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!
Author's Note: Well, it's been fun watching people suffer from suspense. Although I'm kinda scared of some of you now. ;; But I won't hold it off any longer. You will now find out what the Ultimate Life-Form is and Part 2 will be completed in, oh, maybe another chapter? Along with that, the Prologue of Sonic's Shadow is now a comic. And so will the rest of it... eventually. You can find it on my site if you click on "Sonic's Shadow" and it's also on my deviantART. Isn't that GWATE! Oh, and I'm gonna be in Greece for 3 weeks, so in 3 weeks, Chapter 25 should be written up and another comic chapter up! Anywho, on with Chapter 24!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - SET ME FREE
Knuckles stared with wide eyes. There was no way this creature standing before them was the Ultimate Life-Form. Lemon was too scared to realize how strange the situation was and Rouge simply looked at it as if she had been expecting this all along.
Takara was female. She was a menacing hybrid with the qualities of every project. She had the ears and snout, as well as the slender limbs of the hedgehogs, with the quills of the echidnas. Her body resembled mostly Maria's, although it was much smaller and her clothing looked more like something Tikal would wear. And of course, she had Jigoku's long tail tap the ground behind her. Her feet were also similar to the raptor's, with three big toes and long, sharp toenails that scarred the ground. On her forehead, amongst scattered bangs, was the same upside down triangle that was the symbol of Gerald Robotnik.
"I-It's a girl!" exclaimed Knuckles, in total disbelief. Rouge glared at him.
"Why do you look so surprised?!"
Lemon wasn't paying attention to either of them. She was too busy looking into Takara's yellow eyes. They may have been the same color as Arashi's, but the way they looked at her...
"Sh-Shadow...?"
Takara chuckled, her voice echoing each time she spoke. "Shadow's not around anymore, my dear. Maybe after I complete my mission, you may see him once more before you die!"
With that, the Ultimate Life-Form unleashed its full power.
Athair the Echidna yawned as he leaned his elbows on the windowsill, bored. Now that there was no hedgehog around the house to bully, things had become horribly dull. He sighed as he breathed in the morning air, feeling all of his red fur stand on end as a cool breeze passed. He wondered what his grandchildren were doing at that precise moment...
"POP!"
"Hm?" Athair lazily looked up at the sudden sound. His eyes widened as he realized his own grandson, Knuckles, was floating before him, covered in dirt and scratches. The old echidna abruptly stood up and a cracking noise echoed as he hit his head. "AAGH! BOY, WHAT'RE YOU-?!"
"POP! MOVE!"
Both echidnas yelled as Knuckles rushed in, knocking his grandfather back into the apartment, away from the window. Seconds later, Takara rammed through the entire wall, going over their heads and showering them in shards of glass. Athair stared as the deadly being shot through the opposing wall and began demolishing the entire street. Knuckles grunted with frustration as he got to his feet and began running towards it. Athair blinked as he watched him leave, stunned.
Knuckles yelled as he dove through the gigantic hole in the wall and recklessly launched himself at the Ultimate Life-Form, hoping to slow it down and give Rouge some time to call up Tails and anyone else who could help. Takara laughed at Knuckles' weak attempts and punched him hard, smashing him into the pavement. Lemon gasped as she felt the earth shake under her feet from the impact. That had to hurt.
"Weakling echidna," snarled Takara, wrapping her long fingers around Knuckles' neck and lifting him off his feet. "It's no wonder your race is dying out."
Knuckles growled at her taunt and struggled roughly. Takara laughed as she simply squeezed, making him choke as he tried in vain to escape her grasp. How could a WOMAN be so powerful?!
"HEY!"
Both looked over and Knuckles grunted as the Ultimate Life-Form dropped him. Takara shrieked in anger as she grasped her shoulder, where a rather big piece of wood had been plunged into her. She yanked it out and glared over to the person who had thrown it. Knuckles looked up and gasped with whatever breath was left in his lungs.
"Lemon!"
The determined echidna stood ready, her fists up. "Stay away from my brother, you creep!"
