Yay, I'm actually got this up. I'm not sure if I'm into the writing I did in this, but my editor insists that it's good. I don't know, you guys have to be the judge.

This story is so much long than I intended it to be. I though it would be like twenty chapters tops. I think it may even go over that. Well, whatever it needs to be finished, it has to be done. The ending is a good one, and most likely for you, an unexpected one. I can't give away anymore, but I don't want anyone to hate me. At least I'm not taking TamarinWest's and killing off Shadow; not that I didn't think about it...

Now I'm getting into the part where one of them notices their feelings for the other. At first, I didn't know how to write it. But now I have an idea. Can't wait to have you guys read it!

Anyway, I'll shut up. Enjoy the chapter and make sure you comment! I didn't get as many as I usually did last week. I like them, they make me feel better.

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 had ran towards the backyard with Knuckles trailing slightly behind, determined to reach the two-tailed fox's workshop. All the thoughts in his head were blank except for one: the idea of saving Shadow. Even if the once mystery hedgehog had gotten out, he didn't have long to stay hidden; it was futile to try and escape GUN. Knuckles, who was worried but not as frantic as Sonic, tried to calm the blue one down.

"Sonic, don't panic. He'll be okay; he's tough enough," he said, raising a suspicious eyebrow. The hedgehog before him turned to the echidna with bright emerald eyes, knowing this wasn't true.

"Knuckles, don't be stupid. We can't leave him alone out there, he's practically defenseless." He fully stopped and turned to him, a look of concern evident on his face. "You know they'll tear him apart; he needs all the help we can give." They exchanged one more look until Knuckles nodded in full understanding. It didn't take them long until they approached the young kitsune's door, opening it reluctantly. Tails was quietly typing into a calculator and writing with a pencil on graphing paper, looking too drawn into his work to hear the commotion of the soldiers. Sonic ran to him, panting slightly, which alerted the canine. He looked back to him and shifted his head to the side in confusion.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" he asked, his small tails waving behind him. The blue hedgehog hunched over with his hands on his knees, giving him a sincere look. He knew his best friend would do anything for him.

"I need you to hack into GUN's computer, Tails." The small fox was about to interrupt but Sonic spoke before him. "Look up the name 'Shadow the Hedgehog'; you have to." He looked desperate in his own small way, the two others in the room exchanging looks. It didn't take long for Tails to nod, slowly pushing his office chair to the computer desk. He cleared the loose printer paper off the counter top, looking to Sonic as he quickly typed.

"As I do this, just who is 'Shadow the Hedgehog'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The hero quickly explained to Tails what just happened and his expression changed from interested to concerned in seconds. "Are you serious?! He's a runaway from GUN?"

Sonic could only nod slowly, sighing. "Apparently; I don't know much more than that, though- like why he's apart of GUN somehow. That's why I need you to do this." he said, his green eyes intense as they stared at the other's blue. Tails nodded and turned back to the screen, Knuckles joining the conversation with a look on his face.

"He really has to be important to GUN if they are so intent on finding him. I bet they're infesting the whole island." He growled at the thought, his sharp canines gleaming. Sonic nodded, shaking his head.

"You know GUN, they're stubborn as hell." All three nodded in agreement, no one bothering to deny such a fact.

It wasn't long until the computer chirped a beep to signify Tails was getting closer to breaking in. He used all the hacking knowledge he could remember, to the point his fingers were working as fast as they could. He was picking out all the numbers in his brain, being successful in the end. As he let out a sigh of triumph, the GUN acceptance screen came on as he turned to Sonic.

"We're in."

Sonic looked happy and had turned to Knuckles, raising an eyebrow. "They said 'Shadow the Hedgehog', right? Or didn't someone say, 'Project: Shadow?" he questioned, hoping the other would know for certain. Amethyst eyes blinked, shrugging.

"I think they might have said the first one. I was kind of distracted by the other description they gave; you know, the one stating he was a danger to society." Sonic gave him a weird look, unsure if he was kidding or not. Before he could say anything else, Tails had interrupted, not wanting to hear anything started.

"I'll type both in, don't worry." Once again the small fox's fingers went to work, the keys clicking as he pressed them. After a few more moments it fully loaded, giving a whole page on him. They all looked in surprised and blinked, Tails turning to the blue hedgehog.

"Where should I look first?"

