I finally got off my ass and updated.

Well, I haven't been having too good of times recently. Had my heart broken, been suffering from stress and school, and I just have pretty much been bitter towards a lot of things; including my writing. I hope you enjoy the chapter, because I don't know if I did. It's not one of my best, you could say. I have been trying to muster up my desire to write, and hopefully I'll get a sense of inspiration soon. Maybe it will help me feel better, too...

Alright, enjoy.

Name: 'Chained By Love'

Rating: Teen/PG-13 (might go up)

Pairings: SonicxShadow, possible KnuxRouge

Warning: Male/Male relationship; don't read if you don't like it

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Sonic looked in the direction of the door, confused. "Shadow the hedgehog...?" he said out loud, not sure why they were here.

Never before had he ever met someone named Shadow...unless. Everything finally clicked. He looked behind himself at the black hedgehog, the other's face answering his question. Shadow had a look of pure fear and he began backing up, his eyes never leaving the owner of the house. Not only was he breaking into a sweat, but his heart was pounding quickly. He wasn't as prepared as he thought he was. Not only did they find him backed into a corner, but now the hero would know of just what he was. Shadow looked slowly at Sonic with pleading and frightened eyes, the emerald orbs catching his. The sight of Shadow's current expression made not only Sonic feel bad, but surprised. Never had he seen such a look in the stubborn and brave hedgehog. He looked to the door as he heard a much more urgent knock.

"Don't make us use force the door down, Mr. Hedgehog." said the same voice, sounding much more irritated this time. Sonic had thought quickly and turned back to Shadow, putting his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm.

"Don't worry, just calm down. I'll help you out." he said, hoping the other would believe him. He walked back to the door and called to them, thinking of a fast excuse. "I'll be there in a minute! I'm...just in the bathroom!" cried the hedgehog, looking back to Shadow. When he did so, he was almost got knocked to the floor, because the black hedgehog took this as a sign to lunge at the doorknob.

Sonic luckily caught his waist and held him away from it, trying to be as quiet as possible. "Shadow, calm down!" he said, using the black one's name for the first time. Shadow only continued to struggle, pushed too far by fear to stop. Sonic continued to try to calm him and he came up with the quickest way to do so. "If you stop, I promise I'll hide you. I'll try to help you with this." he attempted to coax him, hoping it would work. It was no lie that Shadow couldn't make it out without the hero. Shadow had slowly calmed down, knowing it was his best bet. Sonic released him and slowly opened the door, taking his arm in his hand. He brought him to the basement and placed him at the top step, the black one standing there as he was still nervous and awaiting for directions. Sonic began to close it but stopped it short, sticking his head out from the crack of the opening.

"Just go down there, hide and find a way out if you hear anything." he said, closing the door behind him. When he turned to the front door, he was almost too late; Knuckles was just about to open it. The red echidna must have made his way home while they were in Sonic's special room and had heard the knocking himself. Sonic had jumped to the door and his hand stopped the others, taking a sharp breath. "NO!" he whispered but with emphasis, Knuckles giving him a confused look. "Shadow is the hedgehog we rescued. They're looking for him."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, whispering a response. "Do you know why?" he asked, curious and suspicious. Sonic responded first with a shrug, looking at Knuckles with a pleading expression. "No, but I intend to find out. Let me do the talking." came his response, turning back to the knob. He slowly opened it to find an array of angry and serious guards gazing down at both the Mobians, a weak smile coming across Sonic's muzzle.

"Why, good afternoon officers. How can I help you?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as he possibly could.

All of them looked at him with a condescending look, not responding at first. Both of the parties knew that they had a strange relationship. They strongly disliked one another but they did use each other for help, only if it was serious or a last resort. GUN hated the fact that Sonic was the 'hero' and usually caused destruction with his fighting, and Sonic and the gang despised them for being what many believed as 'corrupt'. Neither spoke this out loud but it was easily assumed. The leader of the gang glared back at the hedgehog before him but responded as equally polite, one of the back soldiers pulling out a manila folder.