Takara's strong voice pounded down the street as she laughed. She began to stomp towards Lemon, her rough feet pounding the ground and reminding Lemon of her first encounter with Jigoku, back when she had been with Tenchi... She clenched her teeth as Takara reached a hand out towards her, her nails elongating into sharp claws. Lemon whimpered and cringed, shutting her eyes as she felt the very tips of the claws go against her throat. Then, it clicked.
"Sh-Sh-Shadow!" she yelped, her voice catching in her throat from fear. "Shadow, it's me!! Lemon!! REMEMBER ME!!!"
Takara gasped as a powerful jolt ran through her. Her yellow eyes widened as she realized one of the projects was waking up. Lemon watched in shock as Takara struggled to control herself. She blinked as the overpowered being glared up to her, her eyes glowing with malice.
"Lemon...!" it said, in a voice that sounded more like Shadow's than Takara's. "You need to...stop the Chaos... Emeralds!"
Takara let out a yell of frustration as she took control over Shadow once more. She lashed out at Lemon with her claws, attempting to stab at her chest. Lemon, already anticipating the move, stepped backwards, feeling the attack rush past her. She continued to dodge Takara's moves as Knuckles slowly got to his feet, finally recovered from the shock of hitting the ground so hard.
"Knuckles!" yelled Lemon, attempting to punch at Takara. "Knuckles! You have to stop the Chaos Emeralds!" Then she screamed as Takara knocked her back, heading to destroy more buildings. Knuckles raised an eye ridge as he watched Lemon chase after her.
"Wha-?"
He looked up as he heard the sounds of an airplane passing overhead. It was Tails and the X-Tornado, with Rouge sitting in the backseat! The wily bat gripped onto her seat and began to climb up onto the edges, balancing with her wings and arms. Tails stared up at her, his eyes wide with panic as he drove.
"R-Rouge! What're you DOING?!" he screamed, his tails shooting straight up.
Rouge grinned, exposing her fangs. "I'm not about to wait around for Knuckles to screw this up. I might as well save them the trouble and Do It Myself!" With that, she jumped, spreading her wings and diving for the ground. The first explosion Takara has caused had made her wings quite sore, but she figured she could make this once... or could she?
Apparently not.
"AAAHHHHH!" screamed Rouge, suddenly losing her strength and feeling herself beginning to fall faster and faster towards the ground. She curled up and yelled, as she knew the end was nigh.
"Oh GOD! I was good, wasn't I?! Okay, I'll admit it, I was bad, but STILL! How could you kill off such a pretty girl as me?! I was ready to sacrifice everybody to stop that creature and now I'm gonna die because of that IDIOT - Oof!"
She blinked and looked up, her eyes brimmed with tears. Knuckles had caught her! She sighed with relief, then couldn't help but grin up at him.
"Wow, that's twice you've saved my life..."
Knuckles grinned, blushing slightly. "Aw, well..."
"KNUCKLES, YOU MORON! QUIT FLIRTING AND HEEEEELP!"
Rouge and Knuckles both looked up to see that Lemon had been crushed into a wall and Takara and her were struggling to overpower one another. And Lemon was definitely losing. Knuckles gasped as he remembered about his sister and dropped Rouge, who simply scowled, unable to get up. He sprinted towards where Lemon and Takara fought, pulling out the Master Emerald. He recalled what Tikal had taught him back when he had been in Oriental City.
"The seven servers are Chaos,"
Lemon screamed as Takara continued to pound her deeper into the wall. "HURRY!"
"Chaos is power, and power is enriched by the heart!"
Takara roared as she sent a blast of energy into a nearby building. People screamed as the entire complex began to tilt. Lemon gasped, seeing the violent creature generate another attack to finish off all the innocent people and quickly ran and grabbed hold of Takara's arms, delaying the attack. But she wouldn't last long against Jigoku's strength.
"Go, Master Emerald!" chanted Knuckles, glowing with green energy. "STOP THE CHAOS EMERALDS!"