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It hadn't taken too long for everyone to read what had happened in the GUN fortress. At the end of the small biography, they all looked highly disturbed. They had taken turns reading it out out loud and every detail said had left a cold aftershock. They learned about everything; how Shadow was forced into the basement jails and left to rot, the tests they performed on him after they drugged him a considerate amount, and how they had done all they could with him. They tested his resistance against certain chemicals, his steadily decreasing strength, and the fact of his immortality. Certain drugs were the ways of regulating his age. Shadow was much older than he appeared, which was about the same age as the other hedgehog and echidna in the room. He looked their age but he was actually over fifty years old; he was a marvel to science. It was also a tragedy, knowing how he had to suffer no natural end to his life. The only way for him to be killed was by an outside source but never of a 'natural' cause.

The facts read out loud had not only hit Sonic hard, but disgusted him. They also made him feel extremely guilty. He thought the tragedies he faced as a hero were bad; he was faced with much worse. And it was no better when they had read about his past and how he got into GUN the first place. Sonic had now found about the misfortune of Maria and the ARK. When they were done reading about his past, Tails had quietly commented.

"I heard about that spaceship, but never was told it was raided. No one outside the government really knew; everyone just assumed it closed." he said, his heart sinking. The two others in the room matched the same level. Knuckles was mostly quiet, reading the least. He was just silent and studying the ground, trying to take in all the information he was receiving. He knew he never really liked them, but hearing that humans did this made him all the more appalled. Sonic was feeling just as upset, trying to also process this; he was different, though. He felt completely numb. The idea he had just seen him a half an hour ago and now he may never see him again had put him into a shock.

They all sat frozen for a second until Knuckles was the first to leak another question.

"...how did he get out?" he said, his voice mystified. Even for someone who didn't know too much about recent technology, anyone could guess it wasn't easy. GUN was so hi-tech with a grand amount of money that Shadow had to be real clever to get out. Tails had given a shrug. "I didn't look it up; I could..." his fingers weren't still for long, typing in that search. It came up instantly, Tails clicking on it with silence. The mouse button being pressed was the only sound between any of them.

The page loaded with another story listed, Sonic's eyes scanning over it. They all decided to read this one to themselves, each one picturing it as Shadow's own vivid memory.

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Shadow, who usually was used to his self-boredom, just didn't feel he could take it today. He weakly sat hunched in front of the jail bars as his fingers mindlessly played with his chains. He appeared like when the three first saw him: weak, thin, and starved beyond reality. His face was gaunt and blank, while his eyes almost appeared to be dead. It was even worse than when they first met him. The bags under his eyes were as dark as the shadows in his cell, the hedgehog trying to find some way to entertain himself.

This was a usual day. He'd sit in the cell in silence, usually thinking to himself and trying to make good of the time he had. But when this is average, you crave anything out of the ordinary. Even though he hated all of them, sometimes he enjoyed when someone came down to see him. Though most of the time they were going to treat him like crap, at least he was able to communicate somehow.

That's why when the solid metal door had slid opened, Shadow had jumped at the sound. His ears perked and his shoulders lifted, shifting so he could see who it was. When he spotted a not too special solider just making his daily rounds, he grunted and departed from the front of the cell. He tucked himself nicely into the darkness in the back, the man stopping right in front of his cage. When Shadow looked him over, he could tell he was certainly new here. Not only that, but naive. The man struggled to see the infamous 'Ultimate Life Form', the only creature to reside in this prison for years.

As he did so, both of them were surprised when another man joined the basement. He seemed to smile at the sight of his fellow solider, striking up an easy conversation. Shadow rolled his eyes and wished they wouldn't talk here. That was the case until something shiny caught his eye. Creeping closer, he made sure he was silent so that the men wouldn't notice his presence. He continued forward until he reached the bars, finally seeing what was so enticing. It was the keys to his actual cell; this must of been the new guard duty. Oh, what a great job they were doing with their backs to him and laughing loud enough to drown any other sound.

Shadow's thin arm easily made it between the cracks of the bars, trying to reach the keys. They were only so far, but they were at an odd angle. There was no way the weak hedgehog was going to reach it, even if he tried. He frowned but as he looked away, something much better caught his eye. He examined it from his spot with a silence, knowing he could easily reach it. That object tucked away in the belt of the man was a gun; a semiautomatic pistol, to be exact. And the heavily dangerous piece of metal was calling to Shadow.

