Holy crap, sorry for the long wait, everyone! Again, it has to do with college, and also my working on my other story.

On the bright side, this story now has over 1000 hits! Thank you, readers!

GenesisBlazingShadow: *glares* Shut up and stop laughing. I can tell you're being sarcastic and I don't like sarcasm being used against me. Yes, all things must come to an end, though there are plenty of times when we wish they wouldn't…

HyperShanic01: No shit it's similar, where do you think I get most of the inspiration and other stuff from? Need I remind you this whole story got started from what we type? I get annoyed too, I just don't show it as much. Or as often. I do get worried though…among other emotions…

SliverLuna: What happened to the 77 at the end of your name? I feel bad for them too; I actually felt the emotions as I typed. You're welcome! Your dog looks like Shadow and acts like werepup? Wow, that is weird.

jorenmartijn: Yeah, sorry about that. The reason for that is Shadow Angel is pretty much wallowing in guilt right now. It was his idea (fault) that led to what had happened, so he's blaming himself. He's so lost in his guilt that he's not aware of what's going on with werepup. He'll be mentioned a few times, but he won't be saying anything for a few more chapters.

Wolf'sBreath92: He has, hasn't he? If you do get any ideas, either send them by pm or in a review. Either way works for me. :)

Again, the next few chapters deal with Sonic regaining the little werepup's trust. There are a few surprises here and there. BTW, it's still nighttime in this chapter. At least most of it.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, would I be writing fanfiction? I think not.

Chapter 12

Was it true? 'oni wouldn't leave? He felt happy for a second, but then it went away. Could it really be true? He didn't know.

"You okay, pup?"

He jumped, forgetting that 'oni was holding him. Looking at 'oni, he nodded. "I-I'm o-ok-kay."

"I didn't mean to scare ya, pup. Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded again.

"Pup, if something's bothering you, you can talk to me about anything. Remember that."

Not really listening, he just nodded again.

Looking at the ground, he almost wondered when Were-san was going to take over again. He didn't, though, but he shivered anyway.

He was a little surprised when 'oni hugged him tighter. "You're probably getting tired of hearing this already, Shadow, but I'll say it as many times as I need to. No matter what the cost, I'll find a way to get rid of him for good. You'll finally be free."

Something didn't seem right. 'oni only said he would be free, not the both of them. "W-What a-ab-about y-you?"

"I said no matter the cost, and that includes the chance that I may have to give up my life."

His eyes widened, and he tensed as his head starting hurting. Whimpering, he held his head; for a second, he saw the image of him and 'oni attacking humans, and another image of 'oni having a deep wound in his chest.

"Shadow?"

He opened his eyes, though he didn't know he had closed them. He was shaking again.

"…You saw a part of that memory, didn't you?"

He flinched. He could almost hear the anger in 'oni's voice. How did 'oni know? Why had he said anything to 'oni in the first place? He knew he shouldn't run, but at that moment, he didn't care about the collar. He tried to get away.

"Easy, pup, I'm not mad at you. I just want to know if you did see that memory."

He stopped moving. 'oni wasn't mad? Maybe 'oni was just pretending.

"Please believe me, pup. I won't be mad no matter what your answer."

Taking a chance by looking up at 'oni, he saw that 'oni wasn't mad. Still, that could change at any moment. He knew it could.

"Do you believe me, Shadow?"

Oddly, he really did. Even though he knew 'oni could become really mad at any time. He nodded. He smiled a little when he saw 'oni smile. Then 'oni's smile went away.

"Pup, did you see that memory?"

Why did 'oni keep saying it was a memory? Maybe…maybe it was one of his past self's memories?

His ears drooped when he thought of his past self. Ever since 'oni had…hit him, he hadn't heard anything from his past self, and all he could feel from him was…what was it? Oh, right, guilt. Why was his past self feeling so bad?

Then he remembered that it was his past self's idea to do the prank.

He suddenly thought that his past self deserved to feel bad. He got rid of the thought. He had listened to his past self…so who deserved what?

"Shadow? Are you listening?"

He jumped again. Why hadn't he been listening? He knew he always had to listen. "S-S-Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Now, back to my question. Did you see that memory?"

