Broken of Sanity

Warnings: contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else).

Disclaimer: I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of Prologue for more information.

Rating: Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already).

Summary: Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER.

Chapter 10: Follow the Blood Trail

The change in personality is immediately noticeable. For starters, Tails had expected his brother to talk nonstop for hours, catching up on everything he's missed. Instead, the mutated 'hog is almost as quiet as Shadow. Sure he responds to conversations but he sounds more tired, more beaten down.

Tails has also noticed that Sonic is clingy. Whenever he goes anywhere out of sight, sonic immediately freaks out and tries to get off the table. He had ripped out the IV numerous times, along with the heart monitor which had caused it to go haywire. Tails had almost had a stroke each time he heard the monitor, having expected the worse only to find Sonic struggling to get off the table yet again.

Sonic isn't in the best condition. He still has major injuries that have barely even begun to heal, and yet he's still trying to get up and walk around on his own. The most he can do is sit up, and even then that's a stretch with his broken ribs and all. So the fact that he freaks out so badly when the fox is out of sight is worrisome, to say the least.

It's early afternoon when Kylo shows up for his shift. Tails' ears twitch as he hears the familiar sound of the bell ringing, followed by the sloppy steps of the teenager as he makes his way into the back room.

Tails isn't the only one that noticed, however. Sonic has gone stock still, his eyes narrowing as he slowly sits up in a predatory fashion. He makes no noise, his ears perked forwards while he lifts his nose to the air, taking in the scent of the newcomer. And Tails knows there's going to be a problem by the way Sonic's quills immediately start brisling.

"Hey, Boss? You back here? The sigh was off so I wasn't sure if-" Kylo stops in the doorway, his face paling at the sight of Sonic.

Said hedgehog immediately begins growling, a feral noise ripping from his throat. Tails is sure that it would hurt if Sonic was in any other form, even his werehog form.

"Sonic, it's okay!" Tails quickly exclaims, rushing over from his work table when he sees Sonic slowly shift on the table. Even if Sonic has changed, he still knows his brother like no one else. He knows the signs when Sonic is defensive, angry, preparing to attack...he knows it all. And right now, despite his critical state, Tails is sure Sonic would take any chance he has to lunge at Kylo still frozen in the doorway.

"He's a human! Let me take care of him. I won't let him-"

"No, Sonic. You will do...none of what you're thinking about doing to him," Tails all but barks out, sky blue eyes unwavering. HE feels like their roles have changed, like he's the older brother bossing around his kid brother, telling him to do things the other doesn't want to do.

Of course, Sonic seldom ever told Tails what to do before, it was more harmless teasing than anything, but still.

"Do you not trust me?" Sonic asks, a flash of hurt blowing past his now widened emerald eyes. "I promise I'll-"

"What? No! Of course I trust you, Sonic." Tails exclaims, his hands shaking back and forth in a "no" manner as he holds his palms towards Sonic.

"So then...why won't you let me kill him? Why are you protecting him!?"

"K-kill me?" Kylo squeaks out, sounding a lot smaller than he is as he cowers in the doorway.

Tails sighs. Whatever happened to Sonic has clearly caused an extreme distrust verging on hate for humans. Just the sight of them can send Sonic on a crazed frenzy, apparently. It kind of reminds him of when Shadow had lost his memories.

"He's good. Remember when you would save the world for all these humans?" Tails asks, moving to block Sonic's sight of Kylo every time the lost hero would try to stare down the kid. "Everyone was nice to you then, right?"

Sonic doesn't respond. His green eyes are uneasy as he shifts, his quills still bristling, but at least he doesn't look like he's going to kill Kylo on sight anymore. Not the best improvement, but it's still a start, however small it may be.

"You have to remember that not everyone is bad. Whatever happened to you is wrong, and whoever did it are the bad ones. Kylo's just a kid, he would never think about hurting another living creature, let alone a plant."

"Y-yeah, what-what he said," Kylo speaks, but there is an obvious trembling in his voice. "I'm just working for Mr. Tails, honest."

"So, how about it? Will you leave him be?" Tails asks, giving a hopeful smile. Sonic glances to Kylo again and instead of blocking his view, Tails steps aside for Sonic to see him better.

A tense silence falls over the three as Sonic examines Kylo. Tails watches intensely, ready to step in if Sonic shows any more signs of aggression.

