Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic. Listen, I'm really going to quit putting these here, everyone knows I don't own Sonic. ^^;;
A/N: Hooray! I've surpassed 50 reviews! :D That makes me happy.
In other news... I was out of town for the past week, but I did manage to get this chapter written (and part of the next one).
Lastly, if anyone notices anything in this story that contradicts something in an earlier chapter, would you please tell me? Since beginning this story, I have seen some Japanese episodes of Sonic X that have given me ideas for a new story when this one is done, but they contradict things that I've already written. If there's something that doesn't make sense, please inform me.
To Yersi Fanel: *smiles* That's a good point that you picked up on. In a way, the Chaos Energy is like a blessing and a curse. Like Tikal said, immortality really just isn't supposed to happen. Everybody just sit back and watch... Oh, and I'm happy that you enjoy this story. Thanks to everyone who's come all this way reading it! :)
Deep in the jungle...
...too far away for anyone to know...
...G.U.N. was taking its master plan to action...
~*~
Back in Station Square...
"Hey, guys. I saw Rouge," Sonic said casually after going for a mid-morning run, walking into the kitchen where the others were having lunch.
"What? When?" Amy asked, surprised.
"About 10:00 p.m., yesterday."
"What were you doing outside, anyway?" Tails looked at Sonic questioningly.
Sonic grinned and folded his hands behind his head. "Hehe... just out running."
Shadow looked up from where he was sitting on the couch. "You shouldn't be out running around. G.U.N.'s going to come back... I know they will."
Sonic laughed nonchalantly. "Don't be such a worrywart. We beat them once, they've probably given up."
Shadow glared. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know them. None of you know them. G.U.N. is a monster. And they'll stop at nothing to..." Shadow fell silent.
Amy glanced at Shadow. "To what? Are you okay?..."
Shadow stood up. "Listen... they knew it was me, even though you gave me this disguise. And... you don't know the whole story. It's probably best if I leave... I'm not going to pull anyone down with me..."
'...again...'
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Hey, man, you're making a mistake, going off on your own. I seriously don't think they will, but if G.U.N. does go after you, they're after me, too... so, it's probably best to stick together. You know, 'strength in numbers'?"
Shadow was stubborn. Still standing, he shouted, "Quiet! You don't know what you're talking about! I know G.U.N.! And I won't have another person's blood on my hands--!!"
After that furious moment, Shadow collapsed backwards onto the couch. Half lost in his own subconscious, he whispered, "I'm not going to let anyone get hurt again..." He folded his arms around himself. "Never..."
The room was silent. Sonic swallowed. "This is about... you know... isn't it?"
"She had a name... Maria," Shadow said, staring into space. "She lost her life... because of me... if G.U.N. hadn't been after me, then..." Shadow closed his eyes.
Trying to change the subject, Amy piped up, "So... what do you think Rouge was doing here, anyway?"
Sonic shrugged. "I dunno. I saw her going towards Emerald Coast, though. Maybe she thought there were actual emeralds or something there," he joked.
"Rouge... I don't like her..." Shadow said quietly.
"Maybe even your memories aren't real--!"
Shadow closed his eyes tightly. The room was quiet again.
Amy finally couldn't take it anymore. "Shadow, that's enough!" she cried. "Just lighten up! If there are problems ahead, well, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it!!"
Shadow sat there, shocked back to reality and slightly stunned by Amy's loud voice. Even Sonic and Tails were slightly rattled.
Amy, a bit calmer now, laughed rather nervously. "Um, ahaha, well, I suppose you've... got the point..." She cleared her throat. "Well, ahem... I... I just think all this talk is depressing... it's not good for a person..."
Shadow sighed and stood up. He walked down the hallway towards his room. "It might be depressing for you... but it's the truth."
After Shadow had left, Tails spoke up. "He's right, you know... I have a feeling there's a lot we don't know about this that he does."
"Like he's going to tell us," Sonic scoffed.
"Right..." Tails sighed. After a few moments, he suddenly perked up. "But I think I know someone who could help!"
"Who?" Amy asked.
"Rouge! Everything she knows about G.U.N. is valuable information."
"Well, we have to find her first," Sonic pointed out.
