The sun had risen over Shrine Isle as Shadow's eyes cracked open. He let out a small groan as his eyes fell upon Tikal.

Memories began to flood to him of last night: her soft skin and fur, her gentle scent, the curves of her body underneath her clothes, the rotating tenderness and roughness of her kiss. He remembered her silhouette in the shadowy moonlight, her fingers in his quills, the gasps she took when she broke from their kisses.

His crimson gaze studied her. The smooth curves of her face in the morning sunlight. Shadow gingerly brushed a dread over her shoulder, his eyes fixated on her face.

She groaned in her sleep, shifting slightly. Tikal's brow tensed for a moment, her eyes opening sleepily. And with a second's breath, she spoke:

"Did you actually meant you loved me?"

Without hesitation, he nodded.

And in the second's silence, she brought herself closer to him, so close it made him quake. And that afternoon, while waiting for Knuckles and Rouge to return from GUN, Shadow and Tikal sat side by side not as guardian and agent, or sinner and saint; but as lovers.

Questions came and went: who was Maria, how did you get trapped inside with Chaos, why didn't you break free, could you not stay? Did you mean everything you had said?

"We cannot be together. It would simply not work." Shadow said, how voice low as his hand inched to hers.

"I understand." Tikal murmured, her voice lowered with sadness as she pulled the blanket closer to herself. "I am not blind to reality. I grow weaker everyday."

Her eyes flickered to his gaze. "But you mean what you say? You will try for me?" She said, her eyes welling with tears. "I... You mean os much to me and I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Shadow stayed silent. From his spot, he rose. "Let's go for a walk to Mystic Ruins." He suggested lowly. "See the Temple for the last time."

Tikal followed him. The two moved lazily through the ruins, through the thick heat of the jungle, with the truth and reality looming over them. That Tikal was about to be sealed away, and Shadow would not have the time to visit her.

Such is the way of playing peacemaker.

Little words were exchanged, only mere glances and sighs. It was a final silence and solace before the inevitable end that would both befall them. In the bright sunlight, the afternoon's glow, they approached the Temple of Order and Shadow saw Tikal's eyes glimmer with tears. The last time she would see her home for gods-know how long.

In the same way he had listened to her speak of their long-lost gods, when they first met, he stared at her with such interest and sincerity as she cried. She clutched his hand tightly and wept, for a lost future, for a stolen past, for an existence.

And when she had whispered her final goodbyes to the Temple of Order, Tikal looked to Shadow. "I'm ready." She had whispered as the sun began to disappear behind the massive Temple.

Shadow gripped a Chaos Spear in his hand, hers in the other, and illuminating the tunnel that he and Tikal traveled through. They were both silent, the only noises being their footsteps and their breaths, both synced in time. But this silence wasn't awkward, no. It was the silence you'd hear before thunder crashed: how everything sounds so quiet and seems to be frozen in time.

As they neared the ruins, Tikal's grip on his hand tightened. She was not nervous: she'd been released and sealed away before, but this time it was different.

Before, she'd only had to say goodbye to Knuckles. And even then, it wasn't really a goodbye, for she could still communicate with him via his connection to the Master Emerald. But this time, she'd be saying farewell to Shadow. His connection to Chaos energy was strong, yes; but if he wanted to see her in a physical projection, it could only be through the Master Emerald. And from observation, she could tell Shadow and Knuckles didn't get along well.

She felt Shadow squeeze back on her hand, her eyes wandering to it. The door to Shrine Isle stood before them. This was it. The end.

She had assumed their goodbye would be more romantic, more sensitive. She thought she would be in tears. She thought he'd let down that icy facade for a moment. She thought they'd kiss and time would freeze.

But it didn't. She wasn't crying. He wasn't confessing his love for her in sonnets. And they certainly weren't in the situation of a lip lock. They only made contact through their interlocked hands. She wanted to bridge this gap. She wanted more than this lame goodbye. But she ran the risk of catching him off guard, or worse: hurting herself. For what if he was caught off guard? What if he didn't want her affection. He had said he loved her last night, and confirmed it earlier that day, but he was finicky.

But she was ready to take that chance. If this was the last time she was going to be alone with him, her soul mate, she wanted it to be more than a sideways glance in a darkened tunnel.

Tikal pulled him close to her, wrapping her arms around his frame. Her hand gripped his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Tikal let out a shaky sigh.

"I suppose this it." She murmured.