I"ll stay away from you, if that'll help." Kylo says hesitantly. HE doesn't sound as scared now tat his life isn't in any immediate danger from a rampaging mutant hedgehog, though he's still very clearly uneasy under the stare of intense emerald irises.

Sonic licks his chops, eyes darting to Tails before he looks back to Kylo again. "Away from me and you, Tails."

"No, Sonic. He's working for me, he kinda has to be around me. "Tails explains, exasperated. He somewhat wonders if the humans had messed around with Sonic's brain.

Sonic scoffs, leaning back though he doesn't look very pleased. "Fine."

"You promise you won't attack him?"

Sonic looks away, upper lip curling back with a sneer. "Yes."

"Good," Tails chirps, clapping his hands together with a bright smile. "Now that that's settled, I'd like to speak with you, Kylo, about business matters."

"Business matters?" Kylo frowns, glancing at Sonic. "Are you...firing me?"

"Chaos no, at least I hope not," Tails mumbles the last bit to himself as he makes his way over to where Kylo still stands. He pauses and looks over his shoulder, but he deadpans when he sees Sonic trying to stand once more. "Knock it off, Sonic. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Sonic pauses with a huff, frustration burning clearly in his eyes. He lowers himself back onto the table and lays down on his belly, his chin resting on his hands, much like a dog would.

'So dramatic, even now.' Tails muses before he turns back around and heads out to the main part of his shop, Kylo following close behind.

"Alright, so, if I'm not getting fired then-"

"We're probably going out of business." Tails bursts, surprising even himself. Kylo blinks, eyes widening. Tails clears his throat awkwardly before he tells Kylo the whole story about what had happened.

He explains that he failed to meet the deadline for the first time with Henry, how he got caught up with the whole Sonic situation and how he had missed the second deadline resulting in him losing his single most important customer and main source of income.

"Wow, so uh...then um..." Kylo trails off, shifting as he fiddles with his hands. "So...you'll have to fire me, then?"

"I don't want to. I want to say it'll be okay, I really, really do, but I...I don't-I know I'd be lying to myself and you. I was raised differently. I was raised to tell the truth but to also be hopeful. I just...I don't want to have false hope because then-because nothing happens." Tails says slowly, biting his lip as he looks away. "I don't...I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out, right?" Kylo asks, almost desperately as he runs a hand through his shaggy hair. "I mean, that's what you always do. Right? Just when things seem like they aren't working, you...you always save the day with some genius plan. Right?"

Tails sighs and turns around, desperately trying to hold himself together but fails miserably. He's flattered, and yet he can't help but feel guilty at the image of how he had been before things had changed. Before Sonic had disappeared. But now, no matter how hard he works, no matter how many elaborate schemes he somehow manages to come up with, in the end, he knows he'll fall flat from fulfilling his former title.

"Well, whatever happens, you'll always be a hero to me," Kylo says, resting a gentle hand on Tails' tense shoulder.

The young fox quickly whirls around, eyes bright as he looks up at Kylo who smiles back while saying, "even if it seems hopeless now, I know you and Sonic will pull through and save the world. It's just what you do."

Tails gives a shaky smile of his own. "Thanks, Kylo. That...that really means a lot to me. I needed to hear that."

"No problem, boss. I'm here if you ever just need someone to talk to." Kylo shyly scratches the back of his head, a lopsided grin taking place on his face. "Now, what do you want me to do?"

"Let's start by tidying up the shelves."

"Ugh, this is pointless!" Rouge shouts at no one in particular as she throws her arms up in the air. "What are we even doing anymore?"

Shadow only rolls his eyes in response, though he can't help but agree with her. He's leaning against a grimy brick wall in a gross dark alleyway. It's currently mid-afternoon and they've been searching for any sign of clues the whole goddamn day. He's starting to feel just as frustrated as Rouge. He's sure even Omega is starting to grow restless with the lack of information on their part.

"complaining won't do us any good," Shadow says half to himself as he pushes himself off the wall. He crosses his arms and walks over to where Rouge is standing. "Let's go. Maybe we-"

"Shadow, I am this close to packing up and going home." Rouge hisses, holding her index and thumb just centimeters apart. "I'm cold, my wings hurt, I miss Knuckles and Alabaster, I'm-"

"Shadow, I've spotted a blood trail on the next block over from your current location." Omega's robotic voice suddenly says through the communicator on Shadow's wrist. Rouge abruptly shuts up, her large ears perking forwards while interest brightens her teal eyes.