Tails watched from above as Takara stopped, suddenly feeling powerless. She screeched as she tried to get free of Lemon's grasp, but she found that all of her strength was gone. The Chaos Emeralds were no longer giving her extra energy! And the projects inside of her were beginning to awaken and rebel. She panted and staggered backwards, away from Lemon, panicked. "N-No! I won't go back to being nothing!"
Lemon felt a sudden pity for this creature and tried to step towards her, trying to seem gentle. "Maybe it's time that your spirit rested...?"
"NO!! I-I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE I LEAVE!!!"
Knuckles gasped as he saw the Ultimate Life-Form jump at Lemon, going for her throat. He began running towards them, already knowing he'd be too late.
"NOO!! LEMON!"
And then, from out of nowhere, Athair jumped down, swatting his cane at Takara's back. She arched backwards, feeling her entire body burn. Deep inside, Shadow was the first to fully wake up and almost immediately, he began fighting to get free. Lemon watched as Takara's whole body glowed brightly. Athair jumped down, scooped up Lemon and jumped away just as the Ultimate Life-Form exploded.
It was massive. Flames and bursts of chaotic energy blew through even more buildings and Tails screamed as the X Tornado lost control and took a dive into the pavement. Knuckles was knocked off of his feet and right away, he felt blood rush from his nose and mouth from the impact. Rouge hid herself with her wings, although she was jolted very harshly and felt as if her jaw had been cracked in two. Luckily for Lemon, her grandfather was about as strong as anyone one hundred years younger than him, and they were still in mid-air when the explosion passed them by, so they remained unscathed. They watched in wonder as the Chaos Emeralds soared over their heads, separating once again.
They landed just as the clouds of dust began to clear and Lemon quickly rushed to Knuckles, who was lying nearby. Athair did not follow, but simply gazed to where the explosion had been. During the blast, six of the projects had been released, but Shadow had not been so lucky. He floated there, a few inches off the ground, a strange blue energy constricting him and preventing him from escaping. Takara's voice was so loud that it sounded as if it was coming from everywhere.
"Shadow! How DARE you stop me?! I'll KILL you for this!"
Shadow gasped, then yelled as the last of Takara's strength ran through his body, snatching up his life force. Once it was done, the blue power disappeared and the lifeless hedgehog hit the ground facedown. He did not get up.
Sonic, who had already recovered from the separation, rushed blindly to Shadow, his vision slightly blurred. He collapsed next to him, feeling as if he weighed a ton. That merge had been so exhausting... and he couldn't remember why!
"H-Hey, Shad, you alright?" he choked, his voice almost completely gone. "...Shad?"
He hesitated, then gently rolled Shadow onto his back. He quickly regretted it, however, when he realized that Shadow's eyes were wide open. He gasped at the sight and leaned back away from him, shocked. This couldn't be real...?
"Shadow?" He lightly shook his friend's shoulder, refusing to believe the truth. "SHADOW!!! WAKE - UP!!"
"Sonic, stop," muttered Arashi, coming to beside them. "Sonic! He's gone..."
"NO!"
Maria groaned as the sounds of Sonic and Arashi talking reached her ears. She felt so numb... What happened after Shadow broke their connection?
She slowly got up, feeling some of her senses coming back to her. And the first thing she realized was that Sonic wasn't talking; he was crying. Once she was on her feet, she approached them slowly, seeing that the other projects were just beginning to wake up. She came to the two hedgehogs and then kneeled next to Sonic, who had collapsed to his knees. And then she saw why he was sobbing.
"Oh no..."
She came right up next to Shadow, whose eyes had been closed by Arashi. But even then, she could tell he was dead. She shakily felt his cheek, which was colder than snow, then gently lifted up his torso, hugging his head in close. His head leaned in against her chest as his lifeless arms dangled down beside him. She sniffled as she hugged him in as tightly as she could.
"Oh Shadow," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "This is all my fault. I wasn't strong enough to resist Takara and now she's killed you!" She leaned her head in against his shoulder. It was so unfair. She had lived for too long and he hadn't lived long enough! She clenched her teeth as she thought quickly. Then it clicked. She COULD save him! But would it be enough...?
