It was a dark night in the jungle of the Mystic Ruins, which was quite normal due to the fact there are no lights there. The fireflies were out though, lighting up the forest in their own magical way. It was the perfect night for lovers but there were none to be found in the silent jungle. Even the explorers turned in for the night. Tonight, in the jungle, was still to be enjoyed though, by a special pair of best friends-and nighttime fishing.

"Oh, Froggy, What a beautiful night to fish." A big purple cat with a fishing rod said. The cat's name was Big. He carelessly knocked his rod up against the branches that stuck out from the path as he made his way to the river.

A green frog hopped up beside him, carefully evading Big's feet so he wouldn't get stepped on. He crocked in response and hopped ahead of Big, leading the way through the jungle.

"Lead the way to the 'Secret Spot', Froggy!" Big shouted. The 'Secret Spot' was the part of the river that flows into a tunnel before leaving the jungle area. (If you played Sonic Adventure DX, you'll know what I'm talking about. Almost all the places in this fanfic are from the game ^_^) It's the only way out of the jungle for the fish, so it is the perfect place to catch them unsuspected.

Froggy reached the 'Secret Spot' and perched himself on the lowest branch of the nearest tree. He had to be ready to cheer his friend on.

Big arrived and sat by the edge of the water. He cast his fishing rod into the water and positioned himself ready by sitting with his two feet out in front of him. Then, he waited.

Now, underneath the water, something strange was being carried with the current. It was big and black and it defiantly wasn't a fish. The fish swimming next to it eyed it before swimming ahead; it didn't seem to move at all. One fish bumped up against it, causing one of its hands to shift position so that you could see it was wearing a glove. As it neared the tunnel, a hook snagged its glove.

"I think I got something, Froggy! I'm gonna reel it in!" Big shouted. Froggy jumped up and down on the tree branch while Big stood up and reeled it. "Wow, this must be a big one!" Big tugged and tugged but he still couldn't lift the 'fish' out of the water. Then finally he tugged once more, using all this strength.

The 'fish' flew over his head along with the rod and landed behind him with a thud. Big didn't hear the usual sound of a fish flopping around. He turned around and saw the lump of black. "That's not a fishy." Big pointed out.

Froggy jumped from the tree branch to the black thing's side. He nudged it and crocked. "What is it, Froggy?" Big asked. He went over to it and turned it so he could see its face. "Hey, it's a hedgehog!"

Indeed it was. It was a black hedgehog with red streaks on the ends of his quills. He had white chest hair and big boots with holes on the bottom of them. (Remember, this is Big's description, ^_^;) He had gloves on with bracelets around them; one of the bracelets was missing.

Big cocked his head to one side and said, "This hedgehog is different from the one that saved you, Froggy. That one was blue and this one isn't." Big poked the hedgehog but it didn't move. "He doesn't look so good.I don't know how to take care of him. I know! We'll bring him to that place with other animals! What was it called again? Um.something with village in it.uh.oh yeah! Knothole Village. I heard blue hedgehog lives there. Maybe blue hedgehog will take care of black hedgehog there."

Big picked up the hedgehog and slung it over his back. "C'mon Froggy, It's not to far from here. Let's go!" With that, the three of them set out for an adventure, one of them not even knowing it.

@---------

"In conclusion, the Project: Shadow was a success. He saved the world from sure destruction but at the cost of his life. Still, his ultimate job on Earth is done and we can only hope he is happy where he is now." A white bat with sapphire eyes read from her paper. She slumped over her desk and groaned, "No matter how many times I try to finish this report for the President, the ending always comes out wrong. I'm not happy with it. Maybe it's because I don't want my ending to be true." She glanced at the report and threw it across the room. The papers scattered everywhere, making the room look like a tornado hit it.

"If I were to show this report to the team, I know it would make them only sadder. Especially Sonic." Rouge got up to look out her window. Bright stars filled the night sky; it was a beautiful sight to see. "Sonic is up there, on ARK. I don't know what he thinks he's going to find but I hope he'll come back happier.and soon. Amy is getting worried." Rouge sighed.

She went around her room and picked up all the scattered pieces of paper. She also noticed, out of boredom, how much her cleavage showed when she bent down. An image ran through Rouge's head of Knuckles blushing redder than his fur when he first saw her.*ahem*.stuff. She smiled to herself as she shuffled the papers together. "Maybe.maybe if I go visit Knuckles, I can write my report better. I haven't seen him since ARK anyway." Rouge said. "I don't know if he'll be happy to see me but it's worth a shot."

@-----

Knock, knock, knock. Silence.

KNOCK, Knock, knock.

"Ugh.who could that be.at this hour?" Mumbled a yellow mongoose with long, wavy purple hair. She got up from bed and blinked her forest green eyes a couple times before they came into focus. She slipped out of bed and went into her mother's room. "Mom, the door."

Her mother had the pillows in front of her face and ears, trying to block out the sound from the knocking. "Mina dear, could you get the door?"

"Yes, momma." Mina said. She left her mother's room and walked to the front of the hut, still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. She opened the door to see a humongous purple cat and a green frog. The cat had something held in his hands. Mina stepped out side the house, knowing the cat couldn't be invited in because he was too big to fit through the doorway.

The cat introduced himself, "I'm a cat.my name is Big." He looked down at the frog and said, "This is my friend Froggy."

"Nice to meet you, Big and Froggy. My name is Mina. What are you doing out at this hour?" Mina asked.

"You seem like nice girl. Can you take care of friend?" Big asked. He moved in big hands more towards Mina and opened them. Big held a male black and red hedgehog. He had a few burn marks that were now visibly clear as daylight approached and he was covered in water as if he just came out of a pool.

"Oh my god! What happened?" Mina asked, worry edged in her face.

"I found hedgehog when fishing. I caught him. I can't take care of him so I bring him to blue hedgehog. Do you know where blue hedgehog is?" Big asked.

"You mean Sonic? He hasn't been back for months. I think he also lives in Station Square. Don't worry though, I can take care of your friend until Sonic returns." Mina said. She took another look at the hedgehog and realized she did want to help him very much so.

"Great! Thank you, Mina!" Big said. He dropped the hedgehog into Mina's arms. Mina thought he was going to be heavy, but he was light as a feather. Big and Froggy turned to leave but then Big added, "I live in jungle in Mystic Ruins. Come visit with friend."

"Okay! Bye Big, Bye Froggy!" Mina shouted as they disappeared into the brush. She looked down at the black and red hedgehog in her arms and sighed, "How do I get myself into these things?"