Now he was wondering why 'oni kept saying the question over and over again. He still nodded, answering 'oni's question.

'oni sighed. "I thought so…With thought speak, memories can also be sent through the link…It's not always pleasant, but it has advantages too."

"I-Is th-th-that h-how y-you kn-kn-knew?"

"Yeah, it is. I don't know if you meant for me to see the images you saw, but since you didn't know about the memory thing, I doubt you did."

Was it a good thing he now knew how 'oni knew about the memory? He wasn't sure. "S-Sorry…"

"It's okay, pup. You didn't know."

It wasn't okay because he didn't know. "S-Sorry."

'oni sighed again. "Shadow…"

Uh-oh. 'oni was getting mad. What had he done wrong?

'I'm not mad, Shadow. It's just that you keep apologizing for every little thing, and some of those things you don't need to be sorry for."

He almost said 'sorry' again, but didn't. He knew that saying it used to get him out of trouble, but he never had the chance to say it when Were-san was in control. Maybe if he had, Were-san wouldn't have beaten him so much…

Suddenly, there was a roar from behind some big bushes.

Then, something big came out of them. It was even bigger than 'oni!

"What's a bear doing in this part of the woods?!"

He didn't really know what a bear was, 'cause he hadn't seen one 'till now, but somehow he knew it wasn't good to see one.

The bear roared again, and started running towards him and 'oni.

'oni growled and put him down. "Go hide, Shadow!"

Was 'oni going to fight the bear? He thought so, but he wondered why he had to hide. Was it…because 'oni didn't want him to get hurt?

Why did 'oni care so much?

He kept wondering as he hurried as fast as he could with his broken wrist.

He was about to make it to some other bushes, when the collar pulled him back. No! He needed to hide!

When he looked back, he saw that the bear had seen him running, had gone around 'oni, and was now coming for him!

He was too scared to move. He couldn't move 'cause of the collar anyway, but now he was too scared, too. He shut his eyes. He could feel his Chaos Energy rising. Then, when he could hear the bear was really close to him, and he could tell the bear was about to attack, he let some of it out.

He couldn't hear much anymore, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that he made the barrier again, and the bear was trying to break it.

Suddenly he clearly heard 'oni's voice. "Get away from my pup!"

His eyes widened. Did he hear that right? He didn't realize that he accidentally let the barrier down, until he found himself flying through the air, pain burning in his chest.

Landing on the ground made the pain worse, making him yelp.

He couldn't see what was happening, 'cause he wasn't facing them anymore, and his eyes were closed, but he could hear 'oni fighting the bear. He couldn't tell what 'oni was saying; he hurt too much.

Finally, there was nothing but quiet. Who won?

He heard footsteps coming towards him. Was it 'oni, or the bear?

He then felt someone pick him up gently. "Pup…"

He whimpered. His chest still hurt.

"It's gone, Shadow. I drove the bear off."

"H-Hurts…"

"I know it does, pup. To be honest, I was surprised you put up the barrier again. It may have saved your life; your wound isn't that deep."

He whimpered again. The pain hadn't even started going away.

"I know using the aloe leaves doesn't hurt you, but I don't have enough for this at the moment, and I don't want to leave you alone to look for some more while you're like this…"

What was 'oni going to do?

Suddenly he felt something going over his wound a lot. It almost felt like 'oni was giving him a bath again…but why? He didn't need a bath, or want one.

Maybe it was because it was only his wound, but it didn't take that long. It didn't hurt as much now.

"Alright, pup, I got it cleaned."

He nodded.

"Shadow, you alright?"

He didn't know why he was feeling so tired. Even though his chest wasn't hurting as much, it still hurt when he leaned into 'oni's fur.

"Don't move around too much, you're still bleeding, though not as much. Plus, you've lost some blood already, so you don't want to lose any more, do you?"

He shook his head. He was really tired, but he didn't want to sleep. Didn't want to have that dream again…

"I wish I could do more to help…"

Why did 'oni say that? 'oni had already helped. He opened his eyes and looked at 'oni.

"'o-oni…"

"Yeah, pup?"