"Yeah..." Tails sighed. He got up to walk to his room, for a quiet place to think.
On the way, he passed by Shadow's closed door. Inside, Tails could hear Shadow speaking...
"Maria... I can't do it... it's too hard... everyone wants something different... what do I do now...?"
Tails caught himself eavesdropping and quickly walked away, knowing that it was rude to listen in on other people.
~*~
Shadow's mind was in turmoil as he sat on his bed, thinking.
'I don't know what to do anymore...' he inwardly sighed to himself.
'She wanted everyone to be happy... how do I do it?'
Shadow remembered... Tails had said that there were unhappy people on the Earth...
...even though it was so perfect...
What could people be unhappy about?
'Sonic seems happy... so do Tails and Amy. Who is unhappy on this planet?'
G.U.N.?
Shadow's eyes widened.
'Those people from G.U.N....
'They... they wanted me destroyed...
'But... but that's...
'...not right...'
Shadow buried his face in his hands. His head burned. He felt like something was tearing him in two.
"Maria... what now...? Could it be that what makes some people happy... isn't right...? Is G.U.N. wrong for what they want?
"...what am I supposed to do...?
"I always thought that you knew everything about Earth... all your books, all of your questions... I thought you knew everything. I trusted what you taught me.
"Could it be... that there was more that we didn't know?
"We thought we knew everything..."
Shadow had yet to learn that, sometimes...
...it was impossible for everyone to be happy.
That, sometimes, people had to compromise... to give up a little to gain a little.
Growing up in isolation from the rest of the world, one never learned about compromises... about how you don't always get your way.
Without that knowledge, Shadow was trying to undertake an impossible task.
To do what G.U.N. wanted... or to do what was right.
But knowing what was wrong or right was hard too, if you'd never experienced life on Earth.
The saying that "ignorance is bliss" was completely untrue in this situation.
Shadow's beloved time on ARK was becoming his downfall.
~*~
"I don't understand."
Knuckles stood, arms folded, watching as Rouge prepared to leave Angel Island.
Rouge sighed. "Listen... this has gotten way out of hand. I just have to know what G.U.N. is up to. I just have a really bad feeling about this..."
"Stop looking for trouble, and it won't come to you. Remember, curiosity killed the cat... or the bat, in your case," Knuckles reprimanded.
Rouge smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Knuckles. Knuckles, Knuckles, Knuckles. How I envy you. So in tune with the rest of the world, with such a grand sense of adventure..." she said sarcastically.
Knuckles scoffed. "I have a mission and a destiny already set for me. Adventure is for hotheads like Sonic..."
Rouge looked at Knuckles, raising one eyebrow. "Don't tell me that you honestly believe that you're going to spend your entire life up here protecting this Emerald?"
Knuckles shrugged. Rouge exclaimed, "We're still young! Have a little fun with your life, for crying out loud!"
Rouge left in a huff, spreading her wings as she flew off the island.
Knuckles called after her hotly,
"Breaking into G.U.N.'s database isn't my idea of fun!!"
~*~
Rouge reached her destination at about 6:30 p.m. that day.
At about the same time, Shadow had finally lost it.
After spending the entire day in his room, with hard decisions, the stress had finally gotten to him.
He quickly slipped into the bathroom, while the others were having dinner.
He emerged with his 'disguise' completely removed.
Back to his old black and red fur.
Blood-red eyes.
He quietly walked into his room, his borrowed shoes silent on the carpet.
No one noticed.
Amy, sitting with Sonic and Tails at the kitchen table, spoke up. "Sonic, why don't you bring Shadow some dinner? He's been quiet ever since he locked himself up in his room..."
"Okay, fine..." Sonic muttered, picking up Shadow's plate and carrying it down the hallway.
"Hey, Shadow! Eat something! It's not going to do you much good if you starve to death!" Sonic yelled as kicked the door, his hands full. To his surprise, it opened.
The window was open.
The black hedgehog wasn't anywhere in the apartment.
"Shadow! You idiot! I said not to leave!!
"What if G.U.N. really does come back?!"
A/N: *grin* I didn't think I'd get this done so fast!
Anyway, the better half of the next chapter is already written on paper, so I'll be typing that up now. Expect it pretty soon!