Disclaimer: Sonic The Hedgehog and all related characters are copyright to
SEGA.
Athair the Echidna was originally copyright to Sonic Archie Comics and
Sonic Underground. I changed him a lot, but they still get credit.
Lemon the Echidna, Tenchi the Hedgehog and all related characters that
don't belong to SEGA belong to me, Zeldafreak-Vikki and my friend, Alyssa
the Bat!
Okie, it's been awhile, hasn't it? First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Second of all, my excuse for not updating lies within the fact I renewed my site (Purpleanime, click on my name to see it and you can get info on when I update too) and I started a manga. The reason I'm telling this is because two of the main characters just happen to be Shadow and Tenchi (Tenchi being his own person). The thing is that these comics take more than TEN HOURS to make on Photoshop. Big ouch. I was up New Year's Eve all the way into the New Year making that first page. Once I finally finished it, I realized I had a fanfic to continue. Of course, then I got sick, missed three days of school AND I'm moving. ARGH! (and let's not forget Sonic Heroes) :p So, a big sorry for those who have been waiting and THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!! (I'm never gonna stop saying that!) And now, Chapter 19!
CHAPTER NINETEEN - WHO DO YOU LOVE?
'Athair's going to visit Arthur tonight... This might be a good opportunity...'
"Hey, Shadow!"
'I'll just go upstairs, lock the door...'
"Shadow?"
'Maybe go find that knife...'
"SHADOW!"
Shadow gasped as he snapped out of it. Those voices had been bothering him again! He blinked a few times, feeling dizzy, and managed to look up and see Sonic standing there, looking concerned.
"Hey, man, are you okay?" asked the blue hedgehog.
Shadow nodded and pulled the key out of the doorknob, locking up the café for the night. He put the keys away and sighed shakily, suddenly feeling sick.
Sonic touched Shadow's shoulder, noticing his friend's face had turned very white.
"Hey, what's the matter? You look a little pale."
Shadow shrugged as if he didn't notice, although he was feeling worse and worse by the second.
"Just tired," he said. "Athair's been keepin' me up."
"Hm..." Sonic wasn't so sure. "Well, since Athair's out, do you wanna come over? Besides, Lemon's there."
One of Shadow's ears twitched in annoyance at the taunt.
"Sonic, for the last time..."
As Shadow and Sonic began to bicker at each-other, Arashi watched from a few feet away, leaning back against the outer wall of the café, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Arashi? Arashi!" called Maria's voice in his ear.
'What is it?' replied Arashi telepathically.
"Matt looked you all up on radar," she said, sounding worried. "Yami stopped at your apartment and is headed for the Northern Mountains!"
Arashi blinked. 'Why would he go to our apartment? I keep the Chaos Emerald with me.'
"I don't know but he was there for only a few minutes and I think he took something or someone, we can't really tell from here!"
Arashi cursed and looked towards Sonic and Shadow.
"Sonic!"
Sonic looked up in time to see Arashi run at full-speed and grab his hand. Before he knew what was happening, he was being pulled along towards their apartment. Shadow followed close behind, running at medium speed. Sonic managed to find his feet and came up next to Arashi, who was just a bit slower than him.
"Dad! What're you doing?!" he yelled.
"Something's not right..." mumbled Arashi, not knowing how to explain how a human in his ear was giving him information.
They got to the apartment and Arashi slammed the door open, running in. Sonic followed and his eyes widened when he saw Amy lying by the wall, knocked out. Shadow followed suit, worry blocking out his terrible thoughts.
"Amy!" he yelled, running to her. "Amy!!! Amy, wake up!" He gripped her by the shoulders and shook her gently. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, looking up at him.
"Sonic... sorry..." she whimpered, still disoriented from the hard impact to her head. "H-He got her..."
"Who're you talking about?" he asked, feeling a sense of panic coming on.
"Lemon," replied Arashi, looking to where the window was still open. "Yami has Lemon."
Arashi would never have guessed how much of an impact those three words had on Shadow in that one moment. His red eyes widened as he started forward, worry the size of the ARK coming down on him.
