Akshi felt himself begin to shake, his telltale sign of falling apart. He couldn't have saved her, could he? Of all the ways she had to disappear, it had to be like this.

He clenched the feather in his fist. "It wasn't fair," he bitterly spat. "If those fiends hadn't trapped us like this, we would've—"

"Passed long ago," Rouge finished. "She would've wanted that, right? To pass away, like it should be?"

Akshi nodded. "I never wanted her to go like this. She traded her own life to save someone she barely knew."

"She's commendable for it, and I can only hope she's in a better place." Rouge tried to hold his hand, but he jerked it away.

"A better place? She faded from existence!" he said. "That's awful."

Rouge pursed her lips. "Is it better than being trapped forever? Or for her soul to have been taken? Who knows what the latter is like- it could be eternal torment for all I know."

Akshi breathed in, and then out. "I suppose this would be a worse position to be in. Even so, why did she have to be selfish and leave me?"

"Why would you want to be selfish and let her suffer further?" Rouge asked.

Akshi leaned and hugged Rouge tight, sniffling as his shaking intensified. "You're gonna hate me," he said.

"Why's that?" the bat replied.

"Because I'm falling apart over this. What kind of man would I be if—"

Rouge put a finger to his beak as she pulled back from his embrace. "Shh, none of that. It's okay to feel bad, I do it all the time. Even when it doesn't look like it."

Akshi took her hand and held it to his cheek. "I just don't want you to think I'm weak."

"You never were."

"I mean, I'm gonna fall apart over this," he said. "It's already coming."

"Strong doesn't mean you aren't brittle. Diamonds are strong and brittle, right?" Rouge asked.

"Yeah, that's…" He chuckled. "Of all the people in the world, you chose the one who can't come with you to the waking world."

"It isn't so bad, it just means I'll have a better reason to come and steal you away," she said.

"That's my girl," he said.

"Akshi," Rouge said.

"What?"

"Don't force yourself to stay together just so we can talk. I know that you're tired of holding it together, that you've been doing it since we spoke on the ARK." She gently gave him a short kiss and smiled. She took his hand and pulled the feather from it before carefully fastening it to his necklace. "Just let go."

Akshi nodded. "Tell Knuckles I'm sorry."

"What for? You do this all the time."

"Yeah, but I told him I wouldn't this time."

Rouge laughed. "That was setting yourself up, then."

Akshi punched her shoulder playfully. "Just hurry up and come find me already."

Rouge nodded. "See you soon. My apartment's always open."

She came in close and gave him a hug, and she felt as though she were hugging a cactus. It was painful, yes, but this was a dream- she'd simply wake up.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

The bat smiled. "I'm not gonna leave before you do. It's rude."

"Heh, you just—"

"Shh, just let it go."

A piece of him cracked and broke, clattering to the ground as he fell apart like pottery.

She breathed in, and then out, then woke. As she stood up, she saw that it was about 4 in the afternoon. She rubbed her eyes and opened her curtains before turning to make her bed.

She'd forgotten that she had brought the stone with her to her room when she'd last been awake. It laid there, dull but still unblackened…

...and split in two, diagonally. She hissed and put the pieces together, but found that it did nothing.

She shook her head. Poor Sonata. Poor Akshi.

Shadow. Right, she thought. Sonata did something to save Shadow. I've got to—"

Her phone began to buzz. She set the stone fragments down and picked it up. "This is Agent Rouge, to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"This is Agent Stone, Briggs and I are downtown. We need you at the extraction point."

"Whatever for?" she asked.

"How do I say this without sounding stupid?" he asked her. "Agent Shadow is coming down in a pod in critical condition, and it was triangulated to the park in the center of the city. Shouldn't be any collateral beyond the park walls, but we need you here ASAP."

"Alright, be there in five." She looked at the cracked gem as she hung up the phone and sighed. "Thank you, I wish I could repay you, somehow."

Shadow's breath was still shallow as Sylphic gathered pillows around him and Blue. They were descending to Earth fast, and the pod shook as the heat of atmospheric re-entry mounted. "What… are you doing?" he asked.

"Cushioning your fall," Sylphic said. "You two have a lower survival rate if your heads hit the ceiling of this thing." He looked at Blue. "I can't believe she got away from us like that."