"I-I h-heard y-you e-earlier…"

"When the bear went after you?"

Nod.

"I guess I really am starting to see you as my pup."

He smiled a bit and buried himself more into 'oni's fur. He didn't know why, but hearing 'oni's heart always made him calm…

(A/N: I'm going to switch to normal 3rd person POV for this next bit. Hope you guys don't mind!)

In Sonic's mind…

Werehog was fuming. It took the little self-control he had not to attack the other forms. "That damned, good-for-nothing runt! I'll kill him for this!"

Psycho Super was oddly calm when he spoke. "You could have killed him at any time, why do you want to now?"

The other negative forms, Dark Super Sonic, Darkspine Sonic, and the warped, psychotic version of Super Sonic, were all at a distance from the irate Werehog. There wasn't really a need for them to take control of their host, seeing as Sonic usually needed to be around all seven Chaos Emeralds, or in Darkspine's case the Hatred, Anger, and Sorrow World Rings that were sealed in the "Arabian Nights" book, for that to happen.

They all could see what was happening around Sonic through his eyes, but since Werehog had been the one in control the most recently, he had more privilege to.

"Don't you see?! He's imprinting himself on our pathetic weakling of a host!"

Even though Darkspine was technically neutral, he was considered one of the negative forms by the others, as he was fueled by negative emotions, hence the reason why he was with them. "What do you mean, 'imprinting'?"

Now Werehog had an expression of utter revulsion. "It has to do with the lupine side of us. When still young, a canine can emotionally attach itself to whoever is raising them. That damn runt is starting to see Sonic as his authority figure."

Dark Super, during the explanation, had been shifting through some of their host's, and Werehog's, memories. He was the only one out of them to have that ability while in their host's mind. "He has the whole time, he was just too afraid of you to fully imprint. Judging by how he acts with you, he also sees you, somewhat, as his leader."

Werehog grinned evilly. "Perhaps a few more lessons should teach him who the true Alpha is. I'll just have to give those lessons when he least expects them."

(A/N: 3rd person's over, as well as being in Sonic's mind. Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…er, reading)

He opened his eyes, and saw that it was already daytime. Something didn't seem right, and it wasn't because he wasn't being held by 'oni anymore…

Wait, where was 'oni?!

He got up, whimpering when he felt the pain in his wrist and chest.

He looked around, trying to find 'oni. 'oni said he wouldn't leave! He said so!

Alone. He was alone.

Just knowing he was alone made him start crying. He didn't care what Were-san had said about it.

He huddled into himself, not caring anymore about his hurt wrist and chest.

Why did 'oni leave? Why?! He hadn't done anything wrong…had he? He wasn't sure. He must have…if 'oni left.

He almost didn't hear the footsteps coming towards him, but he did. He didn't know if it was 'oni, and he didn't care. He just didn't want to be alone.

"Shadow?"

Was it-? He lifted his head up. "'o-oni?"

He almost thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. It really was 'oni!

Not thinking about his still hurting wrist and chest, he got up and ran to 'oni, before jumping up and hugging him. "'oni!" He had already been crying, it just started again.

He felt 'oni rest a hand on the top of his head. "What's wrong, pup?"

"I-I th-thought y-you l-left…I-I w-woke u-up, a-and d-didn't s-see y-you."

"I'll never leave, pup. If I wanted to leave, wouldn't I have done so by now?"

That made sense…a little. 'oni could have left by now…

"D-Don't w-wanna b-be a-alone…" He didn't know why he whispered.

"You won't be alone, Shadow. Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Th-Then w-why…?"

"Why was I gone? I went to do some hunting, in case you got hungry, but when I finally took down the doe, the sun rose and I turned back into a hedgehog. Even with my speed, it still took me a while to get here. I thought you'd still be asleep by the time I got back."

He looked up, and saw the deer at a distance. He was hungry…but should he eat it? He looked at 'oni.

"Go ahead, Shadow. It's all yours."

He wanted to, but what if 'oni left while he was eating?

"Shadow, I won't leave. What if I stand on the other side of the deer while you eat? That way, you'd be able to see me."