"Lemon?!" he exclaimed, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. "Are you sure?!"
Arashi nodded. "I knew Yami would try something like this."
"How the hell can you be so calm?!" yelled Shadow, looking like an angry ghost. "We gotta go save her!"
"Shadow, don't be so reckless," said Arashi, keeping calm. "We can't just run in there and fight someone as powerful as Yami! He's much stronger than any of us while he and Starr are connected!"
"I can beat him!" said Shadow. "He has six of the emeralds, right? If I bring the seventh..."
Arashi shook his head, cutting him off. "No way," he said firmly. "Sonic told me what happened last time you tried that! Your body can't tolerate that kind of power! It'll kill you!"
"So what!" yelled Shadow. "He'll kill her if I don't go!"
"You don't even know that for sure!" retorted Arashi, starting to become angry. "You'll play right into his hands if you go to him with the last Chaos Emerald!"
Shadow growled and began to fight back. Sonic and Amy watched, amazed. Amy let a small smile play on her lips as she fully sat up, beginning to feel better.
"Go after her."
Arashi and Shadow stopped and looked to her, Arashi looking surprised.
"What did you say, Amy?" asked the older hedgehog.
Amy smiled. "Go after her, Shadow."
Shadow blinked in shock, then allowed himself a little grin. Amy obviously understood how he felt. He looked to Arashi, who reluctantly handed over the Chaos Emerald, looking both confused and angry.
"They're headed for the Northern Mountains," he said stiffly. "You're being very foolish, Shadow, but I cannot stop you."
Shadow ignored his last remark and headed for the open window. He looked to Sonic and Amy one last time, then jumped out into the darkness. Arashi shook his head as he watched the black hedgehog go.
"Why would he risk his own life over one girl?" he asked, bewildered.
"It's called love, Arashi," replied Amy, still smiling. Sonic simply blushed as he helped her up, deciding not to comment.
Outside, Shadow ran faster and faster, gaining speed. After his scars had fully healed, Rouge hadn't been certain if he'd ever be able to run again. So for the past few months, he had been forced to walk and only run for short distances. And he had to admit, that one time he had run through that desert for half the night, his scarred legs had ached horribly afterwards. But now that Lemon needed him, he didn't hold back.
"Let's hope you were wrong, Rouge."
***
Lemon groaned as she came to. The first thing she noticed was the wind howling in her ears, which didn't help the headache pounding in her head. Neither did the crunching footsteps heading towards her...
Wait. Crunching footsteps?!
Lemon opened her eyes and gasped, sitting up. She was in the middle of a blizzard! She stared around as the thick snowflakes rained down around her, then looked down at herself. She was sitting there in her pyjamas, which was basically a white tank top and a small pair of black shorts she usually wore to bed. And the shocking thing was that she was warm.
Breathing slowly and deeply to keep herself from screaming at the top of her lungs, Lemon stood up, feeling her red legs shaking in shock. That strange echidna had hit her so hard! One hand over the bump on her head, she looked all around and as her vision fully returned, she began to realize that the snow was pink. But not just the snow; everything.
"I'm trapped!" she exclaimed. The yellow echidna yelled and quickly rammed her shoulder into the strange pink wall that was before her. It was like a big sphere surrounding her. A prison. She backed away and tried again. And this time, it made her realize that her fingers were broken.
"Owwww!!" She leaned back against the hard yet warm wall and slid down the wall, collapsing. Why did she feel so weak?!
"Hello."
Lemon blinked and looked up. Floating there just outside of the sphere was the ghastly little Starr, her white fur making her practically invisible against the snow. Lemon bared her fangs as she stood up, glaring.
"You!" she growled, her anger flaring up. "What's happening to me?!"
Starr's sadness deepened. "I have your mind under my control..."
There was a small silence as Lemon raised an eyeridge. "Uh huh... Alright, kid, quit foolin'. Just what-"
Starr shook her head and raised on hand towards the older echidna. Almost immediately, Lemon gasped as images of different people she knew appeared around her. She stared around at them as they surrounded her, then looked back to the strange ghost before her.
