Huzzah, another chapter! Thanks to all the reviewers!
Darkrose826-No, but you'll find out in this chapter! *cough, a few more chapters before your OC appears, cough*
Captain Hande-Great job, you made Samuel mad at me…at least I have a Commander proof door. *sips tea, and watches Samuel's attempts to break in*
Disclaimer: *boots it up high into atmosphere*
Chapter 9: A mystery solved!
*theme song plays*
Tachi stirred in her sleep as she heard some yelping. She sighed, and got out of the chair she was sleeping in before, and walked out of the waiting room to investigate the noise.
"It's probably Shadow again…" she thought, feeling sorry for the hedgehog. As she passed some other rooms, a rather cranky Shadow whipped a door open.
"Who's making that racket?" he shouted, fur roughed up and quills bristling.
"So it's not you?" Tachi asked.
"No! But this is the first time I've been able to get a bit of sleep, without Reimaru chatting away about the future!"
"Aren't you supposed to be the Ultimate Lifeform, or something like that?"
"Yes, and even though I don't need to sleep that often, I STILL DON'T WANT TO BE WOKEN UP AT OH MY CHAOS 0'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" Shadow yelled. Lights switched on, and there was a sound of grumbling.
"SHUT UP, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" Hikari shouted through her door.
"Yeah, we aren't all Ultimate Lifeforms!" Akemi added.
"It looks like you woke everyone up." Tachi said.
"I don't care!"
"Shadow! Shush! It's 4 in the morning!" Maria said, sticking her head out into the corridor.
"Fine…I'll go back to bed…" the moody hedgehog muttered, closing his door.
Tachi continued down the corridor, even though the noise had stopped. She stopped outside Blade's room, and opened the door. The rat was tossing and turning in his sleep.
"Spark! No! Come back!" he shouted. Tachi hurried over, and woke him up.
"Ahhhh!" Blade yelled, jumping up.
"Blade, it was just a dream!" Tachi said. Blade calmed down.
"Thanks, Tachi…I guess my past won't allow me to sleep." he said.
"Past? What happened to you anyway?" Tachi asked. Blade looked away.
"I don't want to talk about it…" he muttered.
"Would it explain why you keep on shouting, 'Spark'?"
"….Spark. I miss him." Blade sighed.
"What happened?"
"We were on the run together, and I was caught by bounty hunters…I don't know what happened to Spark, but when I escaped, I couldn't find him. He's only eleven…" Blade explained sadly.
"Oh…I'm sorry." Tachi apologised.
"Don't be, it's not your fault…I should be out there, looking for him."
"Blade?"
"Yes? What is it?" Blade asked.
"Well…I just wanted to say thanks for saving me from that particle beam cannon…if you hadn't knocked me out of the way, I would probably be nothing but a twitching ball of fur." Tachi smiled.
"Just please, make sure you listen next time."
"…And…I'll help you look for Spark! We could go out tomorrow!" Tachi cheered.
"Thanks."
The next day, Shadow sat in his room, quietly reading a book, when Hikari kicked in the door.
"Come on Shadow! You have to see this!" she shouted. Shadow found himself being dragged down to the waiting room, where the rest of the group (and some random people with their pets) were watching the TV. It was a news report.
"I'm reporting live from Westopolis, where there has been a serious animal attack. At 8:34pm last evening, a young teenager was attacked by a wild animal. Thankfully, he was saved by this heroic man, who called for an ambulance." the reporter on the TV turned to a man who had light black hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing normal every day clothes.
"So tell us what happened, sir." the reporter asked.
"Well, I was walking past this alleyway, when I heard screaming. I quickly went to see what was going on and…" here the man paused for dramatic effect.
"And?"
"I saw it…it was a huge jet black beast, big as a horse, and it had teeth and claws the size of daggers!" the man whispered, his eyes widening.
"What kind of creature was it?"
"It was a…wolf. With glowing ruby red eyes!" the man cried. There was some gasps and whispers among the audience.
"So what did you do next?" the reporter asked.
"Well, I saw that the wolf was mauling a young boy, so I got my rifle out, and shot it in the side!" the man shouted, waving his gun.
"And then?"