Shadow's arms were lax. He didn't touch her at all. He wasn't interested at all. "Yes." He stated.

The echidna's breath wavered. She pulled away from him, letting out another sigh. Her lips curved into a gentle smile, beaming at him.

Shadow wordlessly opened his hand, the Chaos Spear disappearing. Darkness took over as Tikal heard the stone doors groan open.

Nightlight filled the tunnel as they emerged from it. The sun had set upon Shrine Isle, bathing the Altar in starlight. In the distance stood two figures at the top of the Altar, one red and one white. The two could be hear yelling from almost a mile away.

Tikal transformed into her pink ball of light and zipped away from the stone doors. She flew over the bridge and hurried up the Altar's steps.

"I can't believe he would take her away from Shrine Isle was I explicitly-!" The echidna rumbled as Tikal zipped around him three times. "WHOA! Hey Tikal, calm down!"

The bat rested a hand on her hip as she smirked. "And look who's here too," She purred as Shadow rushed along the bridge.

The hedgehog climbed the steps of the Master Emerald, his gaze narrowing and his arms crossing. Rouge sauntered over to him, smirking as Tikal materialized from her pink ball of light.

"What did we miss out on?" Shadow asked, his voice low and gravelly.

"Ol' Knuckie over here was just complaining on how you took the Firefly away after he called." Rouge said as she smirked at Knuckles.

The echidna scowled as he crossed his arms and glanced away. "Well I thought your mission was to protect my island..." He muttered.

Tikal playfully batted Knuckles' arm. "Oh Guardian, Chaos was on watch the entire time while we were gone. And besides, I wanted to see the Temple one last time before I went away again." She said. A few bubbles formed on the surface of the water surrounding the Shrine. Tikal giggled as she shook her head, supposedly hearing Chaos speak.

Rouge smirked, making a sly comment about 'hearing things'. The Guardian shot a glare at her before turning back to his ancestor.

"We've got every last shard," He said, holding the sack which held them. "Are you ready to be sealed away, Tikal?"

The orange echidna nodded as she gently whistled for Chaos. The water god slipped out of one of pools, trailed below Rouge's feet, eliciting a screech from the bat. She clambered away as Knuckles smirked and chuckled. The water god formed into its proper stature, causing Rouge to leer back.

Tikal smiled at her companion as she gently nodded to the Guardian.

Knuckles produced the shards he and Rouge had collected. His violet gaze turned to Shadow, who clutched the leather bag of his and Tikal's shards.

The hedgehog shot a glare towards Knuckles. "Might I have a moment with her?"

"WHAT?!" The echidna screeched. A confused expression crossed his ancestor's face. "Absolutely not! Angel Island must be return to the sky as soon as possible! It's a matter of security, and who knows what could happen?!"

"I reiterate, Guardian. I'd like to have a word with Tikal."

Tikal's hands knotted into tiny fists, wandering up to her gold necklace. She gripped it tightly as Knuckles and Shadow had an intense stare down.

"And what are you going to do if Eggman swoops in and carpet bombs Mystic Ruins?" Knuckles asked, poking Shadow in the chest.

The hedgehog brushed Knuckles' hand away. He glowered at the echidna. "There's one expert spy, the ultimate life form, a god, an ageless spirit and the supposed guardian of this isle. What do you figure we do, Knuckles?" He retorted.

"I'm this close to grabbing you by the spines and dropping you into the sea."

"I survived a thousand foot fall from space, if you forgot."

"And you thought you were a robot."

"You were fooled by the Doctor more than once."

"And you almost allowed your supposed friends to be consumed by ali—"

Rouge slid between the two, pushing both boys back by the chest. "Cool it you two." She said. She turned to the echidna, taking him by the shoulder. "C'mon Knuckles. Give Shadow a minute with firefly over here."

The echidna didn't budge easily, but as Rouge began to descend the steps of the Altar, Knuckles followed in suit. His violet eyes pierced Shadow as he muttered something under his breath. Chaos took notice and respectively disappeared into his pool of water.

After the treasure hunters were out of earshot, Tikal let out a shaky sigh. "Why... Why did you do that?" She asked. "I thought we'd said goodbye."

The hedgehog's gaze met hers. He approached her, gently taking her arm. His touch traced her hand, up her forearm and cradled her neck. He stayed quiet for a moment, shutting his eyes. "I wasn't prepared." He said.

"Shadow, stop toying with my heart." She said. The echidna pushed his hand away, albeit with force.