"We have had sources notify us that you have been in relation with an escapee of our prison, Mr. Hedgehog." they said as curtly as they possibly could, handing Sonic the heavy folder. He took it and sunk a bit, being surprised by its weight. Knuckles looked over suspiciously and opened it, looking to GUN as they spoke. "We are unsure if you know due to his inability to speak, but he is a highly dangerous prisoner and a sick outcome of a scientist's dream. He was locked up for a reason and is a danger to society. Shadow the Hedgehog was a creation to be the ultimate weapon; he is not to be trusted." As Sonic listened both him and Knuckles scanned through the large folder, and was shocked at what they saw.

There were multiple pictures of Shadow in the facility that were highly disturbing. Some were of testing they were doing, some of him which showed how he was wilting everyday, even a few of him without the chains around his neck. Sonic's heart had completely melted at the sight of this and he was fighting back rage. He controlled himself to the best of his abilities, swallowing back the words he wanted to scream at them.

"I believe you are mistaken, sirs. We have no such hedgehog in our house." said Knuckles, who obviously caught onto Sonic's idea. They looked at the guardian with little interest, never really having a care about him other than the fact he housed the Master Emerald.

They turned back to Sonic with a suspicious look, obviously not believing him. "Would you mind if we took a look around the house, then?"

This caught Sonic completely off guard and even before he could respond, he was pushed back against the door as they entered his home. Knuckles looked the most outraged, clenching his namesake in disgust. "You have no right to search us, where is your warrant!?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. Sonic had came to his side with a nod, demanding an explanation as well.

The leader of the soldiers gave a smirk and a shrug. His two different colored eyes looked vaguely familiar."I can have it in your hands in a 5 minutes flat, if you wish." As he said this, bustling behind him were the officers hard at work, searching every corner of the house. Sonic didn't even care of the mess they were leaving; he was just concerned about the hedgehog below. He knew they all were in huge trouble if he was caught. Every floor of the house was searched from top to bottom, except for the basement. The troops looked to it finally and were about to open it, but Sonic leapt in front of the door.

"No! It's too messy down there, I'd really prefer it if you-" Sonic was quickly pushed out of the way, the hedgehog barely catching his footing. The soldiers opened the door with a slam, making their way down the stairs with heavy footsteps. Sonic was after them pleading, knowing Shadow was doomed. But when he got down there, he and the men stopped; there was no one in sight. Sonic was confused by this but said nothing to alert GUN. He turned to them with an annoyed look, trying to hide his confusion.

"Are you happy? Got enough proof?" His voice was highly peeved for he just wanted them gone. Sonic had seen enough since the day he found Shadow to see what they had done. Knuckles too, was confused but just looked down, knowing his expression might give away how he was feeling. They slowly turned to Sonic with little care, the main man of the group turning to the blue hedgehog.

"We're sorry for bothering you, Mr. Hedgehog but for the safety of the public, this must be done. We will be checking everywhere on Mystery Island. If the hedgehog is here, we will find him." he said and then turned to follow his men out of the house. That was the last thing he said before the door slammed shut behind them, leaving the two in the home to stand quietly. Knuckles slowly looked up at Sonic, who at the time was trying to process everything.

"Did you know about this?" he asked, raising an accusing eyebrow. Sonic slowly turned to him and shook his head, looking to the echidna slowly.

"Not at all. How could I? He never spoke. But I'm guessing this is why we found him like this." said Sonic, still trying to figure out how Shadow escaped so easily. He continued to think until an idea sprang into his head, causing him to zip away from the basement. With his fast speed he made it to his room in seconds flat, coming to his dresser. He opened the top left drawer and moved the articles within it, revealing an empty spot. Sonic smirked when he figured out just how Shadow got away.

It didn't take long for Knuckles to join the room, shifting his head to the side. "What should we do now? What can we do to help him?"