"It ran off, whimpering, and I called for an ambulance, because the boy looked like he'd been used like a chew toy by that thing." the man finished. The reporter turned back to the camera.
"Citizens should be aware it is very rare for wolves to attack people, and be seen without a pack. However, it is advised that people be careful when travelling out late, and they do not go down any alleyways or back routes. GUN are trying to track down the wolf, but until then, the streets are not safe. This is Scarlet, reporting for Station Square News." the reporter finished.
Back in the waiting room, Shadow turned to Hikari.
"I know that wolf. It chased me down the road." he muttered.
"You're lucky to be alive!" Hikari cried.
"I wonder why this wolf is attacking people?" Maria pondered. Blade, who was sitting in a chair, clenched his fists.
"I have to find that boy, and ask him where the wolf was!" he shouted.
"Why do you want to find the wolf?"
"That is none of your concern, human girl!" Blade jumped up and ran out of the room. Tachi sighed, and went after him.
Takeshi came into the room, holding a phone, and everyone looked up.
"It's for Maria." he said, giving her the phone.
"Hello? Oh, hi Chris! You sound a bit poorly." she said. Shadow bared his teeth, even though no one noticed.
"What…you're in the hospital…I'll be right there!" Maria gave the phone back to Takeshi, and Shadow walked up to her.
"Are you actually going to go to the hospital to visit that annoyance in red?" he asked.
"Yes! He nearly died when the wolf attacked him!"
"It's a pity that wolf didn't finish him off." Shadow muttered. Maria stared at him.
"I can't believe you said that!" she shouted.
"He isn't worth the bother, so you shouldn't go."
"Shadow…give Chris a break. He nearly got eaten."
"Why didn't that wolf finish the job?" Shadow muttered. Blade came back in.
"If you're going to the hospital, I need to come!" he said.
"Yeah, and I'll come as well!" Tachi barked. Shadow watched as they walked out, and he sighed to himself.
"What's up, jealous?" Rouge asked, walking next to him.
"It's just that she cares so much about that kid…when he's nothing but a pain in the *BEEP*." Shadow grumbled.
"There's plenty of other girls around here. Like me." Rouge smiled, and Shadow just turned around.
"Oh come on Mr. Sunshine! It's not like anything can happen between you two."
"What?"
"Well, you're a hedgehog, and she's human." Rouge pointed out the obvious. Shadow closed his eyes.
"…."
"I'm right, aren't I?" Rouge asked. Shadow didn't reply, he just snored loudly.
"Well, that's rude. To fall asleep in a sentence." Rouge walked off in a bad mood, while Shadow opened one eye.
"That trick never fails to work." he said.
A few hours later, at the hospital, Chris was lying on a bed, with some bandages on him. There was not one 'Get Well' card. Just one that said, 'I hope you die a slow painful death!'
Chris sighed, and then looked up as Maria, Blade and Tachi walked in.
"Hi Chris! How are you feeling?" Maria asked, walking over. Chris shrugged, and felt a sudden pain in his shoulders.
"Not bad. That wolf just tossed me around, like I was a ball." he said.
"Phew…I thought when I got that phone call…" Maria trailed off.
"We'll go to the cinema, when I get out of hospital right?" Chris asked. Maria sweatdropped, and stared at the floor.
"About that….I'm sorry to say this, but…I've never fancied you. You are cute, but…you're kind of annoying sometimes…" she said carefully. Chris' mouth dropped open.
"Rejected!" Tachi sang, going to Blade for a high five, and failing epically as the rat looked puzzled. She quickly put her hand down.
"But…you…I.." Chris stammered. Then he snapped.
"It's Shadow, isn't it? That good for nothing hedgehog…" he muttered.
"It's not Shadow, it's just that I don't fancy you."
"I see. Bye, then." Chris refused to say another word, so Maria walked out.
"Kid…where did you see the wolf?" Blade asked. Chris just stared at him.
"Why should I tell you anything?" he asked. He regretted it as he found Blade's tail brushing against his throat.
"I'm a desperate rat. If you don't tell me where the wolf was, I'll tail whip you. And that would be very messy." Blade hissed, slightly moving his tail closer. Chris, eying the steel spikes right next to his throat, nodded.