That sounded like a good plan, but would it work? He looked at the deer again. He was really, really hungry.

"Go on, pup."

He finally nodded and let go of 'oni. Then 'oni carried him to the deer. When they got there, 'oni put him on the ground, and went to the other side.

He was still looking at 'oni. He didn't know why, but something was telling him to wait.

"What's wrong, Shadow?"

His ears drooped. What was he supposed to say? "U-Um…w-waiting…"

"Why are you- Oh, I get it. Pack dynamics says that the Alpha eats first. Well, there is a loophole. It's also customary for the Alpha's pups to eat before even the Alpha. Besides, since it's daytime, and I'm now a hedgehog again, I don't think I can stomach eating that doe. You see me as the Alpha?"

He nodded.

"I should've expected it, since we are pack. A small pack, but still a pack."

Pack. Family. Was pack really the same as family? He didn't know…but at the same time, he knew they were the same.

Still…what if 'oni left when he started eating?

He looked at the deer, only to look back at 'oni right away.

"Shadow, if you don't eat soon, it'll get cold. The meat won't taste as good if it's cold."

That was true. He kept looking at 'oni for a bit, before eating.

It wasn't that long before he was done eating.

When he looked up, 'oni was still there.

"I said I wouldn't leave, and I didn't. I won't leave, pup, ever."

This time, he started to believe that 'oni meant it.

'oni came back to him around the deer and picked him up.

"Pup, you've got some blood stuck to your muzzle."

He did? With his good paw, he rubbed his muzzle, and saw that there was blood.

"Shadow, rubbing the blood didn't help, only smeared it. I know how to get it off."

Looking at 'oni, he nodded.

"Alright, then." 'oni carried him a long ways to a river. Then, 'oni sat down next to the river and scooped up a bit of the water.

He knew what 'oni was gonna do with the water, and he tried to get away.

"Calm down, pup, the water's not even that cold."

He didn't care; he just didn't want to cleaned with water.

"Keep struggling, and we'll be here longer, pup."

He didn't know why, but he just didn't want to get cleaned with water.

"Shadow!"

He stopped moving. "S-Sorry."

"I know you don't want to get wet, but this is the easiest way to get the blood off your face. It won't take that long, either."

Looking at the water, he didn't know what to think. 'oni said he had to get the blood off…but he didn't like baths at all. 'specially not with water.

"Pup, just let me wash the blood off, then we can go back, alright?"

He was about to answer, when he saw that everything was getting darker. Was it already night again?

"Looks like it's about to rain."

"R-Rain?"

"Yeah, you see how the clouds are getting darker and bigger?"

He looked up, and saw that it was happening. "Y-Yeah"

"They're filling up with water. When they get full enough, they'll dump it back onto us, which should begin right…about…now."

'oni was right, the 'rain' started coming down.

He yelped when he started getting wet, and tried to hide in 'oni's fur.

"Pup, I don't think that's going to work. We got to find shelter."

He nodded.

"Don't let go, pup."

He didn't need to ask why, 'cause 'oni was already running. He could feel the wind.

He didn't know how long it was before 'oni stopped running.

"This is the best that I could find. I just hope it'll last us for the entire storm."

He really didn't care, 'cause he was still getting wet! He kept trying to hide in 'oni's fur.

It wasn't too long before he felt the rain stop. He could still hear it, but he couldn't feel it anymore.

Only now he was cold, even though 'oni was still holding him. He shivered.

"Don't worry, Shadow. I'm sure the storm won't last that long."

He looked up at 'oni, before looking around. A cave?

"Like I said, pup, this was the best I could find. It was the only place I could find. We'll just have to deal with it for now."

He looked at 'oni again, and nodded.

"We may be here a while, and we both need to catch up on sleep."

His ears went down again. He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to…explore.

"I know what you're thinking, pup. You can't go exploring right now, not with your wrist busted up. It might make it worse, and then it'll hurt more."

'oni was right. Why had he thought of exploring? Why had he thought of going anywhere? It wasn't like he could. He tugged at the collar, and it tightened a bit.

"If only I could get that off you…"

He felt 'oni grab the collar, then…

There was pain.