"Does it match the blood sample from the bullet?" Shadow asks, glancing at Rouge.

"Scanning data now," Omega says. The two mobians wait for a long three minutes before Omega speaks up again. "Scan complete. Processing...processing...the trail matches the blood sample from the bullet."

"Wait, seriously?" Rouge asks, eyes wide with surprise before her shoulders slump. "Why do I have a feeling this sounds easier than it'll actually be?"

"We're on our way Omega.' Shadow says, ignoring Rouge's statement as he looks at the map on his communicator for the signal from Omega.

He lowers into a running stance and says, "let's go Rouge, the faster we-"

"Can't I have at least five minutes? My wing are killing me!" She complains, her wings dropping limply behind her for an added emphasis to her words.

Shadow sighs with irritation. "The faster we get this done, the faster you'll be able to go home to your family."

"Oh fine," Rouge pouts while crossing her arms. A sly smile then grows on her plump lips as she says, "you sure have a way with words, Shadow. Careful, or you might just scoop me off my feet."

"Let's go."

"Fine, fine. Party killer. NO wonder no one at my bar likes you, you're always-"

And ita's at this pint when Shadow has had enough. He activates his jet shoes and shoots off, leaving Rouge to watch amusedly as he speeds off down the road and turns a corner out of sight.

He just wants to get this mission done and over with, not stand around and deal with Rouge's antics. Seriously, the world could be ending and Rouge would waste time by teasing everyone. OF course, she can be serious when needed, but she would never pass an opportunity to tease Shadow.

He can't think about it anymore, however, because he spots Omega in the distance as he turns the corner. IT's only seconds later when he slows to a graceful stop beside the towering robot.

"Rouge should be here soon," Shadow says, wiping nonexistent dust from his shoulder. "She said her wings were sore, so she might be a bit slow."

"Medical assistance to Agent Rouge is a top priority. Retrieving medical supplies-"

"No, no that isn't necessary." Shadow quickly says then pinches the bridge of his muzzle. "It isn't anything major, just sore muscles I think."

"Understood."

"Did you trace back the trail? Find where it came from?" Shadow asks as he crosses his arms and looks down at the dried splotches of blood painting the ground a brown crimson.

"Affirmative. The trail leads back to the forest outside the city from where we came from." Omega answers, somehow taking a formal tone to his robotic voice. "I thought it unnecessary to go any further than that."

"Fair enough. Let's-"

"Hey, boys!" Rouge suddenly calls, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Shadow looks up and watches unimpressed as the bat lands smoothly beside him, heels clicking against the scraggly pavement. "Miss me?"

"Took you long enough," Shadow grumbles, turning away. "Now that everyone's here we can find out where the trail leads to."

"Mission update: follow the blood trail," OMega says, beginning to walk after Shadow as the hedgehog starts walking down the sidewalk, following the trail. Rouge follows shortly after, pouting but thankfully quite as she jogs to catch up to Shadow. The Ultimate LIfeform isn't sure he'd be able to deal with Rouge's antics for the remainder of the day.

Shadow isn't sure how long they're following the old trail. He's surprised it's even still there to begin with, but then again this city is practically abandoned so he shouldn't be so surprised. He's just glad it hadn't rained since the night their target had escaped the laboratory or else they'd have nothing to go on.

The further they get, the bigger the splashes of dried blood get. It isn't long before they come to a huge puddle of blood right in front of a semi-dark alleyway. The only light comes from the flickering "open" sign at the end of the short alleyway.

"Well, this is sure something," Rouge comments, her hand resting against her hip as she examines the dried puddle of blood. "I wonder what happened here."

Shadow frowns and kneels beside Rouge, gingerly brushing a gloved hand over the ground. The shimmering of glass catches his attention and he carefully picks up a small shard about the size of the point of his index finger, just big enough for him to easily examine. He holds it in the palm of his hand and both him and Rouge examine the shimmering shard.

"There seems to have been a fight,' Shadow finally says as he drops the glass to the ground. Both he and Rouge stand up while Shadow wipes his hands together and looks to the other two. "I think we're close."