Sonic slowly closed the drawer and walked out of the room, knowing what he had to do. "First things first: let's find Tails and find more about this hedgehog. I know he'll be okay until then."

Both Knuckles and Sonic nodded in agreement, but one could easily sense the worry and the tension fluttering about.

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Shadow had zapped himself as far as he possibly could from the home, while staying on the same island. The chaos emerald, which was originally his taken by Sonic, was placed neatly behind his head quills. He didn't stop for long since he knew he was being chased. The 'prisoner' scurried off into the distance knowing he needed to find a quick worthy place and fast. GUN, being as high tech and ruthless as they are, could easily catch him. He thanked Sonic for distracting the soldiers long enough for him to not only grab the emerald but to plan his escape, knowing he would of been caught if they didn't amuse them as long as they could.

He took off into nowhere in particular, looking for any sign of a hiding space. At the rate they were looking for him, it was obvious that every space he found would be checked. Shadow was beginning to think he had no hope of finding anything until the next sight he saw. There was a lone GUN automobile standing in the middle of the forest floor and it appeared the men assigned to protect it were somewhere else; most likely looking for him. He slowly made his way over and noticed the back hatch of the door was open, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Hesitating slightly, he slowly went inside the cold and dark automotive, walking up the ramp. He felt the closest space of wall and was happy to find a light switch, turning it on to find what seemed to be a room full of an array of items. It held a plain wooden desk, two flimsy chairs, and to the right of it was a rather large cage; Shadow wouldn't be surprised if it was intended for him. Also within the car was a large storage box that seemed heavily protected. It had an iron lock upon it which seemed indestructible. From the looks of this place, Shadow knew it was an important car of the army. The hedgehog turned back to the plans on the table, some which had been rolled open. He raised an eyebrow and his eyes caught the sight of something on the documents that deeply angered him.

His hands brought up a large page of blue prints for the ARK; dated before they raided and killed everyone on it. With his heart rate quickening, he picked up documented spy photos of the activities around the ARK, including some pictures and sketches of what appeared to be him and who he associated with. He shifted to the next piece of paper and found a whole biography on himself and possible future tests they could perform. That was if they could get him back into custody, of course.

He soon turned to the last piece of document and was immediately enraged by what he saw. There were papers of even possibly imprisoning his friends. If they were caught with him, they would be doomed to the same fate as he. It was going too far; GUN sought to destroy now his present allies. First the ARK and now his three saviors? He wouldn't stand for it- other people suffering because of him again. He slowly looked down upon the folders scattered across the desk, a copy of what Sonic was holding right now. Squeezing his eyes tightly in pain, he dropped the papers and then looked back down to the folders, another fresh memory flooding back into his mind.

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The black hedgehog remained huddled inside a cleaning closet, his knees held tightly to his chest. His hand, which was flat against his mouth, was there to hold sound in. As small footsteps wondered past the tiny room, his shoulders shook as he tried to hide a chuckle. It almost slipped when the feet walked back down the hall to right in front of the door, the light azure color revealing exactly who it was.

"Shadow the hedgehog, you better come out here!" said Maria in an irritated voice. Although it sounded annoyed, it was easy to tell it had sweet undertones. Anyone who knew the blonde girl well could tell she was too nice to ever be angry. She easily had to be one of the nicest people you could meet. As she tapped her foot in an annoyed pace, Shadow could only roll his eyes, slowly standing up and swinging open the door in front of her.

"Way to ruin the game." he said, giving her a playful look. Anyone who knew the hedgehog currently would of keeled over; Shadow looked generally happy. Ruby eyes twinkled as they rested on the girl, shifting his hanging hands to placing one on his hip. "Why do we have to go see Gerald again?" he asked, obviously not wanting to go. No offense to Gerald, he just didn't have the heart to go to lessons.