He strained as he reached for the man's gun, trying to be as quiet as possible. They still didn't notice, which was lucky for Shadow. The black hedgehog was on his shaking tipy-toes as he finally reached close enough, his body tight between the bars. He grabbed it as slowly as he could so he didn't bring any attention to his actions. It wasn't long until he finally took it in his hand, it strongly weighing down his palm down. He tucked it behind his back for both men were finishing up their conversation. The young man turned to Shadow in surprise after the other guard left, but then lowered to his knee with a smirk.

"So, you're the one that everyone talks about here..." he said softly, his cat-like grin growing wider. Shadow stared back at him with a serious face, awaiting his right moment. The man laughed a bit, raising an eyebrow. "You don't even look that scary."

It was at that moment Shadow pulled out the gun with all the speed he could muster, pointing directly at the young man's forehead. The once cocky soldier looked in fear and just then noticed a lighter weight on his belt, his heart dropping. It would be the last breath he took until he hit the floor in a heap, wishing he could have taken his words back. Shadow had dropped to the floor next to him and his heart raced; he was going to break free, no matter what. He searched the man and finally found the highly technical keys. They consisted of one small silver one, a card, and a larger bronze key. He looked at the lock to his door and saw it required much more than that. He decided to use the next best thing: once again, the pistol.

Shadow aimed towards the highly secure lock and shot right at it, short circuiting the powerful device. It popped with a bang and sizzled with now ruined wiring. There was a thick silence until an alarm system sounded, and the black hedgehog knew he had to get the hell out of there. He pushed open the door and didn't even hesitate to bathe in his achievement. He ran towards the solid steel door and saw the card scanner, removing the keys from behind his head quills. With one quick swipe he was out the door, clutching the keys in one hand and the gun in the other.

It didn't take long for the men to be alerted of his escape, rushing to bring him back down. Shadow was first approached at the opening of the large stairs from the basement, taking his gun out before any other could. He was so blessed to have such speed and he was using it to his advantage, aiming and firing to bring another man down. He leapt over him as he fell and continued forward as if it was nothing. It was a struggle to keep reminding himself that these people had made him suffer, that they made Maria suffer. This only drove him further as he lowered his brows, pushing himself more.

He skidded through the aisles as more and more men attempted to stop him, but Shadow kept shooting them down. One by one they'd slip to the ground, Shadow at the trigger end of the barrel. It was easy to say he had a natural aim; this wasn't surprising, judging he was the ultimate 'weapon'. He barely had to put any thought into his position when he stood tall and pulled the trigger, his own speed matching the bullet. He noticed he was running lower and lower on ammo and that he couldn't use it sparingly. He would grab anything he could find on the solider if he had the time, which included more ammunition. He barely remembered this facility and they had changed it around since the past fifty years, their technology getting much better.

In fact, they now had even more powerful robots! Some of them flew, some of them were seven feet high, and some were loaded with missiles. Shadow had tried his hardest to avoid these and had wasted many bullets trying to bring them down. The black hedgehog was good in his moves, barely faltering because of his weak condition. He remained powerful with his weapons, using both them and his body. He had kicked many men down to the ground, snapped their necks, and knocked the wind out of them with his moves. Shadow still had some flow.

He felt like he was going through a mess of hallways, each looking the same with an equal amount of men jumping out at him. At this rate, he'd drop from exhaustion or would be taken down by a large enough group. He had to find a way out. It was perfect timing when he found a large glowing sign saying 'EXIT' with an arrow pointing in the direction. Shadow took a deep breath as he picked up his speed down the long hallway, knowing the voices behind him were the men trying to get him. He was only seconds away from the doors and no one was in his way; they were all too busy either behind him or in the base somewhere else in search for the hedgehog. He pushed them open and took the deepest breath he could force, his lungs collecting the fresh air. He was officially out of the building, but not the premises. There was still a gate to jump.

When he got outside, he started to panic. They had to have something else waiting for him. His answer was found when he skidded to a stop, a huge brigade of men with guns in front of him. Shadow had long ago dropped his gun when he was completely ridden of bullets. He automatically turned to the left and ran towards the closest part of the gate, having to dodge every bullet they shot at him. He got scathed by one and he let out a hiss of pain, but he didn't stop. He didn't even clutch his shoulder as it bled, the other array of cuts from his romp tuning out the pain.