"Finally," Rouge sighs, a flash of exhaustion blocking her teasing facade. "I can't wait to go home and see-."

"Observation: the trail leads down the alleyway to the door. It would be wise to check it out." Omega says, earning an annoyed look from Rouge.

"Right," Shadow nods, "we'll check it out, then."

The trip all head down the dirty alleyway. Shadow has to keep from gagging at the putrid smell of rotting garbage and bodily fluids he doesn't want to think about. Though, he's one to bear his suffering silently. Rouge, on the other hand, is a whole other story.

"Ugh! This reeks!" She exclaims, her voice just below a shout as she pinches her nose with one hand while flicking her other hand. Even her eyes are watering as she says, "can't I just hang back and let you boys deal with it?"

"No, because I don't know what we're walking in to. We may need you, Rouge." Shadow snaps, coming to a stop in front of the door. "our target is very clearly injured, there's no telling what it could do if cornered. Obexians are seen more like wild animals than actual Mobians. And you know what happens when a wild animal is backed into a corner."

"Right."

Shadow carefully opens the door. He really shouldn't be as surprised as he is when he sees the lights inside the building on, along with a young human working on organizing the shelves not too far away.

"Oh, hello!" The human chirps at the sound of the bell. "Let me just finish up over here. Feel free to look around in the meantime!"

Shadow steps aside to give Rouge and Omega more room as they pile in front of the door. He then looks around the shop, sharp eyes looking for any sign of something being wrong.

The shop seems to be some kind of robotics place if the smell of oil and metal isn't a dead giveaway. Little robotic knick-knacks are littering the shelves almost haphazardly, almost as if the person that had thrown them on didn't have time to organize them. Had something happened? Other shelves look nicely organized with some just look...lazy.

Shadow's suspicion only grows when he sees a dark stain hidden below a bigger shelf. There are smaller splotches, black against the dark gray of the smooth floor. His eyes narrow, but he doesn't have a chance to talk with his team before the human walks over to them.

"Sorry about that," he says, eyes bright under shaggy hair. "We had a bit of uh...a problem a couple of days ago so we didn't have much time to tidy up for customers."

"A problem?" Rouge asks, raising a brow. "What kind?"

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it." He replies with the wave of a hand, though Shadow doesn't miss the quick flickering of eyes as the kid looks away. And as the biohog looks closer, he can easily see the nervousness dancing in his eyes along with the fiddling of the hands.

"So, what can I do for you?" The boy asks, eyes darting up to Omega. "Are you wanting some fine tunes for your friend here? It's an awesome model, by the way. A bit old, but-"

"Observation: you are unfit to work on fixing up the likes of me." Omega snaps. The teen jumps, excitement flooding his wide eyes.

"Woah! I haven't heard a robot like this talk in a long while! Where'd you get it from?"

"That's a long story that we don't have the time nor patience to go over," Shadow grumbles, cutting off Rouge before she can say anything about it. She glares and crosses her arms indignantly, though Shadow pays no mind.

"O-okay...so what do you have time for?" The boy asks, wringing his hands. Even though Shadow is shorter for the human, none of his intimidation is lost in the missing numbers as Shadow narrows his crimson eyes at the boy.

"Are you the owner?" Rouge asks, lightening the tenseness that falls over the group.

"Oh, uh, no, I'm just an employee. I can go get the boss if you want, he's in the back room."

"We'd love that, thank you, hun," Rouge says, her tone thickly sweet. Shadow takes a deep breath as he watches the kid skitter away, disappearing into the back room. Rouge then turns to Shadow, arms crossed just under her bust as she glares at the 'hog.

"You don't have to be so rude, you know."

"Simple friendly conversations are not of my concern. I just want to get this mission over with." Shadow snaps, turning so he doesn't have to deal with the glare in Rouge's teal eyes.

They wait in silence from then on, Shadow's eyes locked on the dark stain. He can see out of the corner of his eye Rouge is itching to say something more, though he could care less at the moment. It's just the way he does things, and he knows Rouge knows that. So why try scolding him when it won't even work?

But then Rouge gasps beside him and Shadow immediately looks up, eyes landing on the familiar fox walking from the backroom in front of the employee. Rouge's voice confirms Shadow's suspicions as she says, "Tails!?"