Lemon gasped as she ran towards them, worried sick about Shadow. Knuckles and Rouge were busy helping Tails out of his crashed plane, but Lemon couldn't wait for them. She had to make sure Shadow was okay! As she got closer and closer, she began to notice a light glowing brighter and brighter. She came up to them, then stopped. A blonde woman was kneeling there, holding Shadow against her as a breeze ran through her short hair. Her blue eyes were shining as tears floated around her face. But she was smiling. And Lemon was sure she could hear her voice.
"My dear Shadow... I've lived out my life... Now it's time for you to live yours...I'm happy... I can finally rest... and we can all be set free. Goodbye..."
Lemon watched as the girl fell onto her back, her eyes closing and the light dissipating. The young echidna hurried over to them and came to beside Sonic, who was waiting to see what would happen. After a few moments of silence, Shadow moaned and began to stir. And when he opened his eyes, both Sonic and Lemon sighed with relief.
"Shadow!"
"You're okay!"
Shadow himself, however, wasn't so happy. He stiffly sat up, feeling as if all of his energy had been sapped. But he soon forgot about that when his eyes fell on the woman before him. And he was stunned into silence as all he could do was stare. Lemon could see it in his eyes. And then she recognized who that girl was. She remembered when Shadow had spoken of her, and she then realized how devastating this was.
"Maria... My best friend."
Author's Note...again: I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. Mostly because I feel like crying into a pillow right now. I just killed off MARIA!!!! ... Ah well, anyway, one more chapter, and then we're done Part 2. Part 3 isn't as depressing as the first two parts, rest assured! And I think Part 3 is gonna be the ending. Wow... the ending. I'm actually gonna finish this thing. Anyhow, I'm super tired, I'm going away (as mentioned before) so the next chapter will be up again in two weeks, when I return. And it'll be much better, because this chapter was kinda hurried. (I wanted to finish before I left, or else I'd have one MORE thing to finish while away!) So, this is ZF-V, off on vacation! :D
Author's Note: Well, it's been fun watching people suffer from suspense. Although I'm kinda scared of some of you now. ;; But I won't hold it off any longer. You will now find out what the Ultimate Life-Form is and Part 2 will be completed in, oh, maybe another chapter? Along with that, the Prologue of Sonic's Shadow is now a comic. And so will the rest of it... eventually. You can find it on my site if you click on "Sonic's Shadow" and it's also on my deviantART. Isn't that GWATE! Oh, and I'm gonna be in Greece for 3 weeks, so in 3 weeks, Chapter 25 should be written up and another comic chapter up! Anywho, on with Chapter 24!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - SET ME FREE
Knuckles stared with wide eyes. There was no way this creature standing before them was the Ultimate Life-Form. Lemon was too scared to realize how strange the situation was and Rouge simply looked at it as if she had been expecting this all along.
Takara was female. She was a menacing hybrid with the qualities of every project. She had the ears and snout, as well as the slender limbs of the hedgehogs, with the quills of the echidnas. Her body resembled mostly Maria's, although it was much smaller and her clothing looked more like something Tikal would wear. And of course, she had Jigoku's long tail tap the ground behind her. Her feet were also similar to the raptor's, with three big toes and long, sharp toenails that scarred the ground. On her forehead, amongst scattered bangs, was the same upside down triangle that was the symbol of Gerald Robotnik.
"I-It's a girl!" exclaimed Knuckles, in total disbelief. Rouge glared at him.
"Why do you look so surprised?!"
Lemon wasn't paying attention to either of them. She was too busy looking into Takara's yellow eyes. They may have been the same color as Arashi's, but the way they looked at her...
"Sh-Shadow...?"
Takara chuckled, her voice echoing each time she spoke. "Shadow's not around anymore, my dear. Maybe after I complete my mission, you may see him once more before you die!"
With that, the Ultimate Life-Form unleashed its full power.