Maria laughed lightly and took his hand, pulling him in the obvious direction. "We have teachings, you know that! You know how miffed Grandfather gets if we miss it." she said, shaking her head at her friend. Shadow playfully groaned but she knew he was kidding; even if Shadow was happier at this time, he was still stubborn. The fair girl turned to him, awaiting for him to stop it. "Are you done?"

Shadow gave her a look, a smirk etching on his face. "Fine. To make you happy." he said, his face going back to its calm self. They began to walk towards the school end of the ARK, Maria breaking the silence with her soft voice.

"Shadow? Can I tell you something?" she suddenly came to a stop, her cerulean eyes looking thoughtful.

The black hedgehog turned to her in interest, crossing his arms. "What's wrong?" he asked, raising a gentle brow.

She suddenly looked at him with a surprisingly sad face, her shoulders giving a shrug. "I just wanted to say that you're the best friend I could ever have." she looked at him softly, her phrase came out quietly with the power to stun the black hedgehog. He wasn't sure if it was the sincerity of her words or how random they were that threw him off. He slowly uncrossed his arms and walked in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Maria. The feelings are mutual..." he said, trying to be as kind as he could. His eyebrows lowered in concern at this but he didn't speak about it, knowing Maria would say it. She certainly did after looking sheepishly up at him, rubbing at her shoulder when he removed his hand.

"I don't know. I just have a funny feeling." she said, laughing a bit.

Shadow smiled and shook his head playfully, his eyes looking at the ceiling. "You and your worries. C'mon, Maria." he said, his warm grin turning into a smirk. "Care to race to solve your troubles?" the girl laughed in response, starting to walk a bit.

"You always let me win, Shadow!" The hedgehog was about to retort until the whole ARK shook, the huge tremor causing the lights to flicker on and off. Maria automatically leapt for Shadow, grabbing him in fear. She wrapped her arms around him and he held her protectively for a moment, both of them relaxing when the lights turned off.

"...What was that?" he questioned out loud, his eyes scanning over everything. Shadow knew this was definitely not normal. Maria soon let go of her iron grasp and looked around, her face looking troubled.

"I don't know. Let's go ask Grandfather." It was easy to tell she was nervous, but trying to remain calm. At least Shadow being by her side could relax her. He nodded and they moved quietly towards his office, trying to fight off the tension they were feeling. They were far too secretly nervous to say anything, just speed walking to Dr. Robotnik's office. It wasn't long until they were shocked once again, the alarm system within the ship beginning to go off. The hallways flashed red, the sound of a loud siren ringing through the chambers. Shadow took a deep breath and took the young girls hand, running the rest of the way. It didn't take long even with a normal running pace to make it to his office, pressing the button to open the door.

Dr. Gerald looked in a panic as he tried to gather up his research, automatically relieved when he saw the two race in. Shadow came in first following Maria, looking at him in bewilderment. He came over to them with a clean sweat on his bald head, his chest taking in swift breaths. The stout man in a lab coat wasn't looking his usual intelligent calm, but was in a state of insane hysteria.

"The military has finally done it; they raided the Space Colony ARK." he said, looking at the two for their reactions.

Maria looked internally horror stuck and any word could set her off. She stared at her Grandfather with sudden hope, believing there had to be a way out. Shadow had his usual calm but it had a streak of shocked anger, but he was containing it very well. Maria stepped towards the two with determination, trying to make light of the situation. "There has to be something we can do for all the workers, Grandpa."

The old man's shoulders drooped in failure and you could sense the heartbreak he was feeling. His whole dream was coming to a rocky end, so many having to suffer because of it. He then gave a small shrug, looking up at his Granddaughter in grief. "We can only hope all of us make it out alive, Maria." He took a shaky breath and looked to Shadow, having a trusting face on. "Get Maria out and to safety, Shadow. Try your hardest; prove that you're better than them." he said, the ARK giving a small shake again. The black hedgehog stared at his creator with a stern yet intent expression.

"I'll protect her with my life." was all he said.