Blue frowned. "I can't reach Retro with the Hivemind, either it's disconnected from me or Concerto is actively blocking communication from him." She sighed.

Sylphic nodded. "Are you injured at all? I'm not familiar with your biology but I could probably make something work."

Blue shook her head. "Our wounds heal fast and I can take heavy damage. But thank you anyway." She looked away for a second. "Listen, um… Sylphic, was it?"

"Yes?" the hybrid replied.

"About the one you're looking for, she…" the alien raised a hand to her chest, but Shadow brought his hand up to her wrist.

"Not now," Shadow said.

"Why not?" Syll said. "We have about 7 minutes before impact."

"I want you to meet with her when the situation isn't so dire," Shadow explained. "A surprise, no peeking."

Sylphic nodded. "I see."

Sonic stared out into space. "This space ride seems a lot more inviting now that I'm not threatened by getting blown up," he said. "If you were ever up for it, Syll, I'd be game for you to launch me again."

The black hedgehog shifted uncomfortably before pulling out bits of a broken shell from beneath him. "What's this?"

Sylphic frowned. "Hey, pick those up."

Blue frowned, but eyed the hybrid before speaking. "It looks like it's broken."

"It belonged to Maria," Sylphic said. "She got it from her grandfather years ago." As he received the last piece, he pulled out the Sapphire and put the pieces of the shell into the pouch in his belt. "I need better storage space."

"You have another one?" Blue asked. "Is it dangerous?"

Sonic frowned and squirmed a bit at the sight of it.

Sylphic shook his head. "She's not dangerous, just… frightened. She did a very bad thing in the past and she can't undo it. But… when I fused with her I saw something I didn't expect."

"What's that?" Blue asked.

"She was crying." Sylphic paused. "She was crying for the one she had hurt. I don't think her motives are like Concerto at all, if that makes sense."

"So she's sorry," Sonic said. He looked down at Shadow and grimly pursed his lips. His rival was out like a light and sleeping like a baby. "I dunno how well you can trust her."

"Trust is something individual, Sonic," the hybrid said. "You can't generalize how her sisters behaved to her."

"Why not? More than one of 'em has shown how awful they can be." Sonic looked away. "They…"

Sylphic furrowed as Sonic held a hand to his chest and began breathing more shallow than before. A silvery ridge formed along the hedgehog's waterline. The hybrid pulled out his canteen and offered it.

Sonic quickly grabbed it and took a long swig. "Th-thanks," he said, handing it back just as quickly.

"Are you… okay?" Blue asked. "You seem troubled."

Sonic laughed and raised his hands, palms facing out. "Relax, it's fine," he said. "Nothing stops this 'hog."

Syll felt the shaking of the pod intensify. "Alright, everybody get ready, it's gonna be a rough landing."

Shadow's eyes fluttered open. His body ached like an old seafaring vessel, as though he were creaking and cracking, ready to fall apart. He heard the gentle beep of an EKG next to him, and the flip of a magazine from the opposite side.

He turned his head. Sonic was sitting in the chair, still in the wrong body and glancing through the pages of filmy paper. His visage was all the indication Shadow needed to conclude that he was still swapped. "Darn," he muttered.

Sonic folded the magazine and cracked a grin. "You're awake," he said. "Glad to see you're still kickin'."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "And leave you like that? Please, who do you take me for?" he said. As he attempted a slight chuckle, he hissed and sharply inhaled before clutching his ribs. As he coughed, a few dried flakes of blood came out onto the blanket and settled like morbid snowflakes.

Sonic stood up. "Don't move too much, pal- you're still healing over."

Shadow was about to speak when he noticed a needle in Sonic's left arm. "What is… what is that?"

"Well, look down at your arm, too- he's got us tied up," Sonic said. He pressed a button on a nearby machine. "If you were having any serious issues, he said I should be giving you a dose."

Shadow sighed. "Where is he now?"

"I dunno," Sonic said. He played a bit with his fingers as he sat back down. "He said he had to go meet Rouge somewhere and return the Sapphire." He paused as he seemed to recall something before shifting his weight towards a table and grabbing a small white square. "Here," he said, handing Shadow what appeared to be a small folded sheet of paper. "He figured he'd write it out for you."

Shadow furrowed. "What would he have to tell me?"

"I dunno, but apparently he didn't trust it to come from me, so…" Sonic trailed off.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "You're… speaking softer than usual, you know. What happened?"