"Wh-What is this?!" she demanded.
Sonic, Knuckles, Tails...
"I have extracted these people from your memories..." replied Starr, speaking as if she were a robot.
Rouge, Athair, Amy...
"You have no right looking into my mind, you little freak!" yelled Lemon, shaking with fear and embarrassment. "Those are MY thoughts, not yours!"
Starr paused, her eyes showing how confused she was. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. "But Yami said it would be okay..."
"It's not okay!" said Lemon, shaking her head. "That's invading my privacy! Whoever this Yami guy is, he was wrong!"
Starr blinked. "But my big brother is never wrong..." Her little white lips began to tremble as the big voice in her head began to argue.
[Starr... Don't listen to Yami...]
'But I must!' she thought. 'I must listen to big brother...'
[But he wants to kill Shadow! Listen to the girl! She knows him, I promise. Go on and ask her.]
Starr blinked. Whoever that voice was was really smart! But was it right?
"Miss Lemon?" she asked, coming in closer, her quills swirling around as Lemon's thoughts circled the two of them. "Who is the one you love?"
Lemon blinked. She had never been asked anything so critical in her entire life! She paused, then took a deep breath.
"Well... I guess I like...I like..." She growled as she tried to get it out. Why did this have to be so hard?! She clenched her teeth, hesitated, then blurted it out.
"I Like Tenchi!"
"Tenchi? Who's that?!"
Both girls gasped and looked up to see Yami standing there, stepping towards them. Lemon glared and tried to conceal how weak she felt. She couldn't let this creep see that. "None of your business!" she snapped, her blue eyes glinting.
Yami chuckled, his blank face sending shivers down Lemon's spine. "Well, I'm afraid it must be, Miss Echidna. Starr, show me who this 'Tenchi' is."
"'Kay, Yami!" replied Starr, happy to help. She lifted a single finger and an image of Tenchi came up, making Lemon blush deeply.
"What a strange-looking hedgehog," commented Yami, his tone cold and insulting. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the one that Jigoku reported to us not too long ago, isn't it, Starr?"
"Looks like it," squeaked Starr, staring.
Yami couldn't help but laugh as he brought up another image, this one from his own mind. Lemon watched as the image came up right in front of her. She squinted her eyes and recognized it as her grandfather's new roommate. Oh! What was his name again?
"Shadow the Hedgehog," said Yami, unknowingly answering her question. "Last time I saw him, he was being imprisoned by the GUN soldiers. I've just learned he befriended some old 'friends'. Now, Miss Lemon, watch closely."
Lemon's eyes followed the image of Shadow as it floated towards the nearby image of Tenchi. Lemon gasped as they merged into one, pointing out all of the similarities between the two.
"Th-That can't be!" she stuttered, having never even considered the possibility. "Tenchi was blind and acted nothing like that Shadow guy!"
Yami shook his head. "If I'm right, something big happened to Shadow. An accident of some sort that caused his body to restart. Almost like you would restart a computer. This would have caused him to lose all memories, almost all color and a few senses."
Lemon blinked. "H-His fur was white..." She felt her chest heave as she remembered to breathe. "Oh my God..."
Starr watched as Lemon collapsed to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks. For a few seconds, she almost felt sorry for this girl. But Yami said she should not get involved. And she should listen to Yami. Right?
"Ha ha ha! Now you see! In fact, Shadow's headed straight for us but I highly doubt he will survive the blizzard! No project could survive extreme weather after being restarted!"
Project? Oh yes, Amy had explained how Sonic had come from some sort of space colony. That must be where the others were from too! Lemon leaned back away from Yami, against the sphere's wall.
"You must really hate him," said Lemon, feeling both very tired and very angry. "But I can promise you he'll come! Tenchi never broke his promises and neither will Shadow!"
"Hmph!" replied Yami, raiding an eyeridge. "Those are big words for a little girl like you!"
Lemon felt herself shiver as Yami's terrible voice stabbed her in the chest. Was her bluff really true?