He automatically jumped up to the spokes of the gate, climbing as best as he could. His frail arms had clutched the metal and pulled him up, Shadow's face noticeably straining. It was at this point he wasn't sure if he was going to make it. Many of the men were recharging their weapons but some still shot, barely missing the escaping hedgehog. Some were climbing right after him, fighting to catch his ankle. But Shadow continued to push onwards to the point he reached the barb wires on the top. Shadow, not caring how sharp the little blades were, had climbed as high as he could, leapt over, and curled into a ball as he was midair. They just missed from sawing into him, but he got scratched a bit. Shadow amazingly landed on the ground and uncurled, taking off like a rocket.

Shadow had finally escaped, achieving his goal of freedom.

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Sonic knew he didn't have long after reading that piece on history. At this point, Shadow could of been anywhere. He tore away from Tails shed with a quick explanation to the other two to where he was going and then left without a trace. He didn't even bother going past the house when he ran towards the forest, having only the black hedgehog's safety in mind. But as he ran he was in deep thought, trying to process everything he just learned.

The blue hero was surprised he wasn't devastated by the killings Shadow made. It made him feel not only wrong, but confused. Why wasn't he deeply disturbed as he usually would be? Why wasn't he held back from trying to save his life? Sonic felt quite the opposite; he felt he needed to find him. Maybe it was to help save him because he was his friend, or because he felt it was justified. Was Shadow's murders in the name of his own justice? Or were they just like all killings: brutal and animalistic? Sonic could barely think about it when suddenly Amy Rose stepped in his way, the blue hedgehog skidding to a stop.

"Sonic! What is with all this military over here!?" she asked, looking unusually annoyed. The blue hedgehog just shrugged and walked past her; he honestly didn't have the time or patience at the moment.

"Amy, I can't talk. Shadow needs my help." was all he said, taking off without another glance at her. Amy turned to him and growled, calling out to him.

"Shadow...?! WHO THE HELL IS SHADOW!?" was all she screamed, until the valley went quiet of her echo.

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Sonic completely ignored her cry, continuing on his run to find the hedgehog. He had to remember to avoid GUN as much as possible, which would be a hard task. As he ran on his trail he had to flee a multiple amount of times, almost being caught by the military. They were invading the island completely and Sonic wouldn't be surprised if they knew he was running around. He swiftly tried to make his way through the most condensed areas, trying to remember which places they wouldn't think to look. He was coming up with nothing so far, which really concerned him. Where could Shadow be?

It was then he had a weird vibe. What if he was caught already? Sonic visibly paled as he slowed down, giving a sigh. He placed his hands on his knees as he tried to think. Where would be the last place to look...

The idea hit him like a rock on the head. Of course! Check GUN sources. He nodded as once again he took off, but much more quiet. Sonic now had to be on his guard, knowing the others were on theirs as well. He snuck towards one of their bases which was much smaller than their usual ones. It was most likely being re-located, which was strange; no one was in sight. Sonic continued to creep closer to the vehicle in front of him, which was alone in the area. He figured to start there first, since no one else seemed to be here. He took it step by step, making his way closer and closer until he finally opened the hatch door. He was very much relieved by what he saw, but not for long.

There was Shadow in the middle of the massive truck, with his back facing Sonic. The hero could see him visibly shaking, which couldn't of been a good sign. He slowly took a few steps forward as he hesitated, not knowing what else more to do.

"...Shadow?" was all he said, his voice a whisper. For some reason, this was the trigger to Shadow's explosive rage. Shadow turned to Sonic with a snarl, the quills on the back of his neck raised. He looked defensive as he stood in front of him, his eyes gleaming in a way Sonic never saw before. He licked at his fangs hungrily and this was the only beginning of his transformation.

Suddenly Shadow's quills were no longer black; they were slowly starting to lighten. The ebon of his coat was quickly fading to a whitish-gold, though his streaks remained. He bent over as if he was transforming into a beast, the chaos emeralds behind him being the source of his power. They glowed brightly almost with a buzz, giving the feeling that they'd burst with power. They raised into the air and circled the hedgehog all while Sonic watched in horror, knowing exactly what was happening. But the next thing that came was truly amazing, almost as a sign that it was the end of his change.

As Shadow stood powerful and tall in the glowing aura surrounding him, he felt a crack around his neck; the sound of metal snapping into two. As he looked down, he got his answer. Each link of the rusted chains were crumbling to bits and chunks, falling to the floor around him. He caught a few crumbs in his hand as the final debris rested on the ground, closing his palm around the fragments. When he opened his tough hands, one could see he shrunk the pieces to the smallest of dust. He gave a cocky smirk as he looked to Sonic before him with a sadistic look, ready to take on anything.

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I hope you liked it, and remember to comment!