Athair the Echidna yawned as he leaned his elbows on the windowsill, bored. Now that there was no hedgehog around the house to bully, things had become horribly dull. He sighed as he breathed in the morning air, feeling all of his red fur stand on end as a cool breeze passed. He wondered what his grandchildren were doing at that precise moment...
"POP!"
"Hm?" Athair lazily looked up at the sudden sound. His eyes widened as he realized his own grandson, Knuckles, was floating before him, covered in dirt and scratches. The old echidna abruptly stood up and a cracking noise echoed as he hit his head. "AAGH! BOY, WHAT'RE YOU-?!"
"POP! MOVE!"
Both echidnas yelled as Knuckles rushed in, knocking his grandfather back into the apartment, away from the window. Seconds later, Takara rammed through the entire wall, going over their heads and showering them in shards of glass. Athair stared as the deadly being shot through the opposing wall and began demolishing the entire street. Knuckles grunted with frustration as he got to his feet and began running towards it. Athair blinked as he watched him leave, stunned.
Knuckles yelled as he dove through the gigantic hole in the wall and recklessly launched himself at the Ultimate Life-Form, hoping to slow it down and give Rouge some time to call up Tails and anyone else who could help. Takara laughed at Knuckles' weak attempts and punched him hard, smashing him into the pavement. Lemon gasped as she felt the earth shake under her feet from the impact. That had to hurt.
"Weakling echidna," snarled Takara, wrapping her long fingers around Knuckles' neck and lifting him off his feet. "It's no wonder your race is dying out."
Knuckles growled at her taunt and struggled roughly. Takara laughed as she simply squeezed, making him choke as he tried in vain to escape her grasp. How could a WOMAN be so powerful?!
"HEY!"
Both looked over and Knuckles grunted as the Ultimate Life-Form dropped him. Takara shrieked in anger as she grasped her shoulder, where a rather big piece of wood had been plunged into her. She yanked it out and glared over to the person who had thrown it. Knuckles looked up and gasped with whatever breath was left in his lungs.
"Lemon!"
The determined echidna stood ready, her fists up. "Stay away from my brother, you creep!"
Takara's strong voice pounded down the street as she laughed. She began to stomp towards Lemon, her rough feet pounding the ground and reminding Lemon of her first encounter with Jigoku, back when she had been with Tenchi... She clenched her teeth as Takara reached a hand out towards her, her nails elongating into sharp claws. Lemon whimpered and cringed, shutting her eyes as she felt the very tips of the claws go against her throat. Then, it clicked.
"Sh-Sh-Shadow!" she yelped, her voice catching in her throat from fear. "Shadow, it's me!! Lemon!! REMEMBER ME!!!"
Takara gasped as a powerful jolt ran through her. Her yellow eyes widened as she realized one of the projects was waking up. Lemon watched in shock as Takara struggled to control herself. She blinked as the overpowered being glared up to her, her eyes glowing with malice.
"Lemon...!" it said, in a voice that sounded more like Shadow's than Takara's. "You need to...stop the Chaos... Emeralds!"
Takara let out a yell of frustration as she took control over Shadow once more. She lashed out at Lemon with her claws, attempting to stab at her chest. Lemon, already anticipating the move, stepped backwards, feeling the attack rush past her. She continued to dodge Takara's moves as Knuckles slowly got to his feet, finally recovered from the shock of hitting the ground so hard.
"Knuckles!" yelled Lemon, attempting to punch at Takara. "Knuckles! You have to stop the Chaos Emeralds!" Then she screamed as Takara knocked her back, heading to destroy more buildings. Knuckles raised an eye ridge as he watched Lemon chase after her.
"Wha-?"
He looked up as he heard the sounds of an airplane passing overhead. It was Tails and the X-Tornado, with Rouge sitting in the backseat! The wily bat gripped onto her seat and began to climb up onto the edges, balancing with her wings and arms. Tails stared up at her, his eyes wide with panic as he drove.
"R-Rouge! What're you DOING?!" he screamed, his tails shooting straight up.