Shadow then took Maria by the arm and gave one more lasting look to the doctor, and then ran them down the left passageway. He ran at a speed that was fast yet one that Maria could keep up. He made sure his gloved hand held onto her delicate fingers tightly, taking her down the closest corridor. He had long ago memorized most of the hallways but always thought the escape route was hard. He never, ever thought he'd have to use it.

He took a few more lefts on their way and one more right, Shadow and Maria getting closer and closer. They were coming to the point where both were getting tired and using as much adrenaline that they could muster. The blonde was panting quietly behind him but never missed a step, knowing it was serious that she kept up. The black hedgehog was looking strong-willed as he took them to a sharp left but suddenly halted. With their backs to them, there was a large group of GUN soldiers. Shadow had stood stunned for a moment and then swiveled them to the right, pushing his feet as hard as he could. They heard their racing footsteps and took off after them, screaming after the hedgehog. He pushed the door's button swiftly and they ran in, pushing another to close it off. He then pressed 'LOCK' above it and finally took a breath, looking forward.

The whole hallway was glass from ceiling to floor, giving the ability to view the stars from any angle. Even if it seemed thin, it was strong and sturdy, able to take a large amount of weight. It was this corridor to the single escape pod at the end; it was just what the two were looking far. Though it was a long run, Shadow was sure they could make it in time. They ran as fast as they could until there was a large crack from the other side; the troops were trying to break in.

The black hedgehog had sped ahead, too determined to save his young friend. He continued until he heard the doors swishing open quickly, turning his head to see the few men fill the room. Shadow automatically swung himself in front of Maria and took a deep breath, drawing her close and preparing to die if needed. Each looked upon their target with a malicious glint in their eyes, raising their gun. They had orders to bring him and it didn't matter if it was alive or not. He growled deep in his throat and was about ready to charge, until an ear shattering sound filled the air. One of the men had shot their gun off and instead of it hitting the hedgehog, they shot the young girl straight in the chest. She jumped in front of him at the last minute, risking her own life for her best friend.

For Shadow, time practically stopped. It felt as if the whole world stopped turning and everything paused, the next set of actions in slow motion. He remembered seeing her hit the floor with a soft thud and only a few seconds after, her blood was pooling around her. Shadow shook with an uncontrollable sadness as he took her in his grasp, looking at the people who did this to her. His lips trembled as he tried to contain the shout he was hiding, rushing her towards the escape room in a blink of an eye. After opening the door and locking it right away, his hand sunk straight down the wall. His shoulders shook as he felt her blood staining his fur, releasing one of the deepest sobs. He fell to his knees with her right to the floor, shocked when he saw her eyes open.

The usual light in them was gone but there was still a glimmer of hope, the girl looking up at Shadow with sadness. Her voice was very soft and tired, Shadow having to strain to hear it. She weakly lifted her hand as if it was a great pain to do so, wiping a tear from the corner of her friend's eye. "Don't cry, Shadow..." she said, taking a deep breath. "Everything will be okay."

Shadow took her hand and lowered it to her chest, holding it with a gentle clasp. "Shh, don't talk too much." he said, trying to remain calm. He swallowed hard as he looked down at her blood smeared dress, seeing the bullet hole in the cloth easily. His heart completely wilted away at the sight, just about ready to crack. Maria saw this and tried to comfort him once again, giving as much energy she could when she squeezed his hand back.

"This will be better in the end Shadow, I know it." she said, a gram of faith still in her voice. "Things always happen for a reason. You'll do so many great things, Shadow. That's what you were made for. You'll overcome everything better than anyone else." Her eyes were looking more and more distant, her ability of breathing much harder. "It would be selfish for me to stay here a minute longer and prevent your escape." She closed her eyes, her skin looking clammier than ever before. "Good luck, Shadow the hedgehog."

Those were her last dying words before her breathing came to a slow stop, Shadow adding his own last comfort to her.