"I—"

"First you make me think you're interested in me, then when I try and get closer, you push me away! And when I think I'm the last person you want to be around, you up and kiss me!" She said. Her voice grew louder. Her hands balled into fists. "When we were here last night, and I told you I loved you, you said you loved me too! And today at the Temple, when I asked you if you meant it, you brushed me off! Do you have any idea how painful and freaking confusing that is?"

The hedgehog stayed silent as Tikal squared up to him. Her blue gaze narrowed, glassy with the threat of tears. She took a deep, rocky breath. "And now, you want to say goodbye to me because you realize that I'm leaving for possibly ever?" She demanded.

Shadow didn't meet her gaze. She shook her head. "I believe love exists in even the darkest, most selfish and vile of people. But I guess it doesn't exist in you." She mumbled.

His crimson gaze opened, searing against hers. She stood her ground, not moving an inch. "Tikal." He said.

"What?" She snapped.

"I'm afraid." He confessed.

Her anger faded. Her eyes searched his. "W-What do you mean?" She retained her wall of security, making sure to hold back from leaping back right into his arms.

"I've only ever had someone like you in my life one other time. And she was taken from me." He explained. His eyes shut again. "I couldn't do anything for her before, and I cannot do anything for you right now. The same thing is happening again, and I don't know how to stop it."

Tikal's anger softened as his eyes met hers again. His gaze was softer this time, more tender. "I'm afraid to lose the one good thing I've had in a long time. The reason why I pushed you away before is because I realized that we can never be together. I wanted to stop myself from growing attached to you. But I couldn't." His hand wandered to her face, gently caressing her muzzle. She shut her eyes, tears dotting her lower lids. She shook her head, lurching forwards and meeting his lips.

He doubled back towards the edge of the Altar. Tikal broke her lips from his, and clutched him tight with all her strength. He teetered on the edge, the only thing keeping him from falling off was her firm footing and tight grasp. "Shadow, I don't ever want you to forget me. Promise me that you'll never forget me. Please." She whispered.

His hands found her waist, gripping her just as tight. "I promise." He whispered in return.

Tikal sighed before letting her lips meet Shadow's again. His hands moved to her dreads, gently running his hand over them before sliding down to the small of her back.

"Hey Shadsy! You almost done? Knuckie's getting anxious!" Rouge called. The guardian made a loud and annoyed retort, gaining a laugh from the spy.

The two parted, Shadow rolling his eyes as Tikal let out a small giggle. "Another minute!" He called back before turning back to Tikal.

She gave him a warm smile, her eyes rid of any sadness or worry. She held something in her hands. While he'd been calling to Rouge, she'd removed the blue cuff around her left wrist. "Here." She said, taking his hand and placing the cuff inside it. "Just so don't forget that promise."

The hedgehog removed his left Inhibitor Ring. He handed it to her. "I wouldn't dare." He said as Tikal sadly smiled and clipped on her new ring. Shadow slid his cuff on, tightening his fist. He felt a build up of Chaos Energy within his left hand now. And because of this, it would become the hand he would hold his Chaos Spears in.

With one more long, passionate kiss, the two parted, returning to their former positions. Knuckles shot a glare at Shadow. The hedgehog handed the leather satchel of shards over, to which the echidna snatched greedily.

"Bout time..." He muttered as he approached the Master Emerald. Chaos materialized beside Tikal, the watery god letting out a roar of impatience.

Knuckles set out every shard on the ground before snatching them up and tossing them into the air.

Shadow turned and left, descending the stairs. He could hear Knuckles saying that ancient mantra: "The servers are the seven chaos..."

He could also hear Rouge call after him, asking him where he was going, but the hedgehog didn't listen. He sped across the bridge and to the doors leading to Mystic Ruins.

He briefly turned around, seeing a bright flash of green light engulf the altar, following by a deafening sound. Swallowed in green, the ground shook with tremors. Shadow watched as Angel Island raised from the sea and began to rise high into the air. And as the light faded away, Shadow saw that Tikal had disappeared as quickly as she had arrived.

The hedgehog glanced down to his band, clutching it tight with his right hand. He let out a brief chuckle before watching the island raise into the sky. A small smile crossed his lips.

"Promises are forever." He whispered.

The End.

A/N:

There's a full authors note on my fic blog, roraruu tumblr com. Happy anniversary peacemaker.

For DarkBlaze14.