Rouge grinned, exposing her fangs. "I'm not about to wait around for Knuckles to screw this up. I might as well save them the trouble and Do It Myself!" With that, she jumped, spreading her wings and diving for the ground. The first explosion Takara has caused had made her wings quite sore, but she figured she could make this once... or could she?
Apparently not.
"AAAHHHHH!" screamed Rouge, suddenly losing her strength and feeling herself beginning to fall faster and faster towards the ground. She curled up and yelled, as she knew the end was nigh.
"Oh GOD! I was good, wasn't I?! Okay, I'll admit it, I was bad, but STILL! How could you kill off such a pretty girl as me?! I was ready to sacrifice everybody to stop that creature and now I'm gonna die because of that IDIOT - Oof!"
She blinked and looked up, her eyes brimmed with tears. Knuckles had caught her! She sighed with relief, then couldn't help but grin up at him.
"Wow, that's twice you've saved my life..."
Knuckles grinned, blushing slightly. "Aw, well..."
"KNUCKLES, YOU MORON! QUIT FLIRTING AND HEEEEELP!"
Rouge and Knuckles both looked up to see that Lemon had been crushed into a wall and Takara and her were struggling to overpower one another. And Lemon was definitely losing. Knuckles gasped as he remembered about his sister and dropped Rouge, who simply scowled, unable to get up. He sprinted towards where Lemon and Takara fought, pulling out the Master Emerald. He recalled what Tikal had taught him back when he had been in Oriental City.
"The seven servers are Chaos,"
Lemon screamed as Takara continued to pound her deeper into the wall. "HURRY!"
"Chaos is power, and power is enriched by the heart!"
Takara roared as she sent a blast of energy into a nearby building. People screamed as the entire complex began to tilt. Lemon gasped, seeing the violent creature generate another attack to finish off all the innocent people and quickly ran and grabbed hold of Takara's arms, delaying the attack. But she wouldn't last long against Jigoku's strength.
"Go, Master Emerald!" chanted Knuckles, glowing with green energy. "STOP THE CHAOS EMERALDS!"
Tails watched from above as Takara stopped, suddenly feeling powerless. She screeched as she tried to get free of Lemon's grasp, but she found that all of her strength was gone. The Chaos Emeralds were no longer giving her extra energy! And the projects inside of her were beginning to awaken and rebel. She panted and staggered backwards, away from Lemon, panicked. "N-No! I won't go back to being nothing!"
Lemon felt a sudden pity for this creature and tried to step towards her, trying to seem gentle. "Maybe it's time that your spirit rested...?"
"NO!! I-I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE I LEAVE!!!"
Knuckles gasped as he saw the Ultimate Life-Form jump at Lemon, going for her throat. He began running towards them, already knowing he'd be too late.
"NOO!! LEMON!"
And then, from out of nowhere, Athair jumped down, swatting his cane at Takara's back. She arched backwards, feeling her entire body burn. Deep inside, Shadow was the first to fully wake up and almost immediately, he began fighting to get free. Lemon watched as Takara's whole body glowed brightly. Athair jumped down, scooped up Lemon and jumped away just as the Ultimate Life-Form exploded.
It was massive. Flames and bursts of chaotic energy blew through even more buildings and Tails screamed as the X Tornado lost control and took a dive into the pavement. Knuckles was knocked off of his feet and right away, he felt blood rush from his nose and mouth from the impact. Rouge hid herself with her wings, although she was jolted very harshly and felt as if her jaw had been cracked in two. Luckily for Lemon, her grandfather was about as strong as anyone one hundred years younger than him, and they were still in mid-air when the explosion passed them by, so they remained unscathed. They watched in wonder as the Chaos Emeralds soared over their heads, separating once again.
They landed just as the clouds of dust began to clear and Lemon quickly rushed to Knuckles, who was lying nearby. Athair did not follow, but simply gazed to where the explosion had been. During the blast, six of the projects had been released, but Shadow had not been so lucky. He floated there, a few inches off the ground, a strange blue energy constricting him and preventing him from escaping. Takara's voice was so loud that it sounded as if it was coming from everywhere.
"Shadow! How DARE you stop me?! I'll KILL you for this!"