'Please come... Shadow...'
Author's Note: I just wanted to say SORRY again for this being so late! I feel really guilty but I hope this chapter makes up for that. Expect a nice big fight in Chappie 20. ;)
Okie, it's been awhile, hasn't it? First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Second of all, my excuse for not updating lies within the fact I renewed my site (Purpleanime, click on my name to see it and you can get info on when I update too) and I started a manga. The reason I'm telling this is because two of the main characters just happen to be Shadow and Tenchi (Tenchi being his own person). The thing is that these comics take more than TEN HOURS to make on Photoshop. Big ouch. I was up New Year's Eve all the way into the New Year making that first page. Once I finally finished it, I realized I had a fanfic to continue. Of course, then I got sick, missed three days of school AND I'm moving. ARGH! (and let's not forget Sonic Heroes) :p So, a big sorry for those who have been waiting and THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!! (I'm never gonna stop saying that!) And now, Chapter 19!
CHAPTER NINETEEN - WHO DO YOU LOVE?
'Athair's going to visit Arthur tonight... This might be a good opportunity...'
"Hey, Shadow!"
'I'll just go upstairs, lock the door...'
"Shadow?"
'Maybe go find that knife...'
"SHADOW!"
Shadow gasped as he snapped out of it. Those voices had been bothering him again! He blinked a few times, feeling dizzy, and managed to look up and see Sonic standing there, looking concerned.
"Hey, man, are you okay?" asked the blue hedgehog.
Shadow nodded and pulled the key out of the doorknob, locking up the café for the night. He put the keys away and sighed shakily, suddenly feeling sick.
Sonic touched Shadow's shoulder, noticing his friend's face had turned very white.
"Hey, what's the matter? You look a little pale."
Shadow shrugged as if he didn't notice, although he was feeling worse and worse by the second.
"Just tired," he said. "Athair's been keepin' me up."
"Hm..." Sonic wasn't so sure. "Well, since Athair's out, do you wanna come over? Besides, Lemon's there."
One of Shadow's ears twitched in annoyance at the taunt.
"Sonic, for the last time..."
As Shadow and Sonic began to bicker at each-other, Arashi watched from a few feet away, leaning back against the outer wall of the café, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Arashi? Arashi!" called Maria's voice in his ear.
'What is it?' replied Arashi telepathically.
"Matt looked you all up on radar," she said, sounding worried. "Yami stopped at your apartment and is headed for the Northern Mountains!"
Arashi blinked. 'Why would he go to our apartment? I keep the Chaos Emerald with me.'
"I don't know but he was there for only a few minutes and I think he took something or someone, we can't really tell from here!"
Arashi cursed and looked towards Sonic and Shadow.
"Sonic!"
Sonic looked up in time to see Arashi run at full-speed and grab his hand. Before he knew what was happening, he was being pulled along towards their apartment. Shadow followed close behind, running at medium speed. Sonic managed to find his feet and came up next to Arashi, who was just a bit slower than him.
"Dad! What're you doing?!" he yelled.
"Something's not right..." mumbled Arashi, not knowing how to explain how a human in his ear was giving him information.
They got to the apartment and Arashi slammed the door open, running in. Sonic followed and his eyes widened when he saw Amy lying by the wall, knocked out. Shadow followed suit, worry blocking out his terrible thoughts.
"Amy!" he yelled, running to her. "Amy!!! Amy, wake up!" He gripped her by the shoulders and shook her gently. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, looking up at him.
"Sonic... sorry..." she whimpered, still disoriented from the hard impact to her head. "H-He got her..."
"Who're you talking about?" he asked, feeling a sense of panic coming on.
"Lemon," replied Arashi, looking to where the window was still open. "Yami has Lemon."
Arashi would never have guessed how much of an impact those three words had on Shadow in that one moment. His red eyes widened as he started forward, worry the size of the ARK coming down on him.
"Lemon?!" he exclaimed, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. "Are you sure?!"
Arashi nodded. "I knew Yami would try something like this."
