Phew, what a week I had! Not only my bday went by on the 14th, I went to my little sister's bday on Friday night and I went to my school's homecoming on Saturday night (or you can say last night). And human anatomy homework is a stress. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!


Sometime later, Shadow was walking through the woods in order to find a path to the village. He would've continued running with his incredible speed, but he felt like getting some fresh air on the way back. All he could hear around him was the wind, the crickets and his own footsteps. However, he didn't know that three bandits were watching him beyond the dark trees. One of them was a red hedgehog, the other was a raccoon, and the last one was a tall wolf. Carefully, the red hedgehog grabbed his bow off of his back and aimed the arrow at Shadow's head. With enough concentration, he released his arrow. Due to Shadow's strong sense of hearing, he dodged the arrow and looked back.

"Missed!" the red hedgehog hissed.

"Oh, well", a raccoon rolled his eyes. "It's no use hiding anymore anyway."

"Right, let's get him", a wolf said readily. He was the first one to jump down, followed by the raccoon and the hedgehog.

"Great", Shadow thought with annoyance. "Why now?"

"It's been a long time, Prince Shadow", the red hedgehog crossed his arms with a smirk. "Or should I say 'Prince Traitor'."

"What do you want?" the black and red hedgehog spoke impatiently.

"You know why we're here", the wolf pulled out his axe.

"We've come to kill you", the raccoon got his sword ready.

"I should've seen this coming", Shadow thought as he narrowed his eyebrows.

The wolf jumped in the air and aimed his axe at the black hedgehog. As quick as he could, Shadow dodged his attack by doing a few back flips. The wolf swung his axe repeatedly as Shadow dodged his attacks. He ducked down from another swing and elbowed him in the gut by force. As the wolf grunted in pain, Shadow did an uppercut and then did a 50 punch combo. He then punched the wolf back strongly, sending him back to the other two bandits.

"Vein!" the red hedgehog gasped.

"Don't worry, Seth", the raccoon said with confidence. "I got him."

Shadow pulled out his battle knife and prepared for another fight. The raccoon charged at him as he aimed the sword at his stomach. He was able to move to the side, but he received a large cut on his left arm. The raccoon swung his sword at him but it was stopped by the hedgehog's knife. Everytime he tried to stab him, he would miss because of his lack of speed. Suddenly, his sword was stopped by Shadow's knife. Before he could've reacted, he received a huge punch in the gut. He did cough out some blood, but then received another punch in the jaw and was forcefully sent back into a tree.

"Don!" Seth called out for him. "Oh, that does it", he pulled out another arrow and aimed it at Shadow. He released the arrow, but the hedgehog disappeared, making him miss again. "Where'd he-?" At that moment, he was grabbed by the neck and slammed against the tree.

"I may have said it once, but I'll say it again. I am NOT going back", the dark hedgehog said fiercely.

"But…the king…" Seth tried to speak.

"I don't give a damn about what the king says!" Shadow raised his voice a little.

"But Shadow…Ugh, he's…your father", the red hedgehog replied barely. "Do you have any idea who you're going against?"

"I don't care. Now tell me, why did he send you all out here this time? Just to have me dead?"

"We were told to find you…in order to give you his orders."

"What orders? Why would he give me orders if I'm not going to follow them?"

"Just listen to me, please", Seth coughed for some air. "I need to breath." Silence was built around them as he looked at Shadow with fear. Slowly, he was released and he slid on the ground. He started gasping for air as he clutched his throat.

"I'm all ears", Shadow crossed his arms.

"Your father-I mean, the king says that he will let you go in peace if you do one simple task", Seth began to explain to him.

"What kind of task?"

"He wants you to kill every single person in Emerald Kingdom, same with the village."

"How does he know where I am?"

"I think someone fought you some time ago and reported to the king."

The ex-prince pondered to himself. True he has fought other bandits in the past, but none of them ever told the king about his location, usually because he threatened them not to do so. Although, the last bandit he fought before these three was Scourge. So he must've told the king everything after their battle. And because of that, Shadow's father wants him to kill the people of Emerald Kingdom. That also included Amy. He wasn't a murderer, but only a fighter, and now, a lover. But what could happen if he doesn't do what he is told to? He didn't care what happened to him, he was only worried about Amy. The last thing he wanted to do was to put her in danger because of him. Whether he has to face his father or not, he was going to protect her, even if it costs his life.

"And what if I don't do what he says?" the ex-prince asked the bandit suspiciously.

"Then you would have to face dire consequences", Seth answered. "However, there is more to it. The king has finally arranged his army and he could strike anytime soon. So I would watch your back if I were you."

By the sound of his voice, he was actually telling the truth. If the king decided to start a war now, who knows what could happen. Would Shadow have to face his father again? More importantly, how would he be able to protect Amy? Things are about to get worse, just when everything was going so well.

"Very well", Shadow spoke again.

"Huh? You're going to do it?" Seth asked.

"…We'll see, but on one condition. I don't want him or his army to come near here. The last thing I don't want to see his ugly face. Got it?" the ex-prince made his point.

"Uh, uh, sure", Seth nodded.

"Good. Now leave", Shadow commanded.

"Uh, uh, yes, your majesty-I mean, Shadow", Seth quickly got up and went to his comrades.

"Ugh, what happened?" Don woke up.

"Dammit, where is he?" Vein sat up and looked around.

"We're done here", Seth came up to them. "Let's go."

"But…" Don looked pass Seth and noticed that Shadow was still alive. "He's still alive-"

"Let's go!" Seth raised his voice.

Understanding him, Vein and Don stood up with ease because of the pain they've received from their battles. Seth was the first one to take off and they followed. Once they were out of sight, Shadow sighed as he walked to a tree. He pressed his back against it and sat down on the ground. Something bad was going to happen, and he could feel it. If he told Amy about an upcoming war, he would probably have to tell her everything. He didn't want this to happen, not so soon. This was starting to get on his nerves. Wherever he goes, his father wants to follow. And now, he was told to kill in order to have his own peace. In fact, he didn't give an exact answer to Seth. Who knows, he and the others would probably report to the king and things could get serious. What was Shadow going to do?

"Damn you", he whispered to himself angrily. "Damn you for putting me through hell back then and now. I don't care what punishment you have for me, but you'll never harm Amy when I'm around. I swear it." He took off his mask and looked at it in silence. "I suppose I can't hide forever," he thought to himself. "After all, I did use this mask to secrete my identity from everyone. Still, that plan didn't last very long. Now he knows where I'm hiding."

The wind began to blow softly as the clouds concealed the moon. A leaf broke off from a branch and landed on Shadow's mask. He brushed it off and looked at his mask again. It was given to him long ago by a close friend who gave him a place to stay for some time. Although, he never told him why he was traveling alone. In fact, he never told Amy about himself. He couldn't take the hiding and the lying anymore. When the time was right, he would tell Amy everything.

"I should tell her, but what would she say?" he questioned in thought. "Would she still love me? And if I tell her what lies ahead, how will she explain things to her father? I don't want her to get hurt, but…I don't want her to see me as a threat or a liar. I just hope we can get through this", he squeezed his mask a little.


And that's the end! Uh-oh, suspense, peoples! What will happen next time? Will Shadow tell Amy who he really is? And what if his father finds out about their relationship? I don't know about this, but I'm getting anxious! R&R please thankies! Oh, and no flames, please.