anything, however. When Shadow looked to where his own hand sat, he looked right back up at Sonic and he didn't pull his hand away. And then, he was pulled closer. But not roughly, gently. They were so close, Sonic's nose nearly brushed against Shadow's. He turned his head away a little, while still keeping his eyes on his red ones. Shadow rubbed the palm of his hand onto Sonic's, and his other hand caressed his other arm as well. He leaned his head forward, and Sonic automatically did the same. Shadow's face was nuzzling his at this point, his tan lips hovering right next to peach ones. Sonic was so vulnerable like this. Willingly vulnerable for him, while Scourge had to force him. That meant a lot to him. That meant there was some potential here, for something more.
"Sha.." Sonic tried to say his name but, it only came out as a silent moan. His mouth was agape, like he wanted it. They were twitching, like he wanted to say more. Like he wanted to protest, but he couldn't. His eyes were lowered, the cheeks on his muzzle were turning red. Shadow felt his body temperature rising, and he was getting nervous. He liked that. When Shadow moved to brush his lips against his, Sonic opened his mouth even more and almost closed his eyes completely. Shadow raised his hand to Sonic's chin and pressed his thumb over it. He tilted it upwards so that Sonic could move his head back a bit. He could see his tongue slightly moving, like it wanted to be put somewhere in particular. Shadow was right about to make a move until-
"Sonic!" They heard Tails call from another room. This made them both try to back away from each other immediately, but they accidentally bumped right into each other's heads. The impact was hard enough to cause a head ache, and it made them both step away and hold their heads simultaneously while cursing to themselves. They both groaned in pain while rubbing their now sore temples.
When the twelve-year old ran into the room, he looked excited. That is, until he saw the pained expressions on their faces. He squinted his baby blue eyes and looked between them back and forth. "Um, you guys okay?"
"Ow..Yeah, we're fine." Sonic exhaled heavily. "Just an accident." He said while glancing at Shadow. The striped hedgehog cleared his throat and silently agreed with him while nodding his head carefully.
"Uh, alright." Tails said uncertainly. "I finished the warp ring. You guys leaving now?"
"Actually," His older brother made a small smile. "I think I'm gonna stay for now. I don't think I'm ready just yet. My legs need to relax a little more."
"R-Really?" The vulpine asked in shock. "But you really wanted to go. I thought you and Shadow were just waiting to get out of here."
"Yeah we were but, Shadow said I should take it easy just a little while longer. I don't just need to rest, but I need to take a load off my mind too." Sonic squatted down to his little brother, so that they'd be at eye level. Funny how they used to be almost the same height, but now Sonic was much taller even as Tails grew. "For once, I should have listened to you and stayed in bed today. Your big bro's been through a lot this month. And, it'd be nice to relax here some more. Of course, if that's alright with you."
Tails couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked up from him, and turned to Shadow. The fox's expression was basically asking, 'Is he for real?' And almost as if he heard his internal thoughts, Shadow just nodded slowly. Saying that everything was fine, and that he should just listen to Sonic. "W-Well," Tails turned back to Sonic and scratched the top of his own head. "Of course you can stay. I mean, you did help me get this place after all. You don't have to help me clean the house, I'll do it. You should relax." He smiled brightly.
"Thanks, buddy." He ruffled the top of Tails' head and stood up. "I'm gonna head to bed."
"This early? But-" He stopped himself and cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah. Go ahead." He nodded. Sonic waved towards the both of them and moved to walk to the stairs. But right before he did, he went past Shadow. He purposely brushed against his shoulder and whispered something right before he made it to the stairs. Something that made Shadow's eyes dilate.
"Come back in a few days from now." He said quickly, and quiet enough for Tails not to hear. "I'll be ready for Scourge, and we'll talk about what just happened." He said smoothly. "See you then." He lingered a bit against him, before moving away just as fast as he spoke up the stairs to sleep. Tails didn't notice a thing and just watched his brother leave before looking back at their guest, who just stared at the wall while looking unsettled about something. His cheeks seemed a tad bit red for some reason too.
"You okay?" Tails asked with a confused tone. Weird things kept happening with them and he didn't really get what was going on.
Shadow just blinked twice and nodded without more than one word. "...Yeah..."
He was going to kiss Sonic right in his little brother's living room.
What a day.
END - 8
I just gotta say thank you to those who reviewed in the last chapter. I'm so happy that you understand my vision, and that you get my creativity. I hope I don't let you down, but I also hope that you enjoy this little twist on the anti characters. With that, we'll move on to our little bonus at the bottom. (Not that many points for this one, but there is one that you should ponder about.) Have a lovely day.
EDIT: Just finished making the cover picture not too long after I posted this chapter. Unfortunately you can't view the entirety of the cover image since it has to fit in such a small little square of pixels. I also cannot post a link to view said picture, and can only describe it to you. "Describe it to us? Why would you have to do that? It's just a cover picture." Well my friends, that's not true. You can actually spoil yourself from the cover picture alone if you look at it carefully and see the hidden messages drawn in it. I'll get more into it later when more chapters are posted, but the big hint in this cover image is that it represents Scourge as a whole. Near the end, I will describe in detail all of the features in this image that'll make everything seem so obvious. That's all I'll say for now.
1. Scourge doesn't give two shits about Mobius Primes's chaos emeralds, and doesn't see them as important. He barely cares for the Master Emerald, and his own world's anarchy beryl. However, unlike Sonic with his world's chaos emeralds, Scourge's beryl will render him very vulnerable and completely dried out of power once he reverts out of his super form.
2. It is hinted that Scourge has developed something to counteract or be more powerful than both Sonic and Shadow's super forms.
3. Unlike any other villain that Sonic has encountered, Scourge is the only enemy to break Sonic and force him to give up. He's the only enemy who's scarred him to a point of making him fear and cower from his adversary. He is truly something more intimidating and a lot different than any of his other opponents.
4. (Not a difference, but a questionable similarity) Sonic mentions that no one is born evil. To this sense, one can infer that no one is born a saint either. Shadow is living proof of this. So could the same be said for others, and could this be said for Sonic as well?