Sonic was quiet and seemed to be staring at the tiles on the floor.

"Hmph," Shadow said, opening the folded sheet.

"Shadow, I'm returning the Sapphire to Nyx. I know you want to leave your bed, but your wounds aren't going to be closed until I return. I'm sorry about taking so long to get to the observation deck.

"I thought I lost you."

Shadow could see the letters wavering a bit. It was clear that the medic had a hard time holding the pen as he wrote those words.

Blue is currently under protection from G.U.N. while they sort out legalities. I made my case with them yesterday, and if all fares well, you should be hearing back from them through Rouge."

Shadow's breath became a bit shallow. Blue was under custody? He didn't doubt that strings couldn't be pulled, but the little alien was a child- she had to have some guardianship.

"Oh, right- Rouge told us she'd be dropping off the Garnet there as well, but she said it was broken. I'm not sure what that means, but… if it can't be repaired, it's likely that you two will just have to get used to being each other."

Shadow grimaced. After a call that close, he wasn't sure exactly how much danger he could put himself into. Not to mention that G.U.N. would have a field day about this fiasco. That is, if he would still be considered an agent like this. He shifted his legs- they felt like lead.

"I'm sorry if that news isn't uplifting, but I'm going to do my best to find a way to reverse it. Whatever it takes, it'll get done. Please don't get out of bed while I'm away- I still have to run tests to make sure you aren't tumble-prone."

There wasn't any conclusion to the letter, it just cut off there. Impersonal, just as Shadow had expected, and yet still more hollow than he'd imagined. Perhaps it was the sinking realization that he was now trapped in a different body with no current means of escape. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew of Blue's identity and was not able to go and see her himself. Or perhaps it was something simply off about the room.

He looked over at Sonic, who was showing him a resting face that he'd only ever spotted in a mirror before.

"You know, you're getting better at looking like me," he said. "Well, you know for-"

"It's not funny, Shadow," Sonic muttered. His teeth were almost clenched.

"Pardon?"

"It's not funny," Sonic said. His words were sharper and more audible than before. "It's not funny what happened to me. What happened to you…"

Shadow furrowed. "What are you talking about? Nothing happened, I'm fine."

"You weren't fine, not then." Sonic looked away. "Look at how Syll responded. He was practically on the verge of going back to how he was last summer."

"But… he didn't." Shadow shook his head. "What's gotten into you?"

"Oh, I don't know," Sonic said. "How about the fact that I watched you die right in front of me?"

Shadow paused. He knew what he wanted to say, and he realized there wasn't a delicate way to ask. "Didn't Concerto-"

"No!" Sonic yelled. He clutched the edges of his chair but continued to avoid eye contact. "She didn't knock me out. She made me watch the whole thing. And it…" He began to shake. "Why did she have to make it feel so good?" he whispered.

Shadow rolled a bit, hissing as he settled on his side. He wasn't sure where to begin- he'd never seen his rival like this. He'd always seen Sonic with a smile or a determined look. Occasionally, the blue blur would be upset. But Shadow had never seen him horrified.

"You didn't have control over what she did to you, did you?" Shadow asked.

"I tried to stop it, but it was like I was being force-fed something I love. It was that feeling from before all over again," Sonic said. "I don't know why, but at that moment I felt like I was... justified. It's...sick. Bad sick."

Shadow pursed his lips. "You enjoyed the suffering."

"Yeah," Sonic said, still shaking. "Yeah, I did. And that's only part of why I'm so bent out of shape. I never wanna feel like that. I don't feel like that, not ever- it hurts to hurt good people."

"What else has you concerned?"

Sonic stayed quiet for a moment, flicking his eyes back and forth. He was playing with his thumbs. "I…" He frowned as he held a hand to his chest. "I-I…" He reached around for the can of soda he had nearby and took a long series of gulps. After a gasp for air, he spoke again.

"When I saw how Syll reacted, I kept wondering how many times I've worried my friends. I mean, I pull dangerous stunts all the time. I could get myself killed out there," Sonic said.

Shadow shook his head. "This isn't like you at all, Sonic. Caution? You've considered it a stranger since I met you."

Sonic frowned. "Shadz, I don't want my friends to worry about me. I don't want them to slow down just for me. I don't want them to have to rely on me if I'm unable to help."