"How the hell can you be so calm?!" yelled Shadow, looking like an angry ghost. "We gotta go save her!"
"Shadow, don't be so reckless," said Arashi, keeping calm. "We can't just run in there and fight someone as powerful as Yami! He's much stronger than any of us while he and Starr are connected!"
"I can beat him!" said Shadow. "He has six of the emeralds, right? If I bring the seventh..."
Arashi shook his head, cutting him off. "No way," he said firmly. "Sonic told me what happened last time you tried that! Your body can't tolerate that kind of power! It'll kill you!"
"So what!" yelled Shadow. "He'll kill her if I don't go!"
"You don't even know that for sure!" retorted Arashi, starting to become angry. "You'll play right into his hands if you go to him with the last Chaos Emerald!"
Shadow growled and began to fight back. Sonic and Amy watched, amazed. Amy let a small smile play on her lips as she fully sat up, beginning to feel better.
"Go after her."
Arashi and Shadow stopped and looked to her, Arashi looking surprised.
"What did you say, Amy?" asked the older hedgehog.
Amy smiled. "Go after her, Shadow."
Shadow blinked in shock, then allowed himself a little grin. Amy obviously understood how he felt. He looked to Arashi, who reluctantly handed over the Chaos Emerald, looking both confused and angry.
"They're headed for the Northern Mountains," he said stiffly. "You're being very foolish, Shadow, but I cannot stop you."
Shadow ignored his last remark and headed for the open window. He looked to Sonic and Amy one last time, then jumped out into the darkness. Arashi shook his head as he watched the black hedgehog go.
"Why would he risk his own life over one girl?" he asked, bewildered.
"It's called love, Arashi," replied Amy, still smiling. Sonic simply blushed as he helped her up, deciding not to comment.
Outside, Shadow ran faster and faster, gaining speed. After his scars had fully healed, Rouge hadn't been certain if he'd ever be able to run again. So for the past few months, he had been forced to walk and only run for short distances. And he had to admit, that one time he had run through that desert for half the night, his scarred legs had ached horribly afterwards. But now that Lemon needed him, he didn't hold back.
"Let's hope you were wrong, Rouge."
***
Lemon groaned as she came to. The first thing she noticed was the wind howling in her ears, which didn't help the headache pounding in her head. Neither did the crunching footsteps heading towards her...
Wait. Crunching footsteps?!
Lemon opened her eyes and gasped, sitting up. She was in the middle of a blizzard! She stared around as the thick snowflakes rained down around her, then looked down at herself. She was sitting there in her pyjamas, which was basically a white tank top and a small pair of black shorts she usually wore to bed. And the shocking thing was that she was warm.
Breathing slowly and deeply to keep herself from screaming at the top of her lungs, Lemon stood up, feeling her red legs shaking in shock. That strange echidna had hit her so hard! One hand over the bump on her head, she looked all around and as her vision fully returned, she began to realize that the snow was pink. But not just the snow; everything.
"I'm trapped!" she exclaimed. The yellow echidna yelled and quickly rammed her shoulder into the strange pink wall that was before her. It was like a big sphere surrounding her. A prison. She backed away and tried again. And this time, it made her realize that her fingers were broken.
"Owwww!!" She leaned back against the hard yet warm wall and slid down the wall, collapsing. Why did she feel so weak?!
"Hello."
Lemon blinked and looked up. Floating there just outside of the sphere was the ghastly little Starr, her white fur making her practically invisible against the snow. Lemon bared her fangs as she stood up, glaring.
"You!" she growled, her anger flaring up. "What's happening to me?!"
Starr's sadness deepened. "I have your mind under my control..."
There was a small silence as Lemon raised an eyeridge. "Uh huh... Alright, kid, quit foolin'. Just what-"
Starr shook her head and raised on hand towards the older echidna. Almost immediately, Lemon gasped as images of different people she knew appeared around her. She stared around at them as they surrounded her, then looked back to the strange ghost before her.
"Wh-What is this?!" she demanded.
Sonic, Knuckles, Tails...
"I have extracted these people from your memories..." replied Starr, speaking as if she were a robot.
