Clash of Ultimates

Disclaimer: You all know the drill.

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Lilac sinks farther and farther. The Emerald shard around her neck seems to have formed some kind of shield to protect her, but it is also draining her energy. Soon, she will be no more. When she opens her eyes, she can see a black shape coming toward her. But her mind is on something else.

//How deep did he make this thing?// Lilac wonders.

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Sonic watches in horror as Shadow jumps down into the moat. For a moment, no one moves. Tails goes over to the side.

"Why aren't those piranhas going after him?" he wonders out loud.

"Those things?" Eggman asks. "I got rid of most of them. They eat too much. The ones that are left are probably going after Lilac." The group looks at him.

"You don't care about her at all, do you?" Amy says. Eggman doesn't even flinch. Amy looks back over the side. Knuckles is still holding the plate with the Emeralds.

"Hey Sonic, what do I do with these?" he asks. Sonic goes over to him and takes the Emerald with the piece missing. He then goes back over to the side. No one moves or says anything. Sonic takes a deep breath, and throws the Emerald down into the moat.

"Shadow, I hope this will help you." He says. The group then turns to deal with Eggman.

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Shadow swims down as fast as he can. He can see a faint glow further down. It takes him a moment, but he finally realizes what it is. Lilac's Emerald shard. He pours on the gas. If that thing is taking her power, he may not have much time.

"Ouch!" He turns to see a couple of piranhas nipping at his shoes. He does a quick buzzsaw and throws them up onto the shore. He happens to be facing up when he sees an Emerald floating down toward him. He snatches it and looks back down. Lilac is further away, and it looks like the shield is fading. The glow isn't as bright as it had been.

//I hope this works underwater// Shadow thinks. He then uses Chaos Control to rush down to Lilac.

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Lilac doesn't even try to swim up. Her energy is almost gone. The shield which protected her is almost nothing now. She looks up and sees something racing toward her.

"Shadow......" She says. Then she closes her eyes and waits for the end.

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Sonic and Knuckles have pretty effectively tied up Eggman. Now they just have to decide what to do with him. Amy is looking over the side for any sign of Shadow or Lilac.

"I have an idea." Rouge finally says. "Sonic, why don't you stay here in case Shadow comes back up while we are gone." Sonic nods. Knuckles, Rouge and Tails drag Eggman down into the fortress. Sonic goes over to the side next to Amy.

"Anything yet?" he asks. Amy just shakes her head. Sonic looks down. "Come on Shade, hurry back......."

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Shadow finally reaches Lilac. He quickly grabs her. When she doesn't respond, he tries to wake her up. He takes the Emerald and reunites it with the shard on Lilac's neck. Immediately a shield surrounds both of them. The Emerald glows brightly, and so does Lilac. After a moment, the glow on Lilac stops, but the Emerald's doesn't. Shadow starts slowly carrying her up to the surface. When they are about half-way up, Lilac starts to stir. Shadow stops moving for a moment. Lilac opens her eyes. She just stares at Shadow for a moment. Shadow doesn't budge. Neither of them say anything.

"Why?" Lilac finally says. Shadow smiles.

"Why not?" he counters. Lilac gives a small smile, then just leans against him. Shadow starts carrying her up again.

"Thank you," she says, "Shadow." Shadow almost goes into shock. She actually called him by his name instead of just saying prototype. It is only a few more moments before they reach the surface. The shield collapses when they go onto dry land.

"SHADE!" Shadow looks around. He looks up at the top of the fortress. Sonic is standing there waving his arms. He jumps down and lands in the moat. He quickly gets over to where Shadow and Lilac are. Amy is screaming at Sonic for leaving her up there. The others emerge a moment later. Knuckles and Rouge glide down, while Tails carries Amy. Lilac is lying on the ground, still weak from the energy drain.

"Are you all right?" Knuckles asks Shadow. Shadow nods. Rouge is kneeling next to Lilac.

"Is there a reason she has to lie wet in the cold?" she asks the guys. Shadow goes over and lifts Lilac up.

"Time to go home." Sonic says. Amy looks at them.

"Hey Knuckles, what did you do with Eggman?" she asks. Knuckles and Rouge smile.

"Let's just say he will have a lot of time to himself." Knuckles says. The group laughs, then they head over to Knuckles house.

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**At Knux's**

"I still don't see why you refuse to go to my house." Sonic complains again. Shadow lays Lilac down on the couch. Rouge comes in with a blanket and a couple of pillows. When she is comfortable, Rouge decides to go join the argument. Shadow grabs a chair and sits by Lilac.

"You OK?" he asks. Lilac smiles.

"You never did tell me why you came after me." She says. Shadow gets confused.

"What do you mean?" Lilac looks up at him.

"Let's see, I stole an Emerald from you, I nailed you a few times, I kidnapped Amy, need anything else?" Shadow shakes his head.

"You saved Amy from that cannon, and Eggman was using you. I think that is forgivable." Lilac smiles again.

"So now what?" she asks. Shadow sighs.

"Now, you get better and get your strength back." He says. Lilac closes her eyes.

"Thank you, Shadow." She says.