A lot of pain.

Everywhere.

Why didn't it stop?

He heard screaming.

Who was screaming?

…He was screaming.

Why did he have to be in pain?

Had he done something wrong?

What had he done to deserve the pain?

When would everything stop?

Finally, it went away, but only some of it.

Then he knew no more…

…

He wasn't sure how long it was before he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a while to remember what happened.

He was still cold, and he hurt a lot.

He also felt…safe…

He realized he was still being held. He couldn't hear the rain anymore, but it was still kinda dark. Was it because of the clouds? Or was it night again?

He didn't know…and he didn't want to know.

He tried to get away, but then there was a growl, and the grip around him tightened.

He stopped moving. He was scared. He whimpered.

He looked up, but he still couldn't tell if it was really 'oni. (1)

He still didn't want to know what would happen to him if he stayed…and yet, he knew he couldn't run. Running made things worse. Running was why he had the collar…

The collar!

He felt for it, but it was gone.

He was free. Not fully, but still free.

'oni helped him become free.

He smiled a little, and buried himself into the fur.

He thought of all the times 'oni called him 'pup' and what 'oni had said after the bear attack.

'Guess I really am starting to see you as my pup.'

Did…Did that mean that 'oni wanted to be his…dad?

'I'll always be your brother, even if you start to think of me as your dad.'

All of a sudden, a word popped into his head. He didn't know where it came from…but it sounded like 'pup'.

And if he was 'pup' then shouldn't 'oni be…

"Papa…"

T.B.C.

If you guys kill me for ending it like that, you won't ever see what happens next time. *smirks*

Most of what was written came out of nowhere. I'm serious.

Except for the scene where Shadow was alone. I had a hard time deciding on whehter it should've been day, or still be night, and it was really Werehog instead of Sonic. Also, while writing the part where Shadow found out he was alone, the song "Perfect" by Simple Plan played in my head. Why does that always happen to me? It's weird.

For those who speak Spanish as well as English, Shadow Pup is not calling Sonic "potato". As amusing as that would be, he isn't bilingual. Or would it be trilingual since he uses Japanese terms? Ah, who cares?

As for how I described Werehog's and Shadow Pup's sizes a couple of chapters ago, I feel like changing it. Werehog, or Sonic when he's in control, will be about twice the size of a normal wolf. From what I know about animal anatomy, that's still relatively smaller than a bear, but not by as much. Werepup will be the size of a regular 5 month-old wolf puppy. Looks like that means a massive growth spurt when he's older. As a hedgehog, Sonic will be...one and a half times larger than a normal sized wolf. This explains how he can easily carry werepup even when it's day.

As for the small scene in Sonic's mind, if anyone seemed OOC, or didn't act the way you expected, well, I get the feeling that Sonic's dark forms would act civil towards each other. And Werehog really does have little self-control.

Also, as for why I referred Fleetway Super Sonic as "Psycho" Super, I couldn't very well refer to him in the story as "Fleetway" Super, could I? Don't get me wrong, Fleetway Comics version of Super Sonic is awesome! So are Darkspine and of course Werehog, and I just don't mean my portrayal of Werehog. Oh, and Dark Super Sonic. Clearly, something is wrong with me if I like all of Sonic's dark forms.

(1)- It actually is night again, and Sonic fell asleep, so Shadow isn't sure if it's Sonic or Werehog because he can't see the eyes.

Who's glad I finally got rid of the collar? And for their relationship changing slowly to more of a father/son bond?

What does Werehog have planned for little werepup? And will he ever take over at night again? Why am I asking you these questions?

Here's one question I want to ask you guys. What exactly is the right definition for the suffix -san? I've seen a few different definitions for it, but Im not sure which is the true use for it.

1) to show respect

2) used for someone who is a higher rank than you, but isn't at the highest rank

3) "Mr." or "Mrs."

4) used at someone you see as an equal.

I've been using the first two defintions for it the whole time, but if I've been using the wrong one, please tell me, and I'll stop using it in the following chapters, and tell me what other terms I can have werepup use for Werehog.

Let me know how I did! Leave a comment/review!

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