What? Another Sonic fanfic? Eh... I'm kind of in love with this universe. Call me strange. I hope I do this justice. I do not own any rights to the Sonic universe, comics, books, movies, tv shows, video games, none of it. Enjoy!

Wishful thinking, rumors and sheer, bloody, indomitable persistence can, at times, yield unbelievable results. Sonic approached the site of the third meteor strike he'd heard of in as many weeks with the same air of hopelessness that he had with the first two. If he didn't allow himself to believe that this was the one, his hopes couldn't get dashed, or that's what he told himself anyway.

This strike had long since gone cold as it was the most recent after the ARK incident, going back about four weeks ago. Sonic had only just learned of this particular strike because he'd had to travel almost all the way through the eastern continent before he'd even heard any whispers of a possible meteor strike in the area. Following some very imprecise directions from a friendly passerby who'd spoken English and actually seen the blazing star fall, Sonic finally found it after resorting to using search patterns to cover the ground of the most likely areas. Even with his speed it had been a pain, especially with the slightly mountainous terrain.

Now he stared down into the crater, which was about fourteen feet in diameter and showing some signs of wear and tear from the recent rains. There was even a small puddle of mud at the bottom where it hadn't dried out completely. He spotted a lump at the edge of where the mud started. The meteor itself perhaps? Shouldn't it have been centered…?

Sonic couldn't help it as his heart began to race. He slid down the slope, doing his best to avoid getting his shoes stuck in the mud. Fortunately, the ground was still solid enough around the lump, even if it was still pretty damp. The lump didn't gain a whole lot more definition, even up close. If this was Shadow, he was being awful still…

Lowering himself down into a squat to keep his knees out of the mud, Sonic cautiously poked the meteor with a stick, but it was so completely covered in mud, that it was impossible to tell if there was flesh underneath or rock or possibly even… more mud. With a great sigh, Sonic took off his gloves and stowed them away in his pack before squatting back down to truly investigate the mystery lump.

It was about the right size for his upper body, if his legs were still in the bottom of the crater beneath the majority of the mud. That, and Sonic knew, if he wasn't thorough, it would bother him until he couldn't stand it anymore anyway, and he'd be back here at an ungodly hour of the night to immerse himself elbow deep in mud to satisfy his conscience and dying hope. Better to get it over with now.

He set a bare hand gently on the slightly crusted over lump as if it truly was Shadow, and gingerly began to flake away at the drying dirt, the mud coming away in clods and clumps until he began to encounter very fine, short, roots, or was this grass? It was too dark to be roots. Wait… what was plant matter doing in the middle of a meteor impact site?

Sonic's heart tried to climb into his mouth. He abandoned caution for speed as he began to pry frantically at the surrounding mud, tearing it away and hurling the chunks with no consideration for his surroundings. His efforts began to reveal more and more fur and quills, and even a triangle shaped ear.

Sonic's stomach turned over. It was him. It was really him. He'd found Shadow! Sonic abruptly stopped digging as his spirits plummeted at a thought. This impact sight had been here for almost four whole weeks, which means… Shadow had been stuck in this hole, with no food or drinkable water, exposed to the elements for all that time. There was simply no way… Had he been too hurt to move?

The hero closed his eyes and let his head hang with renewed grief. This was why Sonic never liked the down time that came with being injured. If he'd been out sooner, searching, then maybe…

Sonic opened his eyes again, focusing on that little mud covered ear. Should he just bury him here or- no. Shadow deserved a hero's send off and a dignified place to rest. The hedgehog's heart gave a pulse of pain and dread. He wasn't sure he wanted to see what lay beneath the dirt. Did he really have the strength to continue unearthing this broken body? This hurt on so many levels. This was the one hedgehog who could have been his match, who could have challenged him and pushed him to greater heights, and now he was gone.

It was more than that, though…

What little Sonic had learned about him was heartbreaking. The implications of what his childhood had been were absolutely chilling, and the one friend who had stood by him through it all had been murdered before his eyes. This was a hedgehog with a will of iron and a quiet, somewhat vengeful, but actually kind of shy personality, and the heart of a hero. Of anyone who deserved a chance to see what it was like to be treated as an equal, no belittling, no experiments, no cruelty, it was Shadow. Now that chance was gone.

"Don't worry Shadow," Sonic said, trying to speak past them lump in his throat even as his vision blurred with tears. "I've b-been to a lot of places on Mobius. I know th-the perfect place you can r-rest."

Sonic let the tears fall, because dammit! There was nobody here to see the hero of Mobius cry. He had every right to a few tears.

He placed a gentle hand on that dark head in a moment of respect and gave a watery smile when that little ear flicked weakly at the touch…

Wait…

WAIT. Hold the ever loving phone, and just a freaking second!

Sonic very deliberately poked that ear again and was rewarded with another weak twitch.

"Chaos, Shadow, I think I believe that about the ultimate life form thing now," Sonic sobbed, laughing a little at the same time.

He began digging again and discovered Shadow's face. The black and red (currently brown) hedgehog had been somewhat on his side, halfway rolled onto his belly, and he'd managed to keep his airways clear by protecting his face with his arms. Sonic's mouth went dry when he considered the amount of misery Shadow must have suffered. It took ten minutes of digging to expose Shadow's chest and back, but he was still up to his hips in mud.

Sonic had abandoned all efforts to stay clean and was about as caked in the stuff as Shadow was. The fact that he was fully above ground was the only advantage he could claim. His arms and back ached from the strain and Sonic quickly discovered that pulling the other hedgehog out of the mud pit was not an option. Then he remembered the chaos emerald he had stashed away in his backpack for emergencies and reached for it with a cry of relief.