"I saw the wolf in Westopolis, near the bridge." he said quickly. Blade moved his tail away, and Chris sighed with relief. Then Blade slashed his tail over Chris' head, cutting some hair off.
"Thanks. Come on Tachi, let's find Maria and get out of this place." Blade said, walking out with Tachi.
"You weren't going to actually cut that kid's throat, were you?" Tachi asked Blade, while they were walking down the corridor.
"He was getting on my nerves." Blade muttered.
"So you would have done it?"
"All I want is to see Spark again…he must be scared." Blade sighed. As they went around the corner, they saw Maria talking to the man from TV. Blade immediately pulled Tachi back, and they hid around the corner.
"I know that guy…he's the one that allowed it…" Blade whispered to Tachi.
"Allowed what?"
"Allowed them to do experiments on me and Spark…" Blade whispered back.
"OK…I have no idea what you're on about…."
"That guy is Shaun. He's bad news…if he sees us, we'll be taken back to that place…"
"Then we have to warn Maria, then!" Tachi changed into a human girl, with brown hair and the usual clothes. She turned to Blade.
"Stay here!" she said, walking up to them.
"So, you don't know anything about this wolf?" Shaun asked.
"No…but it attacked my friends…" Maria said.
"Ok. Have you seen these two rats?" Shaun asked, holding up two photos. One was of Blade, and the other picture was a small rat furry.
"…No. Why?" Maria asked.
"They're dangerous, especially the grey and white one. They can use their tails as weapons." Shaun explained.
"Nope, I haven't seen them…"
"OK. There's a reward for the person that finds them."
"Never seen them before in my life."
Tachi suddenly interrupted the conversation.
"Come on, Sapphire! We have to go!" she said, pulling a puzzled Maria with her. They walked down the corridor, and slowed down.
"Tachi, I had things under control! I wasn't going to tell him where Blade was!" Maria explained.
"If he finds out you were dead before, you can kiss your freedom goodbye." Tachi muttered.
"Well…it's only a few people who know who I am."
"Yes, that's why I didn't say your name. Where's Blade?"
On cue, Blade ran up to them.
"Shaun's gone, but we should get out of here." he said.
"Will someone please explain what's going on?" Maria demanded.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you, and Shadow wouldn't be happy."
There was a sound of crickets chirping, even though they were in a hospital.
"Wow. Really?"
"Yes…now let's go!" they ran out of the hospital.
"Right…We have to go to near the bridge. The wolf is there." Blade said.
"But don't we want to stay AWAY from the wolf? You saw what happened to Chris and those guys…" Maria muttered.
"The wolf won't hurt you guys while I'm around."
"If you say so…"
They walked though Westopolis, and reached the bridge. Blade turned down a back road, and started looking around.
"I don't think we have much chance of seeing a giant wolf in daylight, Blade." Maria said.
"It's not a werewolf!"
Tachi suddenly felt breath on her back. She slowly turned around, and saw the wolf's red eyes glaring at her. The wolf snarled and bared its teeth.
"Guys, I think wolfie's found us already." she said quietly to them. Blade walked slowly over.
"Don't move, or stare at him…" he whispered. Tachi nodded. Blade walked slowly over to the wolf.
"Spark…calm down, everything's going to be ok…" he said softly, taking out a packet of dog biscuits. The wolf turned and growled at him. Blade carefully threw a dog biscuit to the wolf, and it caught and swallowed it.
"See? It's just me." the rat said. The wolf's eyes turned dark blue, and it looked around in confusion.
"Arrrooow?" it pondered.
"Blade, can I move now?" Tachi asked. Blade nodded.
"OK, what's going on here, Blade?" Maria asked.
"This wolf right here is my little brother, Spark." Blade explained.
"What?" they cried. Spark growled slightly.
"He got injected with something, and it turned him into a shapeshifter, but he doesn't have much control when he changes." Blade explained. Spark whimpered, and nudged Blade with his nose. Then Blade saw that the wolf's side was bleeding a little.
"Shaun…he was the one that shot you…come on, we'll take you to a vet." the rat said, petting Spark's head. They walked down the back road.
I bet you weren't expecting that!