"You've never been beyond your capability to help. Granted, your means of helping is usually not the most elegant or diplomatic solution, but I'm under the impression that that's just how you are." Shadow sighed. "Name one instance where someone has voiced that they were worried about you."

"What about when you and Egghead set me into space?" he said. "What about that?"

Shadow's ears folded. "Oh yeah… that."

"I was terrified," Sonic said. "But I had to do something. I had to try to make it work."

"And why did it work, exactly?" Shadow asked. "I'm still stumped. There's legitimately no way someone like you could have mastered even the crudest form of Chaos Control so quickly, much less what you managed. So why?"

"Because I wanted my friends to not worry about me," Sonic replied. "Because I told myself it had to work."

Shadow didn't know how to respond at first. Was he really so worried about being a beacon? About being a light in the darkness? Perhaps he'd been one for so long he just got used to it and didn't think about a safety net for himself. The grimmer hedgehog sighed, knowing well he was in no position to comment- often he felt the same need to charge headfirst without consideration of his teammates' feelings.

Shadow put a hand out. "You have my word."

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked, glancing down at his rival's hand. His lip curled a bit.

Shadow thought for a moment. "You're going to ask me to keep it a secret, to not talk about it with any of your friends. To keep it between us."

Sonic paused. "I mean, that's what I want, yeah, but…"

"Look, I don't find much about you honorable. You're flighty, you're impulsive, and you're reckless." Shadow paused. "Heck, you can be downright destructive when you're bored, and the thought of you using that destructive power is actually kinda scary."

"Gee, real motivational," Sonic said, crossing his arms.

"...but if there's one thing I've been pleasantly surprised to see from you these past couple of years, it's the maturity you've shown in your loyalties. I would go to the ends of the Earth for my friends, but I know I can only do so much."

Sonic looked up at him.

"For a teenager, you are surprisingly principled. Where I would limit myself and set boundaries, you'd sprint past them like they were tape at a finishing line. You don't draw the line at helping, you do everything to shoulder their burden with them." Shadow paused and looked at the analog clock above Syll's workstation.

Sonic nodded. "I want to be there for my friends, but how am I supposed to help them without endangering myself?"

"You can't," Shadow replied plainly. "That's the risk you take to help your friends. And you know they'd do the same."

"Yeah, but they're sorting through their own stuff too. I mean, Tails finally telling me, all this stuff about you and your friend…"

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "You would go beyond for any of them. There was only one person who could push me that far, and if it weren't for this mess we're in, I never would have heard from her again." He put his open hand closer. "So while everyone else has a Sonic to look after them, you need a Sonic, too. And I might not be Sonic, but I'm…"

"You're…?" Sonic said, raising an eyebrow.

"This doesn't leave this room, not ever," Shadow said. "I'm not you, but I'm close enough. And that's why I'm willing to let you sort this out as surreptitiously as you'd like. That's why I'm offering what I am- because your loyalty to your friends is the one thing I'm… proud of you for." He knew he was forcing the words, but he meant every single one. "You helped me get my friend back, it's only fair that I help you keep yours."

Sonic looked at him. "I wish it didn't have to stay in this room."

"I know, but if I respect you enough to not burden your friends with things you must work out, you better respect my boundary as well," Shadow said. He moved his still-open hand and tilted his head. "So are we in agreement?"

Sonic was hesitant, looking around the room. Perhaps he was looking for cameras, or for some sort of taping device. Or perhaps he was simply making sure they were truly alone. As he reached forward for the other's hand, Shadow felt a strange sick feeling overcoming him, but Sonic didn't seem fazed at all.

Sonic's hand locked firmly in the crook of Shadow's, and as the heat of their skin under their gloves intermingled, something returned stronger than before. Shadow's vision blurred for an instant, and as everything came back into focus, he was staring at the blue blur laying in the hospital bed. Their hands were still locked, until Sonic pulled away and hissed.

"Geez, you really got me messed up," Sonic said, holding his chest. "At this rate you're gonna get me killed."

Shadow, for the first time in a while, felt a strange glow brush the tops of his cheeks. His lip didn't just twitch upwards, it seemed to move freely up into a smile. "Heh, guess you lucked out this time," he replied.

Sonic smiled back. "There it is."

"What?" Shadow asked.

"The smile I wanted to see."