Shadow gasped, then yelled as the last of Takara's strength ran through his body, snatching up his life force. Once it was done, the blue power disappeared and the lifeless hedgehog hit the ground facedown. He did not get up.
Sonic, who had already recovered from the separation, rushed blindly to Shadow, his vision slightly blurred. He collapsed next to him, feeling as if he weighed a ton. That merge had been so exhausting... and he couldn't remember why!
"H-Hey, Shad, you alright?" he choked, his voice almost completely gone. "...Shad?"
He hesitated, then gently rolled Shadow onto his back. He quickly regretted it, however, when he realized that Shadow's eyes were wide open. He gasped at the sight and leaned back away from him, shocked. This couldn't be real...?
"Shadow?" He lightly shook his friend's shoulder, refusing to believe the truth. "SHADOW!!! WAKE - UP!!"
"Sonic, stop," muttered Arashi, coming to beside them. "Sonic! He's gone..."
"NO!"
Maria groaned as the sounds of Sonic and Arashi talking reached her ears. She felt so numb... What happened after Shadow broke their connection?
She slowly got up, feeling some of her senses coming back to her. And the first thing she realized was that Sonic wasn't talking; he was crying. Once she was on her feet, she approached them slowly, seeing that the other projects were just beginning to wake up. She came to the two hedgehogs and then kneeled next to Sonic, who had collapsed to his knees. And then she saw why he was sobbing.
"Oh no..."
She came right up next to Shadow, whose eyes had been closed by Arashi. But even then, she could tell he was dead. She shakily felt his cheek, which was colder than snow, then gently lifted up his torso, hugging his head in close. His head leaned in against her chest as his lifeless arms dangled down beside him. She sniffled as she hugged him in as tightly as she could.
"Oh Shadow," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "This is all my fault. I wasn't strong enough to resist Takara and now she's killed you!" She leaned her head in against his shoulder. It was so unfair. She had lived for too long and he hadn't lived long enough! She clenched her teeth as she thought quickly. Then it clicked. She COULD save him! But would it be enough...?
Lemon gasped as she ran towards them, worried sick about Shadow. Knuckles and Rouge were busy helping Tails out of his crashed plane, but Lemon couldn't wait for them. She had to make sure Shadow was okay! As she got closer and closer, she began to notice a light glowing brighter and brighter. She came up to them, then stopped. A blonde woman was kneeling there, holding Shadow against her as a breeze ran through her short hair. Her blue eyes were shining as tears floated around her face. But she was smiling. And Lemon was sure she could hear her voice.
"My dear Shadow... I've lived out my life... Now it's time for you to live yours...I'm happy... I can finally rest... and we can all be set free. Goodbye..."
Lemon watched as the girl fell onto her back, her eyes closing and the light dissipating. The young echidna hurried over to them and came to beside Sonic, who was waiting to see what would happen. After a few moments of silence, Shadow moaned and began to stir. And when he opened his eyes, both Sonic and Lemon sighed with relief.
"Shadow!"
"You're okay!"
Shadow himself, however, wasn't so happy. He stiffly sat up, feeling as if all of his energy had been sapped. But he soon forgot about that when his eyes fell on the woman before him. And he was stunned into silence as all he could do was stare. Lemon could see it in his eyes. And then she recognized who that girl was. She remembered when Shadow had spoken of her, and she then realized how devastating this was.
"Maria... My best friend."
Author's Note...again: I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. Mostly because I feel like crying into a pillow right now. I just killed off MARIA!!!! ... Ah well, anyway, one more chapter, and then we're done Part 2. Part 3 isn't as depressing as the first two parts, rest assured! And I think Part 3 is gonna be the ending. Wow... the ending. I'm actually gonna finish this thing. Anyhow, I'm super tired, I'm going away (as mentioned before) so the next chapter will be up again in two weeks, when I return. And it'll be much better, because this chapter was kinda hurried. (I wanted to finish before I left, or else I'd have one MORE thing to finish while away!) So, this is ZF-V, off on vacation! :D