"You too, best friend." was all he said, before she went completely limp in his arms. The hedgehog stared down at her lifeless body for a few more moments until he lowered her fully to the floor, fixing her blonde locks away from her beautiful face. It was as if he knew it would be the last time he saw her. After biting his lip as fresh tears pooled up at the corner of his eyes, he drew in a weak breath. He then stroked a hand over her cheek until the door before him rattled, going to break in seconds. Shadow closed his eyes painfully and then snapped them open, hearing the voice of those behind it. The depression he would be suffering for most of his life quickly changed to anger, Shadow feeling a fire in his soul he had never felt before.

He stood wobbly at first and took in ragged breaths, his crimson eyes burning with an on-coming temper as the door swung open. Shadow didn't wait a minute as he roared out, springing into action towards the men. He automatically tackled the first one and viciously snapped his neck, not taking long to reach his next victims. In only minutes Shadow had every man reduced to a motionless corpse, killing every one who stepped foot in his radius. It was as if he was under a spell of fury, losing all memories of decency. After disposing of each solider in the room, he landed in the middle of the mess, picking up each of their bodies and dragging them into the hallway. He stripped his bloody gloves and held Maria's body for one more time, lowering her lifeless form into the escape tube.

He pressed the button and the sound of compressed air was released, Shadow looking her over for the last time. She'd have her wish: going to planet earth. He watched it depart from the ship and fall into the atmosphere, going onto its own journey. It was too late for Shadow to help her now; he had failed her in the long run. It hit him like a ton of bricks she was dead and it was entirely his fault. His hand wondered onto the glass as he clutched at nothing, his heart forever broken.

Shadow would never be the same.

He closed his eyes once again in hope to have some time to mourn his dead friend, but the sound of more footsteps became heard. This once again switched on his anger as he turned and raced towards the troops. They were filling the hallway in a swarm, both them and Shadow knowing that they could easily over power him. Yet he continued to fight, tumbling into to them. Some got the same fate as the men before, whichever ones Shadow could get his hands on. But like a wave, soldiers pilled in and all seemed to have one thing on their mind: capture the Project.

The black hedgehog fought as long as he could, but his body was tiring. Once again, he was failing and it was himself this time. He fought as long as he could but the mob of men only grew stronger, tackling him and keeping him in a pin. He was captured by their brute force and had no way of getting out, far too weak to fight anymore. They had captured him and succeeded.

GUN had successfully attacked the ARK and captured Shadow, leaving little to no survivors behind.

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As the memory ended in Shadow's head, he had found the plans in his hands sprawled out on the desk. His palms were pressed onto the hard surface and he was undeniably shaking. Everything was trembling about him, down to his breath and his mind. One could easily tell he was clutching the paper until his knuckles turned white, trying to continue to control his anger. That same explosion from the day of the ARK's raid was rising, the first time being within Shadow since he escaped.

He suddenly without warning took all the plans and ripped them to shreds, letting them fall to the floor around him into the tiniest of pieces. This was not enough to satisfy his lust for revenge, but to only fuel it. He knocked everything off the desk to the floor and had frantically looked around the room. Just by that action, he was feeling more and more powerful than before. He couldn't explain it; he could only describe it as if someone was throwing gasoline on his fire. It didn't take long for him to figure out because he felt the small vibration of the Chaos Emerald throughout his form.

He took it from its hiding place, from behind his head quills and stared at it in surprise. The hedgehog's look quickly changed to sinister when the ends of his dark smile curled, his brows lowering while his pupils grew. The emerald only glowed in glee to this and Shadow was once again startled. The large, locked-up chamber beside him seemed to be glowing with a strange light. He turned to it and in his angry power snapped the metal lock in two, throwing it to the floor besides him. He slowly opened the hatches of the cabinet and his smirk only grew larger. His fangs glinted as he eyed the treasure happily, almost forgetting about the chaos emerald in his hand.

It wouldn't matter, though; if he dropped the one he held, there were six other ones gleaming in delight right in front of him.

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