He didn't hesitate for long over where to go. Sonic had many bolt holes around the world where he could go in case he got injured, or needed to get away from Amy, or a myriad other reasons. His favorite hidey hole also just happened to be nearby. The Dragon Kingdom was a beautiful country and densely forested. No one would look twice at a small hunter's cabin deep in the woods. Sonic placed a gentle hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"Chaos control!" Sonic shouted.

They materialized on the cabin floor and Sonic was relieved to see that they'd left the majority of the mud behind. That being said… Shadow was still coated, and dripping.

Sonic tore himself away from Shadow's side with great reluctance as he set to work turning on the electricity and checking to make sure the water heater was working. Nights were starting to get cold as autumn truly began to pick up speed, so he turned on the furnace as well. There were some canned goods in the pantry, but most important was the fully equipped first aid station he maintained here.

Once he was sure the water was hot, Sonic started a bath. He suspected he'd be using a lot of water. Shadow was still on the floor where he'd left him, and Sonic gently began to scoop him up, lips twitching a little at the idea of holding Shadow in a princess carry. Not that it turned out to be easy. Shadow was heavy when he wasn't weighed down by seven layers of mud.

Sonic staggered into the bathroom, narrowly avoiding banging that dark head on the doorway as he went. He didn't wait for the bathtub to fill. His arms were already tired and he knew he'd end up dropping Shadow if he didn't set him down right away. Sonic wasn't sure how much water he ended up using, he also wasn't sure when he also ended up in the bath either. It was just easier to handle Shadow if he wasn't at arm's length. They were both clean now, even the white patch of fluff on Shadow's chest was looking pristine again as it usually did.

Sonic pulled the plug on the bath hauled himself out of the tub briefly toweling himself off as he let the water drain. He gave Shadow another glance over and cringed. The hero had his work cut out for him. Shadow was covered in burns that had been filled with grit and pebbles from his rough reunion with the earth. Chaos knew how long it would take to locate and pick all the grains of sand out of the burns.

Emptying the linen closet, Sonic covered the bed in towels and rags to protect the mattress from blood or other fluids, then he returned to the bathroom for Shadow who was now high and dry. Sonic was a little relieved to see him starting to shiver. It meant he could still respond to outside stimulus. Sonic groaned with effort as he lifted Shadow yet again and fervently hoped this would be the last time he would have to for a while.

Arranging him comfortably on the bed and using a few towels as temporary blankets, Sonic began to dab at that black fur with another towel to dry him off. Once Shadow was no longer dripping, Sonic got to work with a pair of tweezers and forceps, removing sand and pebbles, disinfecting the raw flesh as he went.

Sonic was used to blood and it would have been a fairly easy if slightly repetitive job, but Shadow kept making little sounds of discontent and pain as Sonic was forced to pry loose the larger pebbles. The process took hours, and by the time he was finished, the pile of pebbles and sand Sonic had collected was impressive even by the blue daredevil's standards. At least that part was over.

Shadow looked a little like a mummy beneath the towels, but none of the bleeding wounds were exposed to the air anymore. Sonic decided it was time for proper bed sheets and blankets. Luckily, he'd volunteered in the Freedom Fighter's infirmary often enough that he was almost as practiced at changing sheets with a patient still in the bed as the regular nurses were. Soon, Shadow was looking far more comfortable in a properly made bed, almost disappearing beneath the pile of blankets and pillows Sonic had inflicted on him.

It was fully dark out at this point, and Sonic had been forced to turn on the lights in order to work. Looking at Shadow all snug and comfy in bed made the blue hedgehog want to give up and join him, but there was still more to do. He couldn't let the excitement and effort of the day catch up with him quite yet.

Sonic briefly regretted designing the cabin with separate rooms as he stepped out into the kitchen. The crusted dirt on the floor where Shadow had rested briefly had Sonic cringing and he took a moment to break it apart and sweep up the vast majority of it. He could deal with the rest in the morning.

There were a few cans of chicken soup in the pantry. Sonic figured he could strain out the noodles and give Shadow the broth only to start. It took forever for the soup to heat up and Sonic was left to think as he absently stirred the pot. He had no idea how long it would take Shadow to recover now that he'd found him. Honestly, it was kind of impulsive of Sonic to bring him here and not to oh say a proper hospital… And yet, somehow, Sonic did not think Shadow would be thankful if he'd been admitted somewhere.

Even after Sonic had given Shadow a nice speech to the public, telling of his heroic deeds at the end, the public still did not regard his dark counterpart with a friendly eye. That was perfectly understandable he supposed, but of all the villains to 'turn over a new leaf,' Sonic believed it in Shadow. Grief was a powerful thing to contend with, but Shadow's heroism had shown through in the end. It had never truly been stamped out of him, even given his circumstances.

At last the soup was hot, and Sonic separated out some of the broth into a bowl. Shadow hadn't moved an inch Sonic noted as he got back into the bedroom. Setting the soup on the nightstand, Sonic gently eased Shadow upright, propping him up with pillows so he wouldn't choke on the liquid. Then came the tiring task of spooning tiny amounts of the soup into his mouth and making sure he swallowed.

Sonic wasn't actually too sure how much to give him, so he stopped after about a cup of the liquid had made it into Shadow's stomach. Taking some of the soup for himself, Sonic did a little bit of clean up and decided to call it a night. Feeling sore and drained after the day he'd just had, Sonic decided that Shadow could put up with sharing a bed this time, plus he could be close if anything went wrong.

Turning off the last light in the house, Sonic snuggled into the blankets enjoying some sweet relief from his aching back. He was clean and dry with a full belly and in one of the safest places on Mobius due to the fact that maybe three people even knew it existed. Even his spirit was calm having gained total closure from the ARK adventure. Turns out, everybody lived after all. It was the best sleep he'd had in months.