Rouge, Athair, Amy...
"You have no right looking into my mind, you little freak!" yelled Lemon, shaking with fear and embarrassment. "Those are MY thoughts, not yours!"
Starr paused, her eyes showing how confused she was. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. "But Yami said it would be okay..."
"It's not okay!" said Lemon, shaking her head. "That's invading my privacy! Whoever this Yami guy is, he was wrong!"
Starr blinked. "But my big brother is never wrong..." Her little white lips began to tremble as the big voice in her head began to argue.
[Starr... Don't listen to Yami...]
'But I must!' she thought. 'I must listen to big brother...'
[But he wants to kill Shadow! Listen to the girl! She knows him, I promise. Go on and ask her.]
Starr blinked. Whoever that voice was was really smart! But was it right?
"Miss Lemon?" she asked, coming in closer, her quills swirling around as Lemon's thoughts circled the two of them. "Who is the one you love?"
Lemon blinked. She had never been asked anything so critical in her entire life! She paused, then took a deep breath.
"Well... I guess I like...I like..." She growled as she tried to get it out. Why did this have to be so hard?! She clenched her teeth, hesitated, then blurted it out.
"I Like Tenchi!"
"Tenchi? Who's that?!"
Both girls gasped and looked up to see Yami standing there, stepping towards them. Lemon glared and tried to conceal how weak she felt. She couldn't let this creep see that. "None of your business!" she snapped, her blue eyes glinting.
Yami chuckled, his blank face sending shivers down Lemon's spine. "Well, I'm afraid it must be, Miss Echidna. Starr, show me who this 'Tenchi' is."
"'Kay, Yami!" replied Starr, happy to help. She lifted a single finger and an image of Tenchi came up, making Lemon blush deeply.
"What a strange-looking hedgehog," commented Yami, his tone cold and insulting. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the one that Jigoku reported to us not too long ago, isn't it, Starr?"
"Looks like it," squeaked Starr, staring.
Yami couldn't help but laugh as he brought up another image, this one from his own mind. Lemon watched as the image came up right in front of her. She squinted her eyes and recognized it as her grandfather's new roommate. Oh! What was his name again?
"Shadow the Hedgehog," said Yami, unknowingly answering her question. "Last time I saw him, he was being imprisoned by the GUN soldiers. I've just learned he befriended some old 'friends'. Now, Miss Lemon, watch closely."
Lemon's eyes followed the image of Shadow as it floated towards the nearby image of Tenchi. Lemon gasped as they merged into one, pointing out all of the similarities between the two.
"Th-That can't be!" she stuttered, having never even considered the possibility. "Tenchi was blind and acted nothing like that Shadow guy!"
Yami shook his head. "If I'm right, something big happened to Shadow. An accident of some sort that caused his body to restart. Almost like you would restart a computer. This would have caused him to lose all memories, almost all color and a few senses."
Lemon blinked. "H-His fur was white..." She felt her chest heave as she remembered to breathe. "Oh my God..."
Starr watched as Lemon collapsed to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks. For a few seconds, she almost felt sorry for this girl. But Yami said she should not get involved. And she should listen to Yami. Right?
"Ha ha ha! Now you see! In fact, Shadow's headed straight for us but I highly doubt he will survive the blizzard! No project could survive extreme weather after being restarted!"
Project? Oh yes, Amy had explained how Sonic had come from some sort of space colony. That must be where the others were from too! Lemon leaned back away from Yami, against the sphere's wall.
"You must really hate him," said Lemon, feeling both very tired and very angry. "But I can promise you he'll come! Tenchi never broke his promises and neither will Shadow!"
"Hmph!" replied Yami, raiding an eyeridge. "Those are big words for a little girl like you!"
Lemon felt herself shiver as Yami's terrible voice stabbed her in the chest. Was her bluff really true?
'Please come... Shadow...'
Author's Note: I just wanted to say SORRY again for this being so late! I feel really guilty but I hope this chapter makes up for that. Expect a nice big fight in